Emilia Romagna GP - Race

---

MSC Cruises Emilia Romagna GP

Race

May 19, 2024

Max Verstappen narrowly defeated Lando Norris in a thrilling duel for the win at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the two cars finishing just 0.725 seconds apart — the closest margin of victory this season.

Norris pushed his McLaren to its absolute limits as he consistently closed in on Verstappen's lead with each lap but ultimately came up just short of securing a second consecutive victory after his first-ever Formula One win in Miami two weeks prior.

"One or two more laps and I think I would have had him," Norris said after the race. "I pushed hard the last few laps, but I lost too much time to Max in the first part of the race. One or two more laps would have been beautiful, but not today."

With 20 laps remaining, Verstappen appeared to be on track for a comfortable win, with Norris trailing six seconds behind and fending off pressure from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for second place. However, as the battle between McLaren and Ferrari intensified with faster laps, they also started closing in on Verstappen, whose performance was beginning to stabilize.

"I pushed flat out I had to try and make a gap initially," Verstappen said afterwards. "On the hard tyres it was a bit more difficult to manage -- especially on the last 10-15 laps I had no grip anymore, I was really sliding a lot and I saw Lando closing in.

He added "The last 10 laps was flat out and it's very difficult when the tyres are not working anymore and you have to go flat out. I couldn't afford to make too many mistakes -- luckily we didn't and super happy to win here today,"

Around lap 47 of the 63-lap event, the dynamic of the race shifted dramatically. Leclerc missed his braking point at Variante Alta and cut across the chicane while trying to stay with Norris, easing the pressure on the McLaren driver and allowing him to focus on closing the gap to Verstappen.

As Verstappen relayed his concerns about tire wear over the radio, Norris drove his McLaren to the very edge — and sometimes beyond — through the rapid corners of Imola. Verstappen also faced additional stress after three track limit warnings earlier in the race; another violation would have resulted in a time penalty.

On the final lap, the distance between the two cars dropped to under a second, but with limited chances to pass on the circuit, Norris ran out of opportunities. If the race had lasted one more lap, he likely would have used the DRS system to make a move into the first turn.

Although missing out on the win was disappointing, Norris's performance highlighted McLaren's progress since they updated their car in Miami. With the assistance of a safety car, Norris had won in Miami, and the close finish at Imola suggests that more competitive battles for wins could become a common occurrence, which has been rare in recent seasons.

Reflecting on the outcome, Norris commented, "I think we can happily say we're in a position of [fighting] Ferrari and Red Bull and it's what we have to get used to ... it's still a surprise to say 'it's frustrating not to win' but after last weekend and the improvements we've made it's what we should start to expect."

Leclerc crossed the line in third, 7.9 seconds behind Norris after a mistake earlier in the race, but still comfortably ahead of the second McLaren, driven by Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth. Carlos Sainz took fifth for Ferrari, ahead of Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Leclerc said: "At least it's a podium of course, I'm only very happy when I win and today we didn't quite make it.

"We were very fast at the beginning of the stint with the hard [tyre]. We started to push and try and put some pressure on Lando, but later on they were incredibly quick. All in all, I think the race pace was quite strong. It's incredible to be here on the podium with all of the Tifosi."

Russell was set to finish sixth, but Mercedes opted to bring him in for fresh tires near the end to defend both positions from Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who was closing in on a different strategy. This move paid off, as Perez finished eighth after a challenging weekend, which included an off-track excursion at Rivazza on lap 17.

Lance Stroll took ninth for Aston Martin, while Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull completed the top ten, securing the final points-paying position.

The next race of the season is set to take place in Monaco next weekend.

---

Emilia Romagna GP 2024 F1 Race Result

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (1:25:25.252)

2. Lando Norris, McLaren (+0.725)

3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +7.916)

4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren ( (+14.132)

5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (+22.325)

6. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (+35.104)

7. George Russell, Mercedes (+47.154)

8. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (+54.776)

9. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (+1:19.556)

10. Yuki Tsunoda, RB (+1 Lap)

11. Nico Hülkenberg, Haas (+1 Lap)

12. Kevin Magnussen, Haas (+1 Lap)

13. Daniel Ricciardo, RB (+1 Lap)

14. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (+1 Lap)

15. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (+1 Lap)

16. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (+1 Lap)

17. Logan Sargeant, Williams (+1 Lap)

18. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber (+1 Lap)

19. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (+1 Lap)

Ret. Alexander Albon, Williams (+12 Laps)