Verstappen secured maximum points at Imola, including winning the sprint race on Saturday and taking the bonus point for the fastest lap in his grand prix victory on Sunday, to cut Leclerc’s lead in the F1 drivers’ world championship to 27 points.
Leclerc had been pressuring Sergio Perez for second place late on but spun off at the Variante Alta chicane and hit the outside wall. The Ferrari driver rejoined the race in ninth place after a pitstop for repairs and finished the race in sixth pace.
Leclerc’s off handed McLaren’s Lando Norris his first podium of the season, while further back George Russell maintained his solid start for Mercedes with fourth place defending from Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo.
Further back it was a nightmare Emilia Romagna GP for Lewis Hamilton who failed to score any points across the sprint race weekend format and he finished 13th in the grand prix.
Autosport’s Alex Kalinauckas, Luke Smith and Motorsport Network’s Jess McFadyen discuss the race with host Martyn Lee.
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