Max Verstappen wins his 4th Emilia Romagna GP and the 2nd of the season. The stunning first-lap overtake on Oscar Piastri was the key part of him winning the race. Max had a slow launch of the line but braked late in Tamburello to overtake the pole sitter. The reigning champion had luck on his side, and it looked like he was destined to claim victory in the Imola Grand Prix. Let’s understand what happened in the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP.

Varying Race Strategies in the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP

Max Verstappen rode his own luck after a quick overtake on Piastri at the start of the lap. The Dutch driver ensured that he pulled ahead and stayed out of the DRS of Piastri. It’s important to understand that the Red Bull car had great race pace and might be slightly better than the McLarens.

To counter the on-track pace, McLaren pitted Piastri early to undercut the race leader after looking at Charles Leclerc. Speaking of whom, the Ferraris, who had a dismal qualifying session, showed excellent race pace. It was Charles Leclerc’s pitting early that triggered an array of pit stops for other drivers. The undercut allowed Leclerc to get in front of George Russell and the other drivers who pitted after him.

Verstappen and Norris, along with Alex Albon and Isac Hadjar, decided to stay out on their medium tires. This created two different strategies for the race. But the slow pit stops for Oscar Piastri compromised this strategy, which eventually allowed Max to stay out longer.

Changing Point of the Imola GP

Lando Norris decided to pit on Lap 28, and this was when Esteban Ocon’s car came to a halt, bringing out the safety car. This gave Verstappen a cheap pit stop and completely ruined the race for the early stoppers. Verstappen gained a clear lead of 19.8s ahead of Norris, with Piastri falling further behind his teammate.

On Lap 46, the race again came to a halt after Kimi Antonelli’s car ran out of juice and out of the race, bringing the full safety car. Verstappen, Norris, Hamilton, Albon, and the one-stoppers pitted for fresh tires. The two-stoppers didn’t have any tires left, so Piastri, along with the others, stayed out.

This allowed Verstappen to get an easy win as Piastri and Norris jostled each other for second place. Norris eventually overtook his teammate on lap 58, and Hamilton finished 4^th after overtaking Leclerc and Albon after the restart.

The Major disappointment was Aston Martin, whose strategy completely backfired. After a strategic masterstroke in the Imola Qualifying, they had a blunder in the race. Alonso finished in 11^th while Stroll a dismal 15^th on the track.

2025 Emilia Romagna GP Final Standings

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5. Alex Albon (Williams)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16. Franco Colopinto (Alpine)
17. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
18. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

DNF: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

DNF: Esteban Ocon (Haas)