Duh Duh Duh Duh…Max Verstappen!
Max Verstappen, F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2025.
So the 7th round of the F1 season, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, has been and gone. Fair to say it was rather eventful. 4-time World Champion Max Verstappen took the victory with the McLaren boys picking up the other two podium places, Lando Norris taking second place after nipping past his teammate after the safety car restart, and Oscar Piastri finished third, losing some points to Norris and Verstappen in the championship. Here are my thoughts on the first European race of the season.
The Terminator AKA Max Verstappen
The current world champion stormed off to his second victory of the season in a commanding win in Italy. With the help of two perfectly timed Safety cars, Max was able to hold on and even extend his lead over the two McLarens.
Max showed exactly why he is a world champion by pulling off one of the moves of the season during the opening lap, going wheel-to-wheel with Oscar Piastri and taking first place with an aggressive but fair move on the inside.
What Max is doing with that Red Bull is nothing short of sensational. He currently sits 9 points behind Landio Norris in third place in the championship, and his points have meant that Red Bull cling on to third just behind Mercedes and ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’, who were many people’s favourite to win it this year. Of course, a lot of credit has to go to the pit crew who put in some shift to get that Red Bull from where to was on Friday in Free Practice 1 to where it was on Sunday afternoon, on top of the podium. But does that car get to the top of the podium without Max Verstappen? We saw Yuki Tsunoda struggle again this weekend and also suffer a terrifying crash, which I’m sure we are happy to see him walk away from. Let’s say it, how we see it. Red Bull would be nowhere near the top without the Dutchman in the Number 1 car.
Max proved this weekend that he really is a villain in a horror movie. You think you have him beat, escape the haunted house and ride off into the sunset, you check the mirrors and see a yellow-tipped nose of a Red Bull thundering behind you, for any driver that must be terrifying.
It was fitting that Red Bull’s 400th race was won by their best ever driver (yes, he’s better than Seb.)
Max Verstappen, Team Red Bull, F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2025.
The McLaren Conundrum
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2025.
I am completely torn between these two as to who is truly the number one driver at McLaren. Oscar Piastri has had the better start to the 2025 season, picking up 3 wins compared to Lando’s 1. However, the majority of Lando’s misfortune has come in qualifying. For me, I have seen a major improvement in Norris’s race craft. Yes, he has had some sketchy moments, especially when involved with Max. However, he is still consistently on the podium and even working his way up the grid, which in previous seasons was not the case as he’d usually spiral, such as the Canadian Grand Prix and Interlagos last year. Norris finished ahead of his teammate this weekend, showing that he is not going away when it comes to the championship.
Today proved to be another occasion where the question was raised: Who is the top dog at the Papaya team? Do they switch to Oscar and follow his good form, hoping it continues long enough for him to lift the trophy at the end of the season, or do they stick with the man who has been there throughout this entire transition period at McLaren, and show faith in Lando’s ability to bring home the driver’s championship.
I believe Lando currently has the higher ceiling as he seems to be entering his prime at McLaren, one World Championship could lead to multiple for the british driver, Piastri’s time will most certainly come and could even come this season, however McLaren owe it to Lando to get him over the line, just how he did for the team last year, securing the constructors’.
Oh No Franco!
Franco Colapinto, F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2025.
This weekend in Imola saw the return of a fan favourite, Franco Colapinto. The Argentine driver replaced Jack Doohan after 6 race weekends in the Alpine. It wasn’t the dream return for Colapinto, crashing in qualifying, and a few mistakes during the race, such as dipping a tyre into the gravel and losing places during the race.
We also saw the return of a controversial figure in Formula One, Flavio Briatore, who took control as team principal at Alpine after the resignation of Oliver Oakes following the Miami Grand Prix in early May 2025. It was his decision, of course, to swap Doohan with Colapinto.
It was the right choice to give Colapinto a chance. He impressed last year at Williams after replacing Logan Sargeant, and I thought it was criminal that he did not have a seat at the beginning of the 2025 season. Compared to Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto has more potential and can be a real asset to Alpine this season. Doohan seemed to struggle to adapt to the switch up from F2 to F1, Colapinto came in mid-season and really took well to the Williams car, scoring 5 points in his debut stint. It was a sketchy weekend for the Argentine, however, by looking at what he has shown us before, and if future upgrades support the car, Franco will become a mainstay in Formula One.
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2025.
There are a few other notable things to mention from the weekend’s race. Both Williams drivers secured points this weekend, with Carlos Sainz finishing in 8th and his teammate Alex Albon continuing his fine form by placing his car in P5. I like the look of the Williams car a lot, it looks like a real nuisance to overtake, James Vowles now has a strong competitive driver lineup with two experienced, who both have a point to prove, with Albon you’d feel would have appreicated another look at the Red Bull seat, and Sainz of course was booted out of Ferrari to make way for Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking of Scuderia Ferrari, it was yet another mixed bag at their first home race of the season. Both cars slammed out of Q2, finishing in P11 (Leclerc) and P12 (Hamilton). It was looking like a gloomy weekend in the Imola sunshine. However, come Raceday, the Ferrari boys climbed the order. Leclerc got to P6, could’ve been higher if his tyres hadn’t fallen off a cliff towards the end, and Lewis Hamilton scored his highest finish in a Grand Prix for Ferrari (not including sprints), securing P4 in front of the Tifosi.
All in all, a very entertaining weekend of racing. Now we look ahead to next weekend as we go to the iconic Monaco circuit. Who do you think will come out on top? Does Max continue ruining the part for McLaren, or will the Papaya team retake control? What did you think of the Imola GP? Let us know in the comments below!
