Verstappen wins a crazy race at Imola ahead of Hamilton and Norris

Max Verstappen signs a victory full of panache and lucidity at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, 2nd round of a 2021 season which promises more and more. Winner in Bahrain, his great rival Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) however retains control of the Drivers' championship after a good climb from 9th to 2nd place, with the bonus point for the best lap in the race. 

Disappointed to have made a small error in qualifying which had deprived him of pole position, the driver Red Bull did not wait long to rectify the situation. When the lights went out, the Dutchman, 3rd on the grid, surprised his teammate Sergio Pérez who had gone right in front of him and attacked pole sitter Hamilton as he approached turn 2. 

The Dutchman took control at the cost of an authoritarian maneuver, while his rival Mercedes damaged his front wing while climbing the chicane curbs but was able to continue. 

Further in the peloton, Nicholas latifi spins before getting stuck with Nikita mazepin (Haas) during his return to the track. The pilot Williams ends up in the wall and leads to the intervention of the Safety Car. Mick Schumacher, one of the rare drivers who started with Maxi-rain tires, prolonged the neutralization by losing his front wing following a spin on the pit straight. 

At the restart, Hamilton temporarily worried Vertappen but the Red Bull driver repelled the attack without blinking. It then quickly widens a gap which will peak beyond 5 seconds before stabilizing. 

The two favorites announced for the title then exchange the best laps in the race, while gauging the track conditions to put on slick tires at the best time. Thanks to better grip and Verstappen in traffic, Hamilton came back to less than 2 seconds when Red Bull drew first, stopping the leader on the 28th lap. 

Hamilton then tries to make theovercut with a big return lap but his pit-stop, strangely slow for Mercedes, prevents him from keeping the lead for more than one lap. 

Launched in pursuit of Verstappen, the seven-time world champion was caught off-course while trying to take a turn at George Russell's Williams. Stranded in the gravel, with the front wing damaged following contact with the wall of tires, Hamilton managed to reverse to leave with a W12 in poor condition. 

At the same time, Russell harpoons the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas after putting a wheel in the wet grass while trying to overtake the Finn approaching the first chicane. A big crash followed which resulted in a red flag which lasted for almost half an hour. 

The celebrations resume in the form of a flying start where Verstappen almost gets surprised when releasing the pack. Behind, Lando Norris (McLaren) attack immediately Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) for the gain of 2th place. 

While Verstappen calmly goes to collect his 11th career victory, Hamilton makes a good comeback from 9th place to limit the damage and finish behind his designated rival. Norris completes the Top 3 and signs the 2nd podium of his young career. Followed by the Ferraris of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo,  and theAston Martin de Lance stroll. 

After a very complicated start to the race on Maxi-rain tires, the French Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) snatch 8th and 10th place respectively. L'Alfa Romeo of Kimi Räikkönen slips between the Normans but the Finn is under investigation for a spin committed during the launch lap after the red flag. 

After 2 races in 2021, Hamilton and Verstappen are more neck-and-neck than ever, with only the point of the fastest lap in the race deciding them in favor of the Briton.

UPDATE: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo) were penalized by the race direction. Summoned for non-compliance with the regulations during the race restart behind the Safety Car, the Finn was penalized with a 10-second Stop & Go. The Grand Prix being over, this sanction was transformed into a 30-second penalty as stipulated in Article 38.3 of the regulations.

Initially 9th, the Alfa Romeo driver was ejected from the Top 10. The penalty helps mattersAlpine since Esteban Ocon gains a place and moves up to 9th just like Fernando Alonso who ultimately finished 10th. The French team leaves Imola with three points and not one.

As for the Canadian, he was guilty of overtaking Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) out of bounds. Arriving 7th, Lance Stroll fell to 8th place which was good for Pierre Gasly who gained one position. In addition, the Canadian has one point removed from his license

Provisional ranking (before penalties):

Find in AUTO issue 2308weekly, on sale Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, analysis of the F1 at Imola by our F1 journalists.