Three-time world champion Max Verstappen returned to the top of the podium in style as he saw off a challenge from Lando Norris to bag a win at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The 26-year-old missed out on a first-place finish in Miami as his friend Norris went on and grabbed his first career victory. The English sensation wanted to repeat his exploits but was denied by Verstappen, who brought the victory home by just 0.725 secs.
Out of the 7 races, Verstappen has failed to finish in first place just twice this season. He has been dominant and showed his abilities once again with a win at Imola. This was his third career win at the track and has helped him push his lead to 48 points on the leaderboard. Max Verstappen already has one hand on the championship as he has 161 points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is behind him with 113 points but is yet to win a race this season.
With 17 races still remaining, other drivers could try and provide more challenge to Verstappen. The Dutch champion has had it easy in the last two seasons, but Norris’ performances in the last two races have proven that he could be a driver to watch out for. Max’s rival Lewis Hamilton is currently struggling to find form but could be back soon and compete for a record-eighth championship that has been eluding him for the last three seasons.
Max Verstappen faced a tough challenge from Norris at Imola
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have both shared a great camaraderie outside the race track. However when it’s time to go up against each other, both of them unleash themselves. Speaking about the difficulty of the race, Verstappen said, “We did a great race considering how it started and I had to work hard for that. I felt quite strong on mediums, but on the hards, it was more difficult to manage and the last 15 laps I had no grip and I was sliding a lot. I could see him behind me and I am super-happy to win here today.”
Norris who won the Miami Grand Prix by beating Verstappen was elated after the win there. He followed that up with another stellar display, but that was not enough to beat Verstappen on this occasion. The Dutch driver has been in the competition since a very young age and has been in similar situations. He has not had any competition from anyone in the last two seasons, but it looks like Norris could be the man to dethrone Verstappen
