Max Verstappen secured his second victory of the season at Imola. A masterful overtaking move on polesitter Oscar Piastri laid the foundation for this win, but it had been a while since he had dominated in such a manner. The Dutchman is naturally pleased with the result, but above all, he is surprised.
Max Verstappen’s overtaking manoeuvre on polesitter Oscar Piastri at the start was crucial. With clear air ahead of him and a competitive RB21, the path to victory was open. Moreover, it was a move to remember: George Russell briefly overtook, and Piastri seemed to have disappeared, but with a late braking action, the Dutchman surprised the championship leader and passed him on the outside. “I carried more speed into the first corner and had the momentum. Everything happens so quickly, and you have to be incredibly precise not to go off the track, but luckily the grip was good,” Verstappen analysed at the press conference.
Verrast
Piastri had to blink twice when he suddenly no longer saw Verstappen in his mirrors. “Did Max surprise me? Yes. I thought I had it reasonably under control. It was a good move by him. I have to learn from this for next time.”
The four-time world champion pulled away from the McLarens and, thanks to a strong strategy from Red Bull, with pit stops during the Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car, the Austrian team seemed to have the upper hand over McLaren for the first time this season. This came as a surprise to Verstappen. “I was glad to take the lead, but I wasn’t sure how fast we would actually be. I was also in the lead in Miami, but we didn’t have a good race pace there,” he says. “I tried to find my rhythm. The car felt better and was easier to control. All in all, it’s very surprising, but I’m very happy with what we showed today, and I hope we can repeat this performance more often.”
