Formula 1’s 2025 Emilia Romagna(Imola) Grand Prix Review
Verstappen masters strategy to win Red Bull’s 400th race as McLaren bring home a double podium
Max Verstappen returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, delivering a masterclass in race craft and strategy to clinch Red Bull Racing’s 400th Grand Prix start with a decisive victory at Imola. It was a day that saw early aggression, pit stop gambles, multiple Safety Car periods, and a resurgence from Ferrari, but ultimately Verstappen and his team executed to perfection.
Behind him, the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri brought home another powerful double podium, with the British team continuing to look like the most complete challenger to Red Bull in the Constructors’ fight. Ferrari, meanwhile, rallied from a miserable Saturday qualifying to finish fourth and sixth with Hamilton and Leclerc, giving the Tifosi something to cheer for at home.
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Formula 1’s 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Qualifying Review
Piastri edges Verstappen in tense Q3 showdown as Ferrari flounders at home
Oscar Piastri delivered yet another statement in his title campaign by snatching pole position for the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in a dramatic, red-flag-riddled qualifying session at Imola. The McLaren driver’s final flyer of 1:14.670 was enough to beat Max Verstappen by just 0.034s, extending McLaren’s incredible run of form in both dry and damp conditions.
Verstappen had looked strong after the first Q3 runs, but Piastri found the grip when it counted—despite having to navigate traffic in the final corners. George Russell claimed third after switching to the medium compound for his final attempt, ahead of Lando Norris in P4 and a revitalized Fernando Alonso in fifth, also on mediums.
Further back, it was a disastrous day for Ferrari at home. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q2, qualifying 11th and 12th respectively, while local favorite Andrea Kimi Antonelli also dropped out in 13th after struggling with grip.
Q1 – Tsunoda flips, Colapinto crashes, chaos reigns
Grateful to see Yuki Tsunoda walk away from this enormous shunt in Q1#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/hsviPlI66P
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 17, 2025
Qualifying kicked off with immediate drama as Yuki Tsunoda suffered a terrifying barrel-roll crash through Variante Villeneuve. The Red Bull driver clipped the inside kerb, lost control, and flipped violently before landing upright in the gravel. Miraculously, he walked away unscathed—but was ruled out for the session.
After a lengthy red flag delay for barrier repairs, action resumed only to be stopped again late in Q1 when Alpine’s Franco Colapinto—making his return to Formula 1—crashed heavily exiting Tamburello. The Argentinian had done enough to progress to Q2 but couldn’t take part due to damage.
Knocked out in Q1: Lawson, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Bearman, Tsunoda
Q2 – Sainz tops the charts as Ferrari and Antonelli stumble
Carlos Sainz stunned with the fastest time of Q2 on a 1:15.198, but the celebration stopped there for the Tifosi. Neither Leclerc nor Hamilton managed to improve enough on their final laps, and both were shock eliminations. Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli also failed to make it through, ending up a frustrated 13th.
The Aston Martins rolled the dice with medium tyres and made it work, securing spots in the top ten. Gasly, Hadjar, and Albon all delivered strong laps to sneak into Q3.
Knocked out in Q2: Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Bortoleto, Colapinto
Q3 – Piastri puts it all together, Verstappen falls just short
The final ten went toe-to-toe for pole, and it was all about tyre strategy. While most went with softs, Russell, Alonso, and Stroll opted for mediums. Piastri laid down a 1:14.821 on his first run, only to be topped by Verstappen’s 1:14.772 moments later.
But the Aussie wasn’t done. With the clock ticking down, he pushed through traffic and nailed a 1:14.670 to secure his second pole of the season. Verstappen settled for second, while Russell’s gamble on the mediums earned him a stellar third. Norris could only manage fourth, three tenths down on his teammate.
Sainz and Albon impressed for Williams once again with sixth and seventh. Stroll, Hadjar, and Gasly completed the top ten.
2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Top 10 Qualifiers
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:15.500 | 1:15.214 | 1:14.670 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:15.175 | 1:15.394 | 1:14.704 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:15.852 | 1:15.334 | 1:14.807 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:15.894 | 1:15.261 | 1:14.962 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:15.695 | 1:15.442 | 1:15.431 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:15.987 | 1:15.198 | 1:15.432 |
| 7 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:16.123 | 1:15.521 | 1:15.473 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:15.817 | 1:15.497 | 1:15.581 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:16.253 | 1:15.510 | 1:15.746 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:15.937 | 1:15.505 | 1:15.787 |
Emilia Romagna (Imola) Grand Prix Race Summary
The points scorers! 👀#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/Mz8rTcSi83
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
The lights went out under clear skies at the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, and pole-sitter Oscar Piastri got away cleanly. But Verstappen had other plans. Starting second, the Red Bull driver made a bold lunge around the outside into the Tamburello chicane and made it stick, snatching the lead before Lap 1 was complete.
The first phase of the race saw Piastri hold steady in P2, while Lando Norris battled hard to get past George Russell for third, succeeding on Lap 11 with a daring move through Variante Alta. Further back, Hamilton and Leclerc were slowly working their way forward after both failed to reach Q3 the day before.
McLaren pulled the trigger first in the pit window, pitting Piastri early on Lap 14 for hard tyres. It was a move that initially looked promising but left him fighting through traffic. Norris stayed out longer, trying the overcut, while Verstappen maintained a steady 10-second lead at the front.
The race took a tactical twist on Lap 29 when Esteban Ocon pulled over with a mechanical failure in his Haas, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Red Bull seized the opportunity — Verstappen pitted and rejoined comfortably in the lead, while several others scrambled to switch strategies mid-race.
Then came the full Safety Car on Lap 46, when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes stopped on track. Verstappen pitted again for a fresh set of hard tyres, as did Norris. Piastri, however, stayed out — and suddenly found himself back in the lead. But on worn tyres and with Verstappen and Norris behind on fresh rubber, it was a matter of time.
At the Lap 53 restart, Verstappen nailed his getaway, immediately gapping Piastri. Norris was all over his teammate and eventually made the pass for P2, setting the final top three order. It was Verstappen’s second win of the season, his 65th career victory, and his fourth consecutive triumph at Imola — all on the day of Red Bull’s 400th Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Superb from Verstappen 🤩
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
The four-time world champ takes victory in @redbullracing's 400th grand prix 👏#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/H59o9eMhd3
Behind the front three, Lewis Hamilton put in one of his strongest drives yet in red, recovering from 12th on the grid to finish a fighting fourth, overtaking teammate Leclerc and Mercedes’ Russell in the process. Alexander Albon was again exceptional, battling the Ferraris and eventually passing Leclerc on the final lap to take fifth for Williams.
George Russell faded to seventh, while Carlos Sainz added more points for Williams in eighth. Isack Hadjar was clinical for Racing Bulls, taking P9 ahead of a recovering Yuki Tsunoda, who scored the final point after starting from the pit lane.
🏆 Final Classification – 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:31:33.199 | 25 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | +6.109s | 18 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | +12.956s | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +14.356s | 12 |
| 5 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | +17.945s | 10 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +20.774s | 8 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | +22.034s | 6 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | +22.898s | 4 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | +23.586s | 2 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | +26.446s | 1 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +27.250s | 0 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | +30.296s | 0 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | +31.424s | 0 |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | +32.511s | 0 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +32.993s | 0 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | +33.411s | 0 |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | +33.808s | 0 |
| 18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | +38.572s | 0 |
| NC | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | DNF | 0 |
Conclusion
At the start of the weekend, McLaren looked like the dominant force. But when it counted, Red Bull flexed their championship muscle — and Max Verstappen showed once again why he remains the most complete driver on the grid. The combination of bold overtaking, precise tyre management, and strategic timing handed Verstappen a much-needed win, keeping him well in the hunt for the 2025 Drivers’ title.
Oscar Piastri still leads the championship on 146 points, but the gap is narrowing. Norris sits just 13 points behind, and Verstappen now trails Norris by only 9. The fight is truly on.
As the paddock packs up and heads for Monte Carlo, the question becomes: will Monaco’s tight, twisty layout favour McLaren’s qualifying pace? Or will Red Bull and Verstappen find another gear?
One thing’s for sure — the 2025 title fight is just getting started.
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Sources
- Piastri beats Verstappen and Russell to pole in dramatic Imola Qualifying session – Formula1.com
- 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Qualifying Results – Formula1.com
- Verstappen storms to victory in thrilling Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix ahead of Norris and Piastri – Formula1.com
- 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Race Results – Formula1.com
