Max Verstappen won the 2025 Imola Grand Prix during a weekend that McLaren dominated. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed behind in second and third, respectively.
Red Bull Clinch the Win in Imola Despite McLaren Domination
Despite McLaren starting on Pole and fourth, Max Verstappen won the 2025 Imola Grand Prix. Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton completed an excellent recovery drive from 12th to fourth, his best Grand Prix result since joining Ferrari.
Jubilation for Max and @redbullracing 🥳#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/aUoBC66W6e
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
Friday FP1: Piastri Leads McLaren 1-2
Oscar Piastri set the early benchmark at Imola, setting the fastest time in the opening practice session of the 2025 Imola Grand Prix weekend. The McLaren driver led teammate Lando Norris by 0.032 seconds, with Carlos Sainz impressing in the Williams to take third.
The session began at 13:30 local time, as cars quickly took to the circuit. Among them was Franco Colapinto, making a return to F1 with Alpine. The Argentine replaces Jack Doohan for the next five rounds.
Charles Leclerc had a poor start. He inadvertently impeded Fernando Alonso at Turn 12. Not long after, Leclerc dipped a wheel in the gravel at Turn 15, narrowly avoiding further trouble.
Norris initially set the pace in the early stages with a 1:17.125, before George Russell briefly claimed top spot with a 1:16.599 around the halfway mark.Â
Further issues plagued Leclerc, who reported significant discomfort with “helmet lift.” Teammate Lewis Hamilton fought with the Ferrari’s braking, informing the team that the car refused to slow down properly. Despite these difficulties, Hamilton managed to finish fifth overall.
McLaren asserted their dominance once again as FP1 came to an end. Piastri led at the top with a 1:16.545, narrowly ahead of Norris. Russell slipped to fourth behind Sainz in a close top four, separated by just 0.054 seconds.
The session ended prematurely after Gabriel Bortoleto lost control at Turn 18, crashing his Kick Sauber into the barriers and bringing out the red flags with only minutes remaining.
Pierre Gasly sat sixth for Alpine, followed by Verstappen, Albon, and Bortoleto. Nico HĂĽlkenberg completed the top 10.
Lance Stroll claimed 11th, while Leclerc could only manage 12th. Antonelli, Alonso, and Liam Lawson rounded out the top 15, with Yuki Tsunoda just behind in 16th. Colapinto ended his return in 17th, ahead of Ollie Bearman, Isack Hadjar, and Esteban Ocon.Â
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Friday FP2: Piastri Takes Contol
McLaren continued to assert their dominance at the 2025 Imola Grand Prix as Piastri once again topped the timesheets in FP2, narrowly ahead of Norris in a session halted by a late red flag caused by Hadjar.
Norris quickly hit the front on the medium tyre, setting a 1:16.074, beneath Piastri’s FP1 benchmark on softer rubber.
Sainz broke into the 1:15s after just ten minutes, momentarily going quickest ahead of Albon, but both were soon topped by Norris, who lowered the bar to a 1:15.952. The session gathered momentum as Russell became the first to switch to the C6 soft compound, setting a 1:15.693 to go top.
Verstappen responded, but fell just 0.042s short. Tsunoda also looked impressive, climbing into the top three before dropping as times were set across the grid.
Norris regained the upper hand with a 1:15.318, but Piastri soon bettered it with a 1:15.293, enough to keep him at the top for the remainder of the session.
Gasly delivered an impressive showing to go third in the Alpine, followed by Russell, Verstappen and Leclerc. Ferrari struggled with braking performance, with Leclerc’s frustration echoed by Hamilton, who experienced another stressful session.Â
Antonelli experienced a close call with Tsunoda at Rivazza 1. The Italian finished 18th overall, while Hadjar finished best of the rookies in seventh.
Tsunoda followed in eighth, with Albon and Sainz rounding out the top 10. Bearman slotted into 12th for Haas, just ahead of Colapinto, who went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen when exiting Tosa. Alonso led Aston Martin in 14th, followed by Lawson and Bortoleto. Stroll, HĂĽlkenberg and Ocon completed the order.
Saturday FP3: Norris Takes Control
Norris led the pack in the final practice session at Imola, setting the quickest time ahead of Piastri and Red Bull’s Verstappen.
Hadjar briefly climbed up the timesheet with a 1:15.508. However, Verstappen soon asserted himself with a 1:15.130 to take top spot, just ahead of Norris and the RB driver.
Norris set a 1:14.897, the fastest time of the weekend so far. Though Piastri responded to move up to second, he could not beat his teammate, ending the session a tenth shy.
Verstappen finished third with a lap just 0.181s off the pace, while Antonelli delivered a boost to the home crowd by improving to fourth, his best showing of the weekend thus far. Leclerc rounded out the top five, still fighting against the brake balance affecting Ferrari.
Sainz continued his consistent form with sixth for Williams, followed by Hadjar, Russell, Albon, and Hamilton completing the top ten. Alonso led Aston Martin’s efforts in 11th, with the team focusing on hard tyre data gathering during the session.
Bearman placed 12th ahead of Stroll, Lawson, and Gasly, while Bortoleto ended the session in 16th after his crash in FP1. Tsunoda, Colapinto, HĂĽlkenberg and Ocon rounded out the order.
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Saturday Qualifying: Piastri on Pole
Q1
Qualifying began under sunny skies at the 2025 Imola Grand Prix, with all eyes on McLaren following a dominant Friday and FP3.
However, the first session quickly turned dramatic. Just minutes after the green light, Tsunoda crashed at Variante Villeneuve. The Red Bull driver launched into a violent roll after catching too much kerb, destroying his car and bringing out red flags. He climbed out unscathed.
After a lengthy stoppage for barrier repairs, the session resumed, though not without incident. Colapinto was flagged for entering the fast lane too early and would later find more trouble. Albon led initially on softs, before Verstappen reached the top with a 1:15.175, just ahead of Piastri and Alonso.
As the final push laps arrived, the drama continued. Colapinto crashed exiting Tamburello, slamming into the barriers and bringing another red flag. The Alpine driver had set a time good enough for Q2 but would take no further part.
Elsewhere, HĂĽlkenberg made a costly mistake at Rivazza and lost his lap to track limits, while Bearman saw his best time deleted after a lengthy review.
OUT: Lawson (P16), HĂĽlkenberg (P17), Ocon (P18), Bearman (P19), Tsunoda (P20).
Q2
Following another delay to determine Bearman’s lap time fate, Q2 got underway with Verstappen, Norris, and then Piastri switching between setting the fastest times.
Aston Martin sent Alonso and Stroll out on medium tyres, a bold strategy that ultimately paid off for the British team. As the session drew to a close, Sainz delivered an excellent final lap of 1:15.198, which took him to the top of the timesheet.
Disaster struck for Ferrari at their home race. Leclerc and Hamilton were both eliminated, affected by braking issues. Italian Antonelli also fell short, unable to match Russell’s pace.
OUT: Leclerc (P11), Hamilton (P12), Antonelli (P13), Bortoleto (P14), Colapinto (P15).
Q3
Q3 began with Piastri opening with a 1:14.821. The Australian was ahead of Norris as both drivers entered the 1:14s. Verstappen responded, going fastest with a 1:14.772 to raise the stakes heading into the final runs.
Piastri delivered when it mattered most. The championship leader set a 1:14.670, good enough to beat Verstappen by 0.034s and take pole position.
Top 10: Piastri (Pole), Verstappen (P2), Russell (P3), Norris (P4), Alonso (P5), Sainz (P6), Albon (P7), Stroll (P8), Hadjar (P9), Gasly (P10).
Sunday Grand Prix: Verstappen Takes the Win
Verstappen claimed his second win of the season with a commanding performance at Imola, after making a move on Piastri on the opening lap. His win is also part thanks to a well-timed virtual safety car and faultless execution from Red Bull.
Lap 1
Piastri looked to cover the inside line into Tamburello, but a sluggish getaway left him vulnerable. Russell slipped through into second, but Verstappen seized the moment. Sweeping around the outside of both rivals, the Dutchman took the lead.
Piastri settled into second but could not stay within DRS range, with Verstappen stretching the gap to two seconds by Lap 13. When the McLaren dived into the pits, a slow stop dropped him into traffic behind Tsunoda, Bearman, and Hamilton, all sitting in a DRS train led by Antonelli.
Mid-Race
While Piastri struggled to make headway, Verstappen and Norris extended their medium-tyre stints, targeting a one-stop strategy. However, Norris boxed on Lap 28. Verstappen pitted a lap later when Ocon’s Haas stopped at the exit of Tosa, triggering a virtual safety car.
He rejoined comfortably ahead, gaining a near 20-second advantage over Norris. Piastri, meanwhile, was still tangled in the midfield and losing ground in the race for victory.
Further disruption came on Lap 46 when Antonelli retired at the same corner as Ocon. This time, the full safety car was deployed, and leaders Verstappen, Norris, and Hamilton all opted for fresh tyres. Piastri stayed out, heading into second with older tyres than those behind.
Final Stint
At the Lap 53 restart, Verstappen launched away. The battle for second began. Piastri clung on until Lap 58, when Norris sped past at Tamburello with a move that sealed another second-place finish.
Piastri held firm for third, resisting late pressure. Behind them, Hamilton surged forward in the closing laps, capitalising on fresher tyres and a clean restart to finish fourth, his best result yet for Ferrari.
RACE CLASSIFICATION (LAP 63/63)
P4 for Hamilton, his best race result for Ferrari so far đź‘Ź
Double points for Williams 💪#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/W4cuxhJR3s— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
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Main Photo
Credit:IMAGO /Â PsnewZ
Recording Date: 18.05.2025
