F1 Imola GP: Fans all say same thing after Verstappen wins
Oscar Piastri equalled his best result of the year and Max Verstappen won the race, but fans were all left with one feeling.
Race fans were all left saying the same thing after Max Verstappen claimed one of the most uneventual Formula 1 races in recent memory at Imola on Monday morning (AEST).
After 63 laps around the famed Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the race didn’t have a single yellow flag or major incident of note as the three-time world champion claimed victory ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Australia’s Oscar Piastri equalled his best result of the season in fourth, while compatriot Daniel Ricciardo was down in 13th
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There was finally something to increase the heart rate when Norris started reeling time from Verstappen in the dying laps of the race.
But the Dutchman did enough to claim his fifth win of the season through seven races.
“Norris fighting hard, getting within a second of the Dutchman, but it’s not going to be enough,” commentator Harry Benjamin, sitting in for the resting David Croft, said at the race’s conclusion.
“Max Verstappen makes it three wins in Imola.”
“It was a bit of a slow burner, wasn’t it?” Karun Chandhok added.
Norris rued his lack of pace in the middle stages of the race, with Chandhok left complimenting the weather as he tried to summarise the action, or lack thereof.
“That was a bit of an odd race, wasn't it,” he said. “We had this lull in the middle, but we had intrigue around Piastri and the Ferraris.
“And then Norris bringing it to life. I think these fans will go away happy, they’ve seen a Ferrari driver on the podium, they’ve seen a pretty tight contest for the win and a wonderful sunny day here in Imola.”
Piastri, 23, who was penalised three places after initially finishing second in qualifying, just missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in his McLaren.
Ricciardo was down in 13th for Visa Cash App RB, behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda (10th) once again.
Ferrari hadn’t celebrated a podium finish at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari since Michael Schumacher won the race way back in 2006.
But Leclerc finally shed that unwanted statistic by taking third, with teammate Carlos Sainz finishing fifth.
In a glamour sport that often provides high-speed crashes and breathtaking manoeuvres, fans were all left saying the same thing after the Imola GP.
“100% chance of a safety car? Just a meaningful overtake would be nice,” one fan stated on X.
“Race is so boring. Feels like watching brain rot at this point,” wrote another.
“Could you end this season right now …? F1 is too boring,” suggested a third.
“Imola GP what a booooooooooring race,” stated another.
Piastri even used the same word when describing his race.
“It was basically impossible to overtake today,” he said on Fox Sports.
“I tried my best, I spent about 20 laps trying to get past Carlos and could never get close enough.
“We made DRS shorter this year, I hope they make it longer again, because I don’t know what the rest of the race was like, but it was pretty boring for me.”
As readers would have understood by now, the race got off to a clean start, with Ricciardo and his Visa Cash App RB teammate Tsunoda both giving up two places on the first lap, Sergio Perez one of the drivers to get past the Aussie veteran.
Piastri was fighting a valiant battle trying to get past Sainz for fourth over the opening dozen laps, but was unable to get close enough before the Aussie made his first pit stop.
Verstappen was untroubled at the front of the race, although he complained his “front left tyre is not OK” about a third of the way through the 63 laps.
The first tactical battle unfolded on lap 24 when Norris came into the pits and was unable to get ahead of Perez when he re-entered the race.
The Brit soon made his move after about a lap to limit the damage, with Piastri pitting shortly after as McLaren made their strategic move.
Piastri then pulled out the fastest lap of the race, the first driver to go under 1:20:00, and Sainz’s pit stop finally allowed the young Aussie to get past the Spaniard.
Midway through the race, Piastri was challenging third-placed Leclerc as the Victorian chased his third career podium.
Piastri’s teammate Norris was holding down second, but wasn’t happy with his pace.
“Why am I so much slower than the guys behind?” Norris asked his team over the radio.
“Lando they’re using their tyres a lot more than we are,” came the reply.
“Yeah but I have no pace,” he shot back.
A couple of laps later as Leclerc was closing the gap in the battle for second, Norris’ frustration only grew.
“Speak up,” Norris demanded as he couldn’t hear his team.
When he was told Leclerc was trying to up his pace, the young Brit replied: “Yep, me too. I’m trying. He’s a lot quicker.”
To make life more uncomfortable for the papaya outfit, Sainz was closing the gap to Piastri in fourth.
Ricciardo’s best shot at points came on lap 40, when Perez finally made his first pit stop.
But the Mexican was able to rejoin the race just ahead of the Visa Cash App driver and take 10th place, eventually getting himself up to eighth at the race’s conclusion.
In the end the race didn’t have a single stoppage as Verstappen pulled further away in the standings ahead of next week’s Monaco Grand Prix.
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