Max Verstappen’s procession in direction of a fourth straight System One World Championship crown moved via the gears at Imola, however the Dutchman was made to struggle all the way in which to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by a charging Lando Norris.
Having matched the nice Ayrton Senna’s file on Saturday to qualify with an eighth consecutive pole
, Verstappen appeared to be cruising in direction of profession victory quantity 59 after he had led from the primary nook in his Purple Bull.
However Norris — contemporary from his maiden F1 win in Miami two weeks in the past — discovered some sudden late race tempo within the McLaren whereas Verstappen pushed the bounds of the Imola observe.
Battling with the setup points that had plagued his weekend, Verstappen was warned for a 3rd time for exceeding observe limits as his lead was finally minimize to beneath a second, however he held on for his third consecutive win at this observe to match the nice Michael Schumacher.
Behind them, there was residence cheer for the Italian crowd as Charles Leclerc put the Ferrari on the rostrum for the primary time at Imola since Schumacher achieved that feat in 2006.
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F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Race outcomes, standings for F1 Imola GP
| Driver | |||
| 1. | Max Verstappen (Purple Bull) | 11. | Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) |
| 2. | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 12. | Kevin Magnussen (Haas) |
| 3. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 13. | Daniel Ricciardo (RB) |
| 4. | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 14. | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
| 5. | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) | 15. | Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) |
| 6. | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) | 16. | Pierre Gasly (Alpine) |
| 7. | George Russell (Mercedes) | 17. | Logan Sargeant (Williams) |
| 8. | Sergio Perez (Purple Bull) | 18. | Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) |
| 9. | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) | 19. | Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) |
| 10. | Yuki Tsunoda (RB) | DNF | Alex Albon (Williams) |
F1 Imola: Pre-race grid order
1. Verstappen, 2. Norris, 3. Leclerc, 4. Sainz, 5. Norris, 6. Russell, 7. Tsunoda, 8. Hamilton, 9. Ricciardo, 10. Hulkenberg
11. Perez, 12. Ocon, 13. Stroll, 14. Albon, 15. Gasly, 16. Bottas, 17. Sargeant, 18. Zhou, 19. Magnussen, 20. Alonso
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Who gained F1 at the moment? Emilia Romagna Grand Prix post-race evaluation from Imola
“That was onerous work,” admitted Max Verstappen.
“Nearly,” sighed Lando Norris.
The post-race radio exchanges had been fairly telling on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as Verstappen and Purple Bull had been pushed all the way in which by an in-form Norris within the McLaren.
It took Norris 110 races to say his breakthrough first profession victory in Miami a fortnight in the past, however he nearly instantly repeated the feat — in the end coming inside lower than second of being the primary driver since Carlos Sainz in 2019 to go back-to-back after a primary profession win.
Confidence is a superb factor, and Norris clearly has it in spades proper now. He totally deserved his Driver of the Day accolade for a gutsy efficiency that noticed him discover sudden tempo within the closing laps to make an actual struggle of it.
With 10 laps to go, it regarded just like the hunt was on. Verstappen had been warned for exceeding observe limits 3 times, and he could not afford one other mistake and a possible five-second penalty.
The hole from first to second started to decrease at common intervals as Norris pushed.
However one factor Verstappen is aware of is learn how to grind out the win — you don’t declare 59 F1 victories with out loads of guile.
Ultimately, expertise informed, however with a 3rd straight one-two between the Dutchman and the Brit, you get the sensation that this might be a battle that intensifies because the season wears on.
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F1 Grand Prix qualifying recap
Verstappen clinched pole place on a day that many believed P1 might be up for grabs.
Nonetheless, it was enterprise as ordinary for the three-time world champion and Verstappen’s pole means he has now tied Ayrton Senna’s consecutive pole file with eight in a row.
The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Norris had been faster in follow however they could not beat the brilliance of Verstappen, who put in a sensational lap in Q3.
Piastri was then handed a penalty which noticed him begin fifth on the grid after receiving a penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in qualifying.
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F1 reside stream, TV channel to look at races in 2024
| Nation | TV channel | Dwell stream |
| USA | — | FUBO, F1TV |
| Canada | TSN (English); RDS (French) | TSN Direct |
| UK | Sky Sports activities F1 | SkyGo, NOW TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports activities | Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports activities |
| India | — | F1 TV Professional |
