Verstappen wins despite McLaren pressure

Verstappen wins despite McLaren pressure: Analysis of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit

There was much anticipation coming into Imola, following Lando Norris’ debut win in Miami two weeks ago. McLaren had shown that the upgrades to the car had put them right up there with Red Bull in terms of pace. Further, the team also believed that Imola was potentially a track which was better suited to the latest version of their car and recent history at the circuit has been kind to the Woking team. At the last running at Imola in 2022 (the race was cancelled last year due to devastating floods), Norris had managed a podium in a car which was, in theory, well behind the pace.

In addition to the McLaren upgrades, Ferrari had also showed up with an updated package and were making confident noises before the race weekend. Added to the fact that this was their home race, there were realistic hopes of being in the mixer for a victory.

Qualifying showed clearly how close the top three teams were to each other, with 0.3 seconds separating the top four places. Max Verstappen delivered a pole position, less than 0.1 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri in second, with Norris third, followed by the pair of Ferraris. Unfortunately, a three-place grid penalty for impeding was issued to Piastri after the session, so he would start the race in fifth.

The race itself was something of a slow burner. The optimal strategy was for one pitstop, with most of the front runners starting on the medium tyre. It’s a venue where track position is key, with overtaking quite difficult. Changes to the track for this year, including to the gravel traps, added to the narrow nature of the circuit and the challenges this posed for drivers.

The top six drivers all got off to a reasonable start and the order at the front at the time of the scheduled set of pit stops was as per starting positions. McLaren were relatively early to stop, with Norris coming in on lap 22 with his teammate shortly after that. The early timing of that stop paid dividends for Piastri who skipped Sainz into fourth, just behind Leclerc in third, with Norris around six seconds behind Verstappen up front.

There was a danger that this race could have run its course into another comfortable win for Red Bull, but in the last 15 laps it truly came alive. Leclerc looked to be catching Norris which seemed like the catalyst for McLaren to step up the pace. All of a sudden, Norris was picking up half a second a lap to Verstappen, cutting the gap to under one second in the closing stages. Unfortunately for Norris, the laps ran out and he had to settle for second place, just 0.7 seconds behind Verstappen.