Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which was the seventh race of the 2025 Formula 1 season. This event took place on Sunday, April 18, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola. For Verstappen, this win marked his second triumph of the season after his success at the Japanese Grand Prix, and it also represented the 65th career win in Formula 1 for the four-time world champion.
Completing the podium for this race were Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from McLaren, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Piastri continues to lead the championship standings with 146 points, followed closely by Norris with 133 points, and Verstappen is in third with 124 points. Lewis Hamilton secured a commendable fourth place, achieving his best result with Ferrari so far. In a thrilling finish, Hamilton overtook his teammate, Charles Leclerc, in the final laps. Leclerc had been engaged in a fierce battle with Alexander Albon for fifth place but ultimately fell behind Albon after a controversial maneuver.
George Russell was the only Mercedes car to finish the race, following Kimi Antonelli’s retirement. Russell crossed the finish line in seventh place. Carlos Sainz finished eighth, reinforcing Williams’ solid performance as both of their cars secured spots in the top ten. Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls finished ninth, and Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull rounded out the points-scoring positions. Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto faced aerodynamic issues with his Sauber and ended up in last place. He started from 14th and was having a decent race until troubles and poor team strategies hindered his progress.
The Formula 1 series will return next week with the Monaco Grand Prix, scheduled from May 23 to May 25. Fans can follow all the live updates and coverage on F1Mania.net.
### Race Overview
Oscar Piastri had a strong start and maintained his lead through the first corner. Verstappen, on the outside, lost the second position to Russell but made an incredible move at the Tamburello chicane, passing both Piastri and Russell to take the lead. Piastri held firm in second place, while Norris began to pressure Russell for third. The two compatriots battled closely for several laps before Norris successfully overtook Russell at the Villeneuve chicane.
The early pit stops commenced quickly, with Piastri diving into the pits on lap 14. He re-emerged in 11th place, trailing Tsunoda after a slow pit stop from the McLaren team. The championship leader wasted no time in overtaking Tsunoda to climb back to 10th place and soon passed Bearman to move into ninth.
Bortoleto also had a decent start and, after making a few pit stops, found himself in 10th place. However, he pitted again on lap 16, returning to the track in last position. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg remained on track and was in seventh place by lap 20.
Piastri continued his charge through the field. By lap 20, he utilized DRS to pass Colapinto and claim eighth place. Up front, Verstappen maintained a commanding lead of 9.5 seconds over Norris, who was in second. Albon was running third, followed by Hadjar, Antonelli, and Hamilton.
On lap 26, Piastri attacked Hamilton, easily overtaking the seven-time champion to take sixth place, just under a second behind Antonelli in fifth. A few corners later, Piastri moved up to fifth place. Norris pitted on lap 29 and returned to the track in seventh. At the same time, Ocon had to stop on the track due to issues with his Haas car, prompting a virtual safety car. Verstappen took advantage of this and pitted, returning to the track still in the lead.
With many drivers opting to pit during the virtual safety car period, Piastri made another pit stop, coming out in fourth place behind Albon. The top three at this point were Verstappen, Norris, and Albon. Once the virtual safety car ended, Verstappen had a 19-second advantage over Norris in second place.
Hamilton passed Antonelli for sixth place on lap 34, while Leclerc, in the other SF-25, expressed concerns regarding Ferrari’s strategy as he sat in eighth place. Russell made two significant overtakes to enter the points, first passing Hulkenberg and then Stroll, putting himself in 10th place on lap 36.
The following lap, Hamilton overtook Hadjar to take fifth position, just five seconds behind Piastri. Piastri continued to close in on Albon, aiming for a podium finish. On lap 40, Leclerc passed Antonelli for seventh, while Hulkenberg executed a great maneuver to take 10th place from Alonso. Up front, Piastri managed to overtake Albon, moving into third position.
After passing Antonelli, Leclerc also overtook Hadjar in the battle for sixth place. Shortly after, Hamilton made his own move, passing his teammate as well. On lap 46, Antonelli encountered issues with his W16 and stopped on track, bringing out the safety car to remove the stranded Mercedes. Verstappen took the opportunity to pit and change his tires. Hamilton did the same, rejoining the race in seventh, while Leclerc moved up to fourth. Norris also pitted and returned to third, allowing Piastri to take second place.
Following a lengthy interruption, the race resumed at the end of lap 53. Verstappen maintained his lead and had over three seconds of advantage over Piastri by lap 57. Hamilton overtook Russell to reclaim sixth position, trailing Albon.
Norris, with fresher tires compared to his teammate, utilized DRS to pass Piastri on lap 58. Piastri fought hard, and the two nearly made contact at the Tamburello. Leclerc was being challenged by Albon, which allowed Hamilton to close the gap. This battle for fourth place saw Albon attempt an outside move at Tamburello using DRS, but he was pushed off the track and lost position to Hamilton. Ferrari then instructed Leclerc via radio to yield the position back to Albon.
On lap 61, Hamilton used DRS to overtake Leclerc, moving up to fourth place and was just over two seconds behind Piastri in third. Verstappen crossed the finish line first at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, securing victory with a six-second margin over Norris, who finished second. Piastri, who started from pole position, completed the podium by finishing third in Imola.
This thrilling race showcased the competitive nature of the current Formula 1 season, with intense battles and strategic decisions playing crucial roles in the overall outcome. Fans eagerly anticipate the next race in Monaco, where the stakes are sure to be just as high.
