Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured a narrow victory at the Imola Grand Prix, the seventh round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by just 0.725 seconds. The race, held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, saw intense competition among the top drivers.

Verstappen, starting from pole, led into Turn 1, followed closely by Norris and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, despite a three-place grid penalty, maintained fifth place. Lewis Hamilton moved his Mercedes up to seventh on the opening lap, while Yuki Tsunoda in the RB dropped to ninth.

Verstappen extended his lead over Norris to 2.5 seconds by lap 10, and by lap 20, the gap had grown to over 5.5 seconds. The first major pit stop came from George Russell (Mercedes), followed by Norris on lap 23, who switched from mediums to hards. Unfortunately for McLaren, Norris rejoined behind Sergio Perez, who had started on hard tyres after a poor qualifying but had an early trip through the gravel.

Verstappen pitted on lap 25, temporarily giving Ferrari a 1-2 with Leclerc and Sainz. Leclerc stopped a lap later, rejoining behind Perez but quickly overtaking him, followed by Piastri. Sainz pitted on lap 28, rejoining in sixth but soon passing Perez and Russell.

At the halfway mark, Verstappen led by 6.6 seconds, with Leclerc closing in on Norris. However, Leclerc’s off-track excursion at Variante Alta on lap 47 widened the gap again. As Verstappen’s tyre wear became a concern, Norris closed within 2 seconds with six laps remaining. Despite pushing hard, Norris couldn’t maintain his challenge as he started to run wide on exits, allowing Verstappen to manage his lead effectively.

Verstappen clinched victory with Norris second and Leclerc third. Piastri and Sainz completed the top five. Hamilton, after a gravel excursion, finished sixth, with Russell in seventh, securing the fastest lap. Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten.

The thrilling race highlighted Verstappen’s skill in managing pressure and maintaining his lead, securing another victory in the 2024 season.