Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Live Blog
Formula One returns to Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Formula One landed in Italy this week for the first race of a European triple header, with Monaco and Spain following in the coming weeks.
Oscar Piastri is in pole position ahead of what could be a momentous day for the Australian driver.
Piastri on the verge of joining Australian F1 royalty
Only two Australian Formula One legends, Jack Brabham and Alan Jones, have won five times in a season. They ultimately won their respective championships in 1960 and 1980.
Piastri will be keen to join this exclusive club as he is in pole position this weekend ahead of Max Verstappen and George Russell.
The Australian leads the drivers' World Championship by 16 points ahead of Lando Norris, who came fourth in qualifying.
Apline team reorganisation ahead of Imola
Pierre Gasly starts in 10th amidst a management crisis at the French team, where Team Principal Oliver Oakes resigned from his post, and Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s Executive Advisor, has stepped up.
Franco Colapinto struggled on his return to Formula One after replacing Jack Doohan, following his crash in Q1, but still managed to progress to Q2.
After qualifying, he said: “Unfortunately, I had a little mistake that was very costly, sorry to the team,” adding, “I am sure we are going to come back stronger tomorrow”.
He was additionally handed a one-place grid penalty for driving in the fast lane in the pit lane after Yuki Tsunoda’s crash - he will start 16th.
Tsunoda crashed in qualifying
Yuki Tsunoda will start at the back of the grid after suffering a huge crash in Q1 yesterday, where the Red Bull was sent flying into the air after making contact with the wall.
He said: "I'm ok, thankfully, but at the same time very frustrating how I ended up in such an early stage, especially very unnecessary situation."
Tsunoda said he had "pretty poor pace" in FP3, having to make changes ahead of qualifying, but he couldn't capitalise on the benefits following the incident.
Controversial Bearman Q1 decision
Oliver Bearman was eliminated from Q1 after his time was deleted following a red flag caused by Colapinto's crash.
The Haas driver was deemed to have crossed the line after the red flag had been waved, plummeting into the bottom five, and he will start today's race in 19th.
The Brit said: "I have no clue what happened for me not to be out there right now," as Bearman believes he crossed the line before the red flag.
Tsunoda to start from the pit lane
After a power unit replacement, under parc fermé, Tsunoda will start the Grand Prix from the pit lane.
This was after his big crash during qualifying yesterday, when he was eliminated from Q1.
Ferrari's home disappointment as both Hamilton and Leclerc were eliminated in Q2
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will both start outside the top ten, in P12 and P11, respectively.
The stage is set for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before the lights go out in over an hour.
Piastri starts in pole position, with Verstappen completing the front row.
Russell and Norris complete the second with the Spanish duo of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz behind.
Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Isack Hadjar and Gasly complete the top 10.
Colapinto and Tsunoda have both received penalties for failing to follow the race director's instructions and car modifications under parc fermé
They will start in P16 and from the pit lane, respectively.
Green light as cars are allowed onto the track
Drivers make their way to the grid for the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with Verstappen leading the way out of the pit lane.
Not long to go before the start of the race, with Piastri chasing a fifth win of the season.
Ted Kravitz meets Brazilian Ronaldo on the grid
British reporter Ted Kravitz talked to one of Football's greatest strikers on his grid walk before the start of the race.
Rooting for fellow Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, Ronaldo claimed to remember Kravitz, with the Brit responding "no you don't" in a humorous interaction between the pair.
Drivers and officials gather for the Italian national anthem
The Pavarotti Foundation School plays the anthem before the start of the race.
Five minutes to go!
Drivers make their way around the track for the formation lap
It looks like it's going to be a race between the McLaren of Piastri and the Red Bull of Verstappen, with the Dutchman looking to defend his crown at Imola.
Lights out, and away we go
Verstappen takes the lead at turn one, overtaking Piastri as Russell had a look down the inside of the Red Bull.
Russell remains in P3, and Norris in P4.
Hamilton falls to P13, losing out to home hero Kimi Antonelli.
Lap 3 - Hamilton's Ferrari vs the young Italian
Hamilton still trails Antonelli, as the pair both started the race on hard tyres.
Gasly goes wide, into the gravel, and is relegated to P14 after starting the race in P10.
Lap 7 - Leclerc catching Stroll
Leclerc said: "Tyres are better than expected", as the Monégasque forces himself into the top 10, chasing the Aston Martins and Williams.
Lap 8 to 11 - Norris' battle with Russell
Norris, who started in P4, is on the rear wing of Russell's Mercedes as he looks to close the gap to Piastri in the championship.
The 25-year-old forces his way past his British counterpart and needs to catch his teammate, who is 7.5 seconds up the road.
Verstappen leads the race, with Piastri 2.5 seconds behind.
First round of pit stops
Leclerc, Russell, Sainz, and Alonso discard their medium compound tyres and elect for hards.
Flames appear on Alonso's front tyres coming out of the pit lane, but he continues the race.
Lap 14 - Slow stop for Piastri!
The Australian driver opted for hard tyres, but was held up for 3.6 seconds
Lap 15 - Verstappen leads Norris by over 10 seconds
Top 10:
1st - Verstappen
2nd - Norris
3rd - Albon
4th - Hadjar
5th - Antonelli
6th - Hamilton
7th - Hülkenberg
8th - Colapinto
9th - Bearman
10th - Tsunoda
Lap 17 - Red Bull tactics come into play
"Do your best to hold him up", Tsunoda's engineer told the Japanese driver as Piastri is stuck behind him.
Lap 18 - Oscar Piastri passes Tsunoda and is back into the top 10.
Verstappen, Norris, Albon and Hadjar are yet to pit from their medium compound tyres.
Lap 20 - Piastri carving through the field
He passes both Bearman and Colapinto, applying pressure on his teammate and Verstappen to make a pit stop.
Lap 23 - Russell "struggling"
Russell to his engineer: "It's like the rear trackrod or something is broken, because the rears are moving, even on a straight line. I'm struggling."
The Mercedes driver is currently 12th, in front of Sainz, and behind Tsunoda.
Lap 25 - Hamilton vs Antonelli continued...
A battle which has lasted the entire race.
Hamilton is struggling to pass Antonelli, and the arrival of Piastri on fresh rubber will not help the seven-time World Champion.
Lap 27 - Piastri back in the top five
The Australian passes both Hamilton and Antonelli, as he chases Verstappen and Norris.
Norris is over 9.5 seconds behind Verstappen and is not looking like he is closing the gap.
Lap 29 - Lando's pit stop and Ocon's retirement
A quick stop for Lando (2.1 seconds), but he is passed by his teammate just as the yellow flag is shown.
Esteban Ocon has stopped his car on the grass as he retires with "an issue".
The yellow flag plays perfectly into Verstappen's hands as he pits.
Lap 30 - Verstappen is dominating this race
Top 10:
1st - Verstappen
2nd - Piastri
3rd - Norris
4th - Albon
5th - Hadjar
6th - Antonelli
7th - Hamilton
8th - Alonso
9th - Stroll
10th - Leclerc
Lap 31 - Oscar pits again!
The championship leader goes onto another set of hard tyres for his second, and most likely final, stop of the race.
Lap 33 - Verstappen leads by nearly 20 seconds
Norris sets the fastest lap of the race, but trails the reigning world champion by a considerable distance.
Lap 35 to 36 - Russell vs the Aston Martins
Russell overtakes Stroll and Alonso to go back into the top 10.
His former teammate, Hamilton, fights his way into the top five, overtaking Hadjar, who is having a great race in the Racing Bulls.
Lap 38 - Hamilton's redemption
Ocon's retirement has played into the hands of Hamilton and Antonelli, who are both comfortably within the top 10 as the British veteran steals the fastest lap of the Grand Prix from Norris.
Lap 40 - Piastri back on the podium
The McLaren driver fights his way back into the podium positions after passing the Williams of Albon.
Lap 41 - The prancing horses' comeback in Imola
Leclerc fights his way past Hadjar with both Ferraris back in the fight after a dismal qualifying yesterday.
Lap 43 - Norris is struggling to catch Verstappen
Verstappen is looking to make it back-to-back wins in Imola.
Alonso shows his frustration on the radio, saying he's the "unluckiest driver in the ******* world", as he is stuck in P13 ahead of his teammate Lance.
Lap 46 - Antonelli has an issue as he pulls up on the grass
The young Italian retires from his home Grand Prix.
A full safety car is deployed, and Verstappen's near 25-second lead is squandered, as he comes in for his pitstop.
Lap 47 - Piastri leads the McLarens as they catch up to Verstappen and the Safety Car
Top 10:
1st - Verstappen
2nd - Piastri
3rd - Norris
4th - Albon
5th - Leclerc
6th - Russell
7th - Hamilton
8th - Sainz
9th - Hadjar
10th - Hülkenberg
Lap 53 - Verstappen vs The McLarens
The safety car is ending...
It will be a race to the finish with the Red Bull leading the way, dominating throughout this race.
A threatening McLaren duo trails in 2nd and 3rd, both hoping to add another win to their tally this season.
Leclerc and Hamilton will restart in fourth and seventh, as Ferrari salvage a satisfactory points haul from an unsatisfactory qualifying in front of their home crowd.
Lap 54 - 10 lap sprint to the finish
Verstappen restarts the race as Leclerc has a look down the inside of Norris.
The Dutchman has already broken DRS with Piastri and is running away with the lead.
Leclerc is now battling with Albon, who is having a great race for Williams.
Tsunoda is back in the top 10 after a horrible crash yesterday, after passing Hülkenberg.
Lap 56 - Verstappen wheeling away
McLaren may have to impose team orders to switch Piastri and Norris as Verstappen is over 3 seconds up the road.
Lap 57 - Hamilton overtakes Russell
Hamilton overtakes his old Mercedes teammate, as he is now chasing Albon for P5.
Lap 58: Norris passes championship rival
Norris overtakes his teammate and championship rival Piastri, promoting himself to P2, and is now chasing Verstappen, who is over 5 seconds up the road.
5 Laps to go
Albon is pressuring Leclerc for P4, but after contact in turn 1, Hamilton demotes the Thai-Brit to P5.
Lap 61 - Hamilton overtakes his Ferrari teammate!
After overtaking Albon on the previous lap, Hamilton overtakes Leclerc, who both started the race in P11 & P12, respectively.
Lap 63 - Final Lap!
Leclerc gives the position back to Albon after forcing him off the track.
Verstappen crosses the finish line to win four consecutive races at Imola.
The two McLarens complete the podium positions, with Norris in 2nd and Piastri 3rd.
Verstappen wins for the second time in 2025
He dominated the race, beating both McLarens to the win, and is the only driver, other than Lando and Oscar, to win this season.
British Formula One legend David Coulthard interviewed the podium sitters after the race
Verstappen: "VSC was quite handy to pit."
He said: "On the restart, we managed it all well," due to the performance of the car.
Norris agreed that Red Bull was "too good" for McLaren today, but despite the reigning Constructors Champions settling for second and third, he praised Max's performance.
Piastri claimed it was not their best Sunday, but congratulated Verstappen and Red Bull, saying: "The VSC was perfectly timed for Max and Lando."
The Dutch and Austrian national anthems play around the Imola Circuit as Verstappen wins his 65th Formula One race
This is the fourth consecutive time the reigning World Champion has won at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Final standings
Top 10:
1st - Verstappen
2nd - Norris
3rd - Piastri
4th - Hamilton
5th - Albon
6th - Leclerc
7th - Russell
8th - Sainz
9th - Hadjar
10th - Tsunoda
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