Dutchman Max Verstappen responded to his title challenge at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as he secured a scintillating victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton who recovered to take second after a rare error earlier in the race.
A hectic wet-dry race was suspended halfway through following a huge crash between Mercedes’ driver Valterri Bottas and George Russell, Verstappen despite nearly losing the car at the rest, won in commanding fashion as he claimed his first win of the year.
Hamilton took a trip to the gravel on lap 31 after sliding into the barrier as he attempted to overtake back-marker George Russell on still a slightly damp track, the seven-time world champion reversed out of the wall before making his way back through the field to second place.
Luck was on Hamilton’s side as a red flag was waved just moments later, ending the race momentarily which meant his loss was reduced upon the restart.
Lando Norris completed the podium in third as he opted to fit the Soft compound tyre compared to the Medium Ferrari’s around him.
It was a strong day for Ferrari on home soil as Charles Leclerc beat his teammate Carlos Sainz in fourth, it looks early on that the constructors battle for third is between Ferrari and McLaren at the start of the season.
Daniel Ricciardo was sixth in the second McLaren as he still attempts to get on top of the new machinery underneath him. Lance Stroll finished seventh after an early brake by wire gremlin that seemed to haunt the team all race.
Pierre Gasly recovered to eighth after AlphaTauri opted to for the Wet compound at the start, it proved to be the wrong decision as he slumped to the back before pushing back through the field.
Kimi Raikkonen finished ninth, although he is under investigation for potentially not taking his correct position upon the restart, Esteban Ocon completed the top 10, collecting his first points of the year.
Race Round-up
The conditions were far from favourable at the start as the track was soaked on one side, while the other was bone dry, this forced drivers to start on either the Wet or Intermediate tyres.
Brilliant reactions from Verstappen saw the 23-year old fly past teammate Perez and pole-sitter Hamilton into the final chicane despite a slight amount of contact between the two title challengers.
Red Bull’s Verstappen stretched his leg throughout the first stint even with Hamilton’s best attempt of pulling off an overcut as the field transitions onto slicks before Hamilton continued to hunt down Verstappen.
Hamilton made a vital error when on the pursuit of Verstappen, the Mercedes driver flew off the track at Tosa as he attempted to lose as little time as possible while overtaking back-marker Russell.
After time seeming to halt for 30 seconds for the reigning champion, he soon found reverse as he escaped from the gravel but with a new front wing needed.
Moments later the race was interrupted by a red flag following a huge accident between Bottas and Russell, a lifeline to Hamilton as his time lost was significantly reduced.
The two drivers were battling down the pit straight when Russell lost control of his car as his front-right tyre touched the slippery grass. Both cars speared towards the barrier before sliding across-track as a second impact was imminent.
The race resumed under the Safety Car, it was a heart in mouth moment that saw Verstappen correct a massive slide before leading the remaining cars into Turn 1.
Hamilton started in ninth but soon cut through the field passing McLaren’s Norris with three laps to go as he salvaged an important result in his hunt for an eighth title, claiming the fastest lap, narrowly leading the championship by just one point.
The drivers will visit Portugal on 2 May, both drivers have claimed one victory so far this season, with everything to fight for as racing resumes in a fortnight.
