The answers McLaren needs after shock Imola defeat

Red Bull's turning of the tables on McLaren to win Formula 1's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has left its rival with some head-scratching to do.On a warm day and with fragile tyres in play, the wise money would have been on pole position man Oscar Piastri doing what he did in similar circumstances at the previous round in Miami and pulling off a dominant win.

But things did not turn out like that a...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-answers-mclaren-needs-after-shock-imola-defeat/

10 things we learned from F1's Imola race weekend

Red Bull shocked McLaren (and itself) with Max Verstsappen’s dominant victory in Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola after an opportunistic first-lap pass and pure, McLaren-beating pace.

And what is expected to be the last grand prix at this famous track for the foreseeable future threw up plenty of interesting conclusions as F1’s European leg of the season began. McLaren and Red Bul...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/10-things-we-learned-from-f1s-imola-race-weekend/

Podcast: Why McLaren suddenly had no answer to Red Bull

How did Red Bull manage to emerge with the quickest Formula 1 car and stun McLaren at Imola?That's the key question on the post-Emilia Romagna Grand Prix edition of The Race F1 Podcast, as Edd Straw is joined by Mark Hughes and Jon Noble to discuss Max Verstappen's second win of the 2025 season - one taken in very different fashion to his previous triumph at Suzuka.There's also chat about how Ferr...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-podcast-why-mclaren-had-no-answer-red-bull-imola-2025/

Mark Hughes: Two reasons Red Bull stunned McLaren at Imola

Was this another of those Red Bull Formula 1 wins whipped away from under McLaren's nose by a virtuoso Max Verstappen? Or has there genuinely been a competitive breakthrough with the tricky RB21?That's a simple question but the answer contains some complexity.Imola aero map and tyre degRed Bull was genuinely slightly faster here than McLaren on race pace. Red Bull's Christian Horner and McLaren's ...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-two-reasons-red-bull-stunned-mclaren-imola-f1-2025/

Winner's and losers from F1's 2025 Imola race

Some Formula 1 drivers' and teams' races were turned on their heads by strategy calls at Imola.Others' fates looked to have been determined long before that.Here's our pick of winners and losers from the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix:Loser: Oscar PiastriPiastri was unlucky to suffer a six-point swing against Lando Norris, still his main title rival, as a consequence of the timing of the two race ...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/winners-losers-f1-2025-emilia-romagna-grand-prix-imola/

Why two Imola GP car stoppages were handled differently

Esteban Ocon and Kimi Antonelli both stopped in roughly the same place in Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - so why was one a virtual safety car and the other a full safety car? Ocon was told to bring his Haas to a halt on the exit of Acque Minerali 29 laps into the 63-lap contest, with the Frenchman pulling up onto the grass on the left-hand side.That prompted race control to deploy a virtua...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-two-imola-gp-car-stoppages-were-handled-differently/

What Piastri should've done against Verstappen's 'win or bin' move

Max Verstappen's opportunistic around-the-outside overtake that surprised polesitter Oscar Piastri was the decisive moment in Formula 1's Imola race.And while Red Bull team boss Christian Horner described it as a "win it or bin it" move, Verstappen said he did not think it was on at first.The world champion was at risk of falling to third behind Mercedes driver George Russell at the first corner, ...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-piastri-shouldve-done-against-verstappens-win-or-bin-move/

Should latest defeat to Verstappen scare McLaren? Our verdict

Red Bull and Max Vestappen again turned around a difficult weekend to see off both McLarens in the only session that really counted, putting the Dutchman back into striking range in the 2025 drivers' title fight.But is McLaren's Imola defeat - on the heels of three successive Oscar Piastri wins - another blip like Suzuka was, or should it be concerned that it hasn't yet managed to ensure the title...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mclaren-imola-gp-defeat-max-verstappen-worry-verdict/

Verstappen beats McLarens: F1 Imola Grand Prix results

Max Verstappen saw off Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for his second grand prix win of the 2025 Formula 1 season at Imola, as Norris overtook championship leading team-mate Piastri late on.Imola GP results1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)2 Lando Norris (McLaren)3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)5 Alex Albon (Williams)6 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)7 George Russell (Mercedes)8 Carlos Sainz (...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/imola-f1-2025-results-emilia-romagna-gp/

Verstappen takes Imola F1 win, Piastri's lead cut

Max Verstappen pulled off a stunning Turn 1 move to take the lead and eventually win the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - as two interruptions punctuated the race at Imola.After the lights went out, under pressure from George Russell, poleman Oscar Piastri allowed Verstappen to outbrake him and pass him around the outside of Turn 2 to take the lead by the exit of Tamburello.Perhaps it wa...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/imola-gp-f1-race-report-verstappen-piastri/

Imola GP F1 starting grid after grid drop and pitlane start

Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri saw off Max Verstappen in a close battle for pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.Qualifying ran to a significantly delayed schedule after two big Q1 crashes - Yuki Tsunoda's huge Variante Villeneuve shunt and Franco Colapinto going off at Variante Tamburello.Tsunoda will start from the pitlane after Red Bull elected to fit a new suit...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/imola-gp-f1-qualifying-results-emilia-romagna-grand-prix-2025/

Tsunoda consigned to pitlane start after qualifying shunt

Yuki Tsunoda will start from the pitlane for Formula 1's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix because Red Bull has changed his chassis following his qualifying crash.

The Japanese driver badly damaged his RB21 in a spectacular crash at Imola's second chicane during Q1 – which effectively consigned him to the back of the grid.The crash was caused by Tsunoda being too aggressive in his first qualifying effo...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/tsunoda-consigned-to-pitlane-start-after-qualifying-shunt/

Unravelling the mystery that shook up the Imola F1 grid

Ferrari’s shock double Q2 exit at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix left it as the biggest victim of one of the most unpredictable and fascinating qualifying sessions Formula 1 has delivered in a while.The curveball of the medium tyre emerging as the better tyre over a single lap at Imola compared to the all-new ultra-aggressive C6 opened the door for Aston Martin to pull the rug from under Ferrari’s ...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/unravelling-the-mystery-that-shook-up-the-imola-f1-grid/

The little known F1 rule that doomed Bearman

Ollie Bearman couldn't understand why he had his laptime erased in Formula 1 qualifying at Imola, but he was doomed by an often-overlooked red flag rule.Bearman called the deletion "totally unfair" and "clearly wrong" and said he had zero faith in the review that delayed Q2, as he was "quite sure about what would happen because I know how these people [race control] work".The FIA's explanation on ...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-little-known-f1-rule-that-doomed-bearman/

Mark Hughes: The unseen 'game' pivotal in Imola F1 pole fight

An always super-fast McLaren and another great turnaround from Red Bull overnight allowed a classic Formula 1 pole contest between Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen at Imola, decided in the former’s favour by the margin of three hundredths of a second.Yes there was a tyre conundrum bubbling along, always threatening to create a shock result, given how the C5 medium turned out to be probably a faste...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/imola-gp-f1-pole-fight-mark-hughes-analysis/

FIA explains Q1 lap deletion that infuriated Bearman

The FIA has offered an explanation for Ollie Bearman’s controversial exit from Q1 in Formula 1 qualifying at Imola, something Bearman called “totally unfair”. Bearman was deeply unimpressed with the FIA deciding the laptime he set at the end of Q1 was completed just after the red flag for Franco Colapinto’s big crash. That deleted time meant he was knocked out of Q1 in 19th place, rather than keep...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/fia-explains-imola-lap-deletion-that-infuriated-bearman/

‘Stupid and unacceptable’ crash is a worrying Tsunoda/Red Bull low

Yuki Tsunoda did not hold back on the self-criticism after a first major Red Bull crash just as he needed his big chance with the team to spark into life.Tsunoda’s make-or-break Formula 1 chance with Red Bull has been underwhelming so far, even though it has been an upgrade on the dismal first two race weekends his predecessor Liam Lawson endured.Glimpses of promise and increasing comfort with the...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/stupid-and-unacceptable-crash-is-a-worrying-tsunoda-red-bull-low/

'This hurts' - Leclerc's 2025 season is turning very bitter

We’ve already heard plenty of examples of a despondent Lewis Hamilton wondering if Ferrari’s season might be a write-off, but at Imola it appears team-mate Charles Leclerc’s starting to lose faith in 2025, too. Leclerc was visibly deflated by his elimination from Q2 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - as he and team-mate Hamilton could only manage 11th and 12th, making Ferrari one of only three tea...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/charles-leclerc-2025-ferrari-f1-disappointment-imola-qualifying/

Colapinto pleads with fans to be respectful after Tsunoda abuse

Franco Colapinto has demanded more respect be shown to rival Formula 1 drivers after Yuki Tsunoda was subjected to a swarm of abusive messages including racist insults after their minor practice altercation at Imola. Tsunoda gesticulated at Colapinto from his Red Bull after being impeded by the new Alpine driver on a flying lap in Friday practice.That sparked an aggressive reaction from fans of C...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/franco-colapinto-fan-respect-yuki-tsunoda-abuse/

Imola GP F1 qualifying results

Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri saw off Max Verstappen in a close battle for pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.Qualifying ran to a significantly delayed schedule after two big Q1 crashes - Yuki Tsunoda's huge Variante Villeneuve shunt and Franco Colapinto going off at Variante Tamburello.Provisional starting grid1 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull...

Read more: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/imola-gp-f1-qualifying-results-emilia-romagna-grand-prix-2025/