Verstappen Wins Hectic Race At Imola As Norris Gets Podium

Calum Gill 16:37 18/04/2021

Max Verstappen won his first race of 2021 in a dramatic race at Imola as Lando Norris took his second-ever podium finish.

The Dutchman won the race with his start from third on the grid. A beautiful getaway by Verstappen allowed him to sail past teammate Sergio Perez off the line and then take the lead from Lewis Hamilton at the Tamburello Chicane.

Hamilton made a great recovery drive after he went off into the barrier at Tosa at half-distance, but was able to regain position in second thanks to a red flag for a big crash between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell at Tamburello.

-Full weekend results

Norris took third to match his best ever result thanks to a great strategy call from McLaren to send him out on the soft tyres following the red flag period. The 21-year-old was running second but lost that position to Hamilton in the closing laps.

Charles Leclerc took fourth ahead of Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, with McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo sixth, ahead of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly, Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen and the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso.

Nicholas Latifi crashed out on the first lap following contact with Nikita Mazepin on the straight between Acque Minerali and Variante Alta. The Canadian made the contact after he spun off at Acque Minerali and when rejoining the track collided with the Russian. Sebastian Vettel joined Latifi, Bottas & Russell in the non-finishers when his gearbox failed on the final lap.

Verstappen makes up for Bahrain.

It was a second consecutive action-packed race at the start of a season that shows the potential to build into a titanic tussle between Hamilton and Verstappen, one going for a world record eighth title, the other for his first.

Their battle began from the very first lap, as Hamilton was slower away on the wet track after a downpour in the hour before the race. Verstappen, starting third behind Hamilton and the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez, was side by side with the Mercedes into the first corner. Hamilton tried to hang on around the outside of the first left-hander of the three-way chicane, but the two touched lightly, and the Briton bounced over the kerbs and damaged his front wing.

Verstappen streaked away into a five-second lead after just two laps but Hamilton then pegged him back and they fought a cat-and-mouse fight until their pit stops for dry tyres just before half-distance. Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen in first for slicks, with Mercedes doing so a lap later. It looked for all the world that just like in Bahrain, Hamilton would jump Verstappen in the pit stops, but a slow stop on the front right meant the Red Bull stayed ahead.

But traffic delayed Verstappen on the next lap and Hamilton closed in by three seconds. He scented a win as the pair negotiated a train of back markers including Russell. Hamilton misjudged the grip as he dived inside the Williams at Tosa and slid into the gravel, taking off his front wing as he tried to rejoin.

His race appeared to be over as he lost a lap struggling to get out of the gravel. But as he fought to recover, Russell and Bottas collided on the very next lap as the Williams sought to pass the Finn around the outside.

At the restart, as Verstappen drove off into the distance, Hamilton set about recovering lost ground. He quickly picked off Stroll's Aston Martin and Ricciardo's Alpine, was past Sainz's Ferrari a few laps later, and then took third from Leclerc with seven laps to go.

That left only Norris between him and second place. The younger Briton fought gamely in the McLaren but Hamilton passed him with three laps remaining. Norris held on for third place after a superb weekend in the McLaren, making amends for losing third place on the grid by running wide and exceeding track limits.

 Russell & Bottas' heavy crash.

One incident in the race that will carry long-term implications will be the hefty shunt between George Russell and Valtteri Bottas.

Bottas had been having a poor weekend already after qualifying 8th, and it continued in the race with the Finn finding himself defending 9th position from Russell.

Russell got the DRS and a good exit out of Rivazza and went for the outside approaching Tamburello on lap 32, Bottas covered the inside, but the left-hand kink of the track brought the Mercedes slightly back to the right. Russell went for the gap but lost control, spinning and taking the Mercedes with him.

The accident was huge, leaving debris strewn all over the track, and the race director had no option but to stop the race. Both drivers were furious with each other, with Russell going straight from his wrecked Williams to have words with Bottas. The Mercedes driver showed the Briton the middle finger, to which Russell tapped Bottas on the helmet. The incident will be investigated after the race.

Russell's reaction: https://twitter.com/GeorgeRussell63/status/1383789328082489354

Driver of the day

The award today from me goes to Lando Norris. A brilliant recovery drive to make up for what could have been in qualifying.

2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Classification