Verstappen Takes Routine Victory in Italy

Max Verstappen takes a routine victory in Italy after fantastically overtaking polesitter Oscar Piastri on Lap 1. A strategic blunder from McLaren and a well-timed virtual safety car helped secure the Dutchman’s advantage.

[adrotate banner=”10″]

_{Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.}

There was nothing routine, however, about Verstappen’s overtake around the outside of Oscar Piastri into Turn 1. The Red Bull driver made a decisive move from what seemed like a safe position for the Australian. He easily out-braked his rival and took the inside line into Turn 2. From there, he built a 2-second gap until McLaren pitted Piastri on Lap 14 to force the undercut.

That Max Verstappen move from onboard 😮‍💨

The reigning champ gets a DREAM start at Imola!#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/zvIUuqXXxA
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025

Behind the leaders, the top 10 stayed in their starting positions as DRS trains made overtaking hard in the first stint. From what looked like a 1-stop in the pre-race build-up, it quickly turned into a 2-stop.

Piastri pitted to attempt and cover the undercut from behind on Lap 13. However, this early stop put him in traffic and effectively ended his fight for the victory. Oscar was stuck in dirty air from here and had to overtake slower cars all afternoon, losing lots of time.

Verstappen expertly built his lead in an extended first stint, which paid off on Lap 29. Esteban Ocon stopped on track to bring out the virtual safety car, 20 seconds after Norris had pitted from 2nd. Red Bull reacted, building Verstappen’s lead to 20 seconds.

Despite a late Safety Car on Lap 43 due to Kimi Antonelli retiring which created a 10-lap sprint to the finish, no one could challenge the World Champion for the win.

McLaren make strategic blunders

McLaren made interesting strategic decisions on Sunday, contributing to Verstappen’s routine victory in Italy. Pitting Piastri early made sense to gain ground on the Red Bull. But it put him into a lot of traffic, which took multiple laps to pass.

This made Red Bull’s decision for them.

They didn’t react and proved that going long and using the free air was the best strategy. With now 2nd placed Norris being stuck behind Russell early, this move increased Verstappen’s lead to 10 seconds.

The late safety car looked to have given McLaren another shot at victory in a 10-lap shoot-out. Their decision not to pit Piastri for fresh tyres meant he was back in 2nd with much older tyres, compared to Norris, who had. By the time Norris has overtaken Piastri for 2nd, Verstappen had an unassailable 6-second lead.

Ferrari show strategic improvement

Ferrari finished 4th and 6th in what was a timely result for the Scuderia. They took advantage of the safety car to give Hamilton fresh medium tyres and give Leclerc crucial track position. From looking stuck in the lower half of the points for most of the race, Ferrari got the decisions right to come away from the weekend with an unlikely 20 points.

Williams continue to impress

Alex Albon and Williams continue to impress and secure 5th place in the Constructors’ Championship. Albon stayed out long on the mediums in the first stint and used the virtual safety car to run as high as 3rd. He then had a great fight with both Ferraris after the full safety car to split them to take home a well-deserved 5th place.

Carlos Sainz came home 8th, extended their buffer to 31 points over 6th placed Haas.

Notable Mentions

Isack Hadjar continued his good form, finishing 9th, and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10, fighting back from a pitlane start after his huge crash in qualifying.

Fernando Alonso was still unable to get points, finishing 11th, having been caught out by the multiple safety cars. A positive weekend overall, though, as this upgraded Aston Martin looks like a step forward.