F1 Imola GP 2024 LIVE: Race results, standings and updates as Max Verstappen holds off Lando Norris
Verstappen wins from pole at the Emilia Romagna GP despite Norris’ late surge for the win
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Max Verstappen held off a dramatic Lando Norris fightback to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Verstappen crossed the line just 0.725 seconds clear of Norris in Imola to take his fifth victory from the seven rounds so far.
Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, one place ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with Carlos Sainz fifth. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished sixth and seventh respectively for Mercedes.
Verstappen looked to be on course to claim a comfortable win, but Norris’ superb charge in the closing stages left the Dutchman sweating inside his all-conquering Red Bull. After the sole round of pit-stops, Verstappen held a steady lead of around six seconds, but a turgid race suddenly came alive when Verstappen could offer little response to Norris’ speed.
Follow latest updates from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with The Independent
Driver Standings after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix:
1. Max Verstappen - 161 points
2. Charles Leclerc - 113 points
3. Sergio Perez - 107 points
4. Lando Norris - 101 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 93 points
6. Oscar Piastri - 53 points
7. George Russell - 44 points
8. Lewis Hamilton - 35 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 33 points
10. Yuki Tsunoda - 15 points
11. Lance Stroll - 11 points
12. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
13. Nico Hulkenberg - 6 points
14. Daniel Ricciardo - 5 points
15. Esteban Ocon - 1 point
16. Kevin Magnussen - 1 point
17. Alex Albon - 0 points
18. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
19. Pierre Gasly - 0 points
20. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points
21. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
Race report: Max Verstappen holds off charging Lando Norris to take victory in Imola
Max Verstappen held off a dramatic Lando Norris fightback to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Verstappen crossed the line just 0.725 seconds clear of Norris in Imola to take his fifth victory from the seven rounds so far.
Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, one place ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with Carlos Sainz fifth. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished sixth and seventh respectively for Mercedes.
Verstappen looked to be on course to claim a comfortable win, but Norris’ superb charge in the closing stages left the Dutchman sweating inside his all-conquering Red Bull.
After the sole round of pit-stops, Verstappen held a steady lead of around six seconds, but a turgid race suddenly came alive when Verstappen could offer little response to Norris’ speed.
Full piece below:
Max Verstappen holds off charging Lando Norris to take victory in Imola
The Red Bull driver claimed his fifth win in seven races this season but was forced to work hard for it as Norris showed brilliant pace late on
Red Bull boss Christian Horner:
“Lando was coming on very strong! He started to catch us very quickly. The cars are converging, they’re becoming very similar. It’s always going to happen when you’ve got stable rules.
“On Friday night, we were thinking second row would be a good result. The team collectively have done a great job this weekend! Max was pushed very hard by Lando, two guys at the top of their game, like Tyson Fury last night, fantastic racing!
“Things don’t stand still in Formula 1, we’ve won five of the seven races but McLaren and Ferrari have made a step, we’re going to need that rate of development coming through.
“Monaco, completely different venue. Qualifying, race is won virtually on Saturday.”
Time for the podium!
Back to the familiar combo - the Dutch and Austrian national anthems to celebrate Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s victory!
Quite the scene at Imola, with thousands of fans on the track! Needless to say, biggest cheer was for Charles Leclerc’s appearance on the podium!
Leclerc, incidentally, now moves past Sergio Perez and up to P2 in the drivers’ championship!
Charles Leclerc after his first podium at Imola:
“At least it’s a podium, I’m only very happy when I win. We didn’t quite make it. I tried to push to put pressure on Lando but they were incredibly quick.
“It’s looking good for the rest of the season. Monaco is going to be very special of course, as special as here in Imola. A lot of red!”
Lando Norris after finishing second:
“One or two more laps I think I would’ve had him. Tough, shame. Lost out a bit too much to Max in the beginning, it was a tough first half and much better second half. Just not today.
“We’re at a point now where we’re in the position of Ferrari and Red Bull, it’s what we have to get used to. It’s business as usual, focusing on doing the same things, fighting for first or second now. It’s frustrating not to win but after the improvements we made it’s what we should expect.”
Max Verstappen after his victory:
“The whole race I had to push. The hard tyres were difficult, the last 10-15 laps I had no grip and I saw Lando closing in, it was flat out! Very difficult when the tyres weren’t working anymore. Super happy to win today!
“We changed a lot on the car. We can be incredibly pleased with the pole and the win!”
TOP-10 IN THE EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX:
1. Max Verstappen
2. Lando Norris
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Oscar Piastri
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Lewis Hamilton
7. George Russell (fastest lap)
8. Sergio Perez
9. Lance Stroll
10. Yuki Tsunoda
Lando Norris on team radio:
“Unlucky. Almost! We lost too much in the beginning but another amazing weekend, well done everybody. Let’s keep it up!”
“One or two more laps! It’s frustrating not to win, it’s more painful now!”
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