Max Verstappen took his second victory this season at the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP, a timely one that meant he remained in contention for the Formula 1 title after a recent strong run from McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen hasn't won a race since the Japanese GP back in April, and the gap to Piastri in the drivers' championship has been steadily growing ever since, as the Aussie has taken three wins in a row since then.
But the Dutchman has now put himself back in contention after his win last Sunday, striking back at the McLarens with an emphatic win that means he is now only 22 points behind Piastri and just nine behind second-placed Lando Norris.
And what makes this win even more important is that it comes ahead of Monaco, which was a disaster for Verstappen and Red Bull back in 2024, and there is nothing to say they won't have a tough time there this year as well.
After all, the Red Bull RB21 is not good in low-speed corners, an area where McLaren's MCL39 excels. The RB21 does not handle the kerbs well, which is necessary for a fast lap around Monaco.
That is why winning the first race of the first European leg of the season will be a good boost for Verstappen ahead of the potential struggles of Monaco.
McLaren, on the other hand, threw a one-two finish away for various reasons, while Ferrari tripped over themselves in front of the Tifosi in qualifying, partially making up for that in the race.
The Emilia Romagna GP was not a good one for the Italian fans, as their latest hero, Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli, had a horrible weekend.
It was a great weekend overall that a classic and historic circuit delivered, so let's look back and come up with some takeaways from the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP.
That pass!!
Verstappen's Emilia Romagna win can be summed up by that brilliant pass on Lap 1 after mugging Piastri despite not having the perfect start. That was half the job done just there.
I had to replay the start several times just to understand how Verstappen pulled it off despite his sluggish start, with George Russell also fancying a shot at the lead, but the Red Bull man just executed it perfectly in terms of where he placed his car and his braking while masterfully controlling a car with a full fuel tank and tyres not yet in their optimum temperature window.
After that, Verstappen seemed to have enough pace to control the race, benefiting from running in clean air, and was able to keep Piastri at arm's length early on and do the same to Norris in the latter part of the race.
With how things turned out in the race, losing out on pole ended up being a blessing for Verstappen, as it was always better to be on the attack than on the defense.
And while Verstappen delivered as usual, Red Bull Racing did their part as a team. They brought an upgrade to their RB21, which seemed to work, while their race execution was spot-on.
They did not blink when McLaren pitted Piastri earlier and kept Verstappen out, keeping an eye on the gap to the Australian to make sure they pitted their #1 car; they would keep the lead.
The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) gave Verstappen a huge advantage, which then evaporated after a Safety Car (SC) period bunched up the field, but the #1 RB21 shot into the lead on the restart with neither McLaren driver being able to make inroads.
While Piastri was on old tyres, Norris passed him and tried to chase Verstappen but could not close the gap, which poses the question: Was the McLaren car having a bad day? Or did Red Bull simply improve their car with their Imola upgrade?
Verstappen insisted the speed at Imola was track-specific, but we will find out more as the season progresses. However, that was the perfect way to celebrate Red Bull Racing's 400th grand prix.
McLaren panicked
Piastri was tipped to match a significant record in McLaren's history, which is winning four races in a row, a record held by the great Ayrton Senna from the 1988 Formula 1 season.
McLaren were supposed to dominate at Imola, especially with the high track temperatures, a condition in which their MCL39, with its superior tyre management, thrives.
Indeed, they topped all free practice sessions, and Piastri seemed to be on his way to match Senna's record after taking pole.
But then came that opening lap, and for some reason Piastri was uncharacteristically tentative in his defense, as he admitted after the race that he braked too early, and Russell's angry radio message was further proof that the Australian, who has shown he has nerves of steel so far, buckled.
After that, McLaren messed up, calling Piastri into the pits early on while the race was expected to be a one-stopper. At that point Piastri was suffering from tyre degradation, and McLaren panicked and called him in.
As it turned out, the drop in the tyres was just for a handful of laps, and they came back, but Piastri was on the back foot from that point onwards... He pitted again after the VSC but stayed out under the SC later as he had no tyres left. Game over.
But when you have the best car on the grid and one of the best driver pairings, the second driver should be there to pick up the pieces, right?
Wrong! That is because Norris put himself out of contention after qualifying fourth on Saturday and once again struggling to pass a slow Mercedes (Russell) but got lucky to benefit from the VSC and the SC later on to pass Piastri for second but failed to reel in Verstappen.
We also have to mention that McLaren didn't instruct Piastri to move out of Norris' way after the SC was in, which was also another mistake, as Norris lost too much time trying to pass his teammate on worn-out tyres... The kid just can't overtake!
Summing up, McLaren should have taken a one-two at Imola but ended up with a two-three finish, and they are trumpeting how good a result that was! Go figure!
Not the best weekend for the Tifosi and Italian fans in general
The weekend at Imola was one the Italian fans were looking forward to naturally since their beloved Ferrari would be racing, especially with a seven-time Formula 1 champion in one of the Red Cars.
Another reason was Antonelli, the first Italian driver in Formula 1 since 2021, when Antonio Giovinazzi's unremarkable stint in the top flight was over.
The Italian rookie, on the other hand, has shown his worth since joining the grid, and he has done that with a top team that is Mercedes.
But then the weekend came crumbling down for the Italian fans as both Ferraris did not make Q3, while Antonelli qualified only 13th.
During the race, Hamilton drove solidly to take fourth as Ferrari did not fluff his strategy for a change. That did not apply to Charles Leclerc, who did not have an available tyre set to change when the Safety Car came out. That meant sixth was the best he could achieve.
For any other team, finishing fourth and sixth would be considered a good result after starting 11th and 12th, but Ferrari shouldn't be starting so low in the first place.
As for Antonelli, he struggled all weekend, and in the end his race ended prematurely with car failure. A debut home race to forget for the 18-year-old.
Not what the Italian fans were hoping for, but at least Hamilton's drive was some consolation.
Emilia Romagna GP Quick hits
- Pirelli brought their softest compound to Imola, the C6, for the first time this season. As it turned out, it was too soft and did not even last one flying lap, which made the Medium tyre the better qualifying tyre.
Indeed, Aston Martin made it into Q3 on the Mediums, while Russell qualified third on that yellow-walled tyre. Other teams would've also used it had they not preferred to save the Mediums for the race. - Aston Martin brought a major upgrade to their AMR25, almost a B-spec car, and it seems to have worked as they made Q3 in qualifying.
Their race was a different story, with Fernando Alonso just missing out on points, but it seems the car is on the right track now, after all, Lance Stroll did make Q3! - It was great to see Yuki Tsunoda exit his totaled car unharmed after his huge qualifying shunt, but it is time for Red Bull Racing to put an end to the narrative that he is getting better despite finishing tenth.
- Alpine started their weekend in great form given the recent developments within the team—Oliver Oakes leaving and Franco Colapinto replacing Jack Doohan—and Pierre Gasly was flirting with the top positions in practice before qualifying tenth.
Gasly's shoulders the blame after going off track fighting with Leclerc, an incident that derailed his race.
Colapinto crashed on qualifying, which is no surprise when you put a driver with no experience in a car he has never driven before on one of the most challenging Formula 1 tracks. Good thing he was ok, but his first weekend with Alpine cannot be labeled positive. - Mercedes struggled on the hot Imola surface, and Russell was never happy with his car.
- A final word on Williams, who once again qualified both cars in the top ten, Carlos Sainz ahead of Alex Albon again. They also finished in the points.
The James Vowles-led outfit have stopped development of their FW47 to focus on their 2026 project, which makes one think of what could've been had Williams kept upgrading the car.
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