2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Max Verstappen took his second victory of the season in what was almost certainly F1’s final visit to Imola.

Heavy crashes in qualifying for Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto underlined the hazards of directing 1,000 horsepower monsters of enormous downforce through the narrow ribbon of parkland tarmac. But it’s for commercial reasons it’s leaving after its pandemic-inspired comeback.

It at least left on a high note of an interesting contest, one in which Verstappen brilliantly exploited a Red Bull which for the first time this season was genuinely faster in a race than the rival McLaren. Oscar Piastri made things easier for Verstappen than they might otherwise have been however, on the run down to Tamburello on the opening lap. His attention seemingly diverted to preventing George Russell’s Mercedes coming down his inside, he left the outside line open to Verstappen, who needed no further invitation.