Max Verstappen started the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with Lando Norris on his tail and after the Briton vowed to take advantage of any mistakes made by the Red Bull racer
A dull race at Imola burst into life in the final few laps as Lando Norris gave everything in his hunt for back-to-back Formula 1 victories.
But he was unable to get the better of Max Verstappen who held on to return to winning ways. Norris spent the last 10 laps hunting down the Dutchman but couldn’t get the overtake done on the tight Imola circuit.
That was the story of the day in many ways. Drivers love racing on this track and they made that clear in media interviews throughout the weekend, but it is too narrow for overtaking to be realistic in many places.
The one DRS zone on the start-finish straight presents perhaps the sole opportunity on the circuit to make moves. But Norris never managed to get quite enough to the Red Bull to make the most of the extra pace advantage that comes with opening the rear wing.
Charles Leclerc was on Norris’ gearbox for most of the race but, like everyone else, found it tough to get past on a day devoid of overtaking. He had to settle for third and at least made sure there was Ferrari representation on the podium.
The Tifosi were happy enough with that and roared their approval of Leclerc’s top-three finish. Team-mate Carlos Sainz, who is leaving the Scuderia at the end of the season, could manage only fifth.
That was a drop of one place from where he started on the grid. Oscar Piastri couldn’t get past the Spaniard on track, but McLaren used the undercut to their advantage and, by the time they had both pitted, the Aussie was ahead – but unable to hunt down Leclerc ahead.
Catch all the action from Formula One on Sky Sports and get exclusive access to races, qualifying and much more for every Grand Prix. From Max Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton, you won’t miss a lap on Sky Sports.
Lewis Hamilton had to settle for sixth place, one spot ahead of team-mate George Russell. It was a result which cemented Mercedes in their place of being the fourth quickest team on the grid right now, and some way off the pace of the teams ahead.
Sergio Perez was the only driver representing one of those outfits who failed to finish ahead of them. Red Bull opted for the alternative strategy, but the Mexican struggled for pace on the hard tyres and the safety car period that he was holding out for never came.
Full 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix result
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Sergio Perez – Red Bull
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Yuki Tsunoda – RB
- Nico Hulkenberg – Haas
- Kevin Magnussen – Haas
- Daniel Ricciardo – RB
- Esteban Ocon – Alpine
- Zhou Guanyu – Sauber
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
- Logan Sargeant – Williams
- Valtteri Bottas – Sauber
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
DNF: Alex Albon – Williams