Verstappen wins Imola Grand Prix to close championship gap

The Red Bull champion pulled out a vintage drive to hold out the McLaren pair in Italy.

May 18, 2025

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Max Verstappen returned to the top step of the podium with a clinical win at the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off the McLaren duo in a high-stakes contest at Imola.

Starting from P2, Verstappen had a slow launch but a perfect line coming in to turn 1 and executed a perfect strategy to convert early track position into 25 crucial points. The Red Bull ace was paying +140 at and never looked back once he claimed the lead into Turn 1.

Lando Norris finished just over six seconds behind, while championship leader Oscar Piastri rounded out the podium in third. The result tightens the title race and marks another strong weekend for McLaren, who continue to lead the Constructors’ standings.

2025 Imola Grand Prix results

Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 1:31:33.199
Lando Norris (McLaren) – +6.109s
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +12.956s
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +14.356s
Alexander Albon (Williams) – +17.945s
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +20.774s
George Russell (Mercedes) – +22.034s
Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +22.898s
Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – +23.586s
Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing) – +26.446s
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +27.250s
Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) – +30.296s
Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +31.424s
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +32.511s
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – +32.993s
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +33.411s
Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +33.808s
Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) – +38.572s
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – DNF
Esteban Ocon (Haas) – DNF

Imola GP 2025 biggest winners

Max Verstappen – A champion’s drive. Aggressive at the start, faultless under pressure, and tactically sharp. His Turn 1 move on Piastri set the tone.

Lewis Hamilton – P4 at Ferrari’s home Grand Prix and ahead of Leclerc. His best drive of the season came when the Tifosi needed it most. Hamilton will look to build on this momentum heading to Monaco next week.

Alex Albon – Another midfield masterclass. P5 for Williams cements Albon as the season’s surprise package, with 40 points already in the bag.

Imola GP 2025 biggest losers

Kimi Antonelli – The Italian rookie’s home debut ended in heartbreak with a mechanical failure cutting his race short. There’s no doubt he’ll bounce back, but a DNF at Imola in front of the home crowd will sting for some time.

Yuki Tsunoda – After crashing out in Q1 and starting from the pit lane, Tsunoda did well to recover to P10 and salvage a point. However, when Red Bull needed him to hold up Piastri, he couldn’t deliver. Once again, questions are being asked about his long-term place in the team.

Franco Colapinto – A quiet debut for Alpine, finishing P16 and offering little impact throughout the race. The Argentine will need to find more speed and composure if he’s to earn future starts. With team advisor Flavio Briatore reportedly laying down clear expectations, breaking two of those already isn’t a great look.