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Lewis Hamilton (right) congratulates winner Max Verstappen
Photo:
HOCH ZWEI / imago images / HochZwei
Side by side with the world champion through the Tamburello - and past:
In qualifying, Max Verstappen had to admit defeat to Sergio Pérez, he started the race from the second row of the grid. Competition from your own teammate? Verstappen last did that three years ago. A brief moment of irritation, but during the race, the Dutchman didn't show any more of it: instead, after the start lights went out, he not only passed Pérez, but also Lewis Hamilton - and fought a duel with the world champion in the notorious Tamburello -Curve. Hamilton held against, had to go over the curb and lost part of his front wing. Verstappen prevailed on the wet road. Red Bull appears to have the strongest car in the field right now and Verstappen is able to translate that into results. Is a changing of the guard imminent in Formula 1?
The result:
Yes, Verstappen won a race riddled with numerous accidents ahead of Hamilton (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren) - read the race report here.
The start alone was not the decisive factor.
The decisive stop. Or?
In the first third of the race, Verstappen was able to keep Hamilton behind for around five seconds, and on lap 26 the lead shrank.
Verstappen pitted first to respond to the drying track with medium tires, followed by Hamilton two laps later.
But because its idle time was 1.8 seconds longer, Verstappen defended the lead.
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Ayrton Senna lost his life in the tamburello at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in 1994 - a statue outside the curve commemorates the Brazilian Formula 1 icon
Photo: Martin Moravec / dpa
The two scare laps - not just for Mercedes:
But far from it, who thought that was the preliminary decision.
First, Hamilton slipped into the gravel bed on lap 31 when lapping George Russell in the Tosa hairpin and drove back onto the track in reverse.
Just one lap later, there was a serious accident between Valtteri Bottas' second Mercedes, which had previously been lost in midfield, and Russell, who was preparing to overtake the Finn in ninth place on the right.
But while both were approaching the Tamburello side by side, Bottas pulled to the right and Russell lost control on the wet part of the track, the vehicles collided at high speed.
Afterwards everyone was angry:
Bottas and Russell were able to get out of their cars on their own and cursed each other on the track.
After the race, they blamed each other for the crash.
"Do you want to kill us?" Said Russell to Bottas.
"He tried to kill both of us," he replied.
Russell is considered a possible successor to Bottas in the Mercedes.
Because there was so much debris on the track, the race had to be interrupted afterwards.
Hamilton was mostly angry with himself and crouched next to his Mercedes with his head in his hands during the interruption.
"That wasn't my best day, after a long time I made another mistake," he said afterwards.
World championship damage control:
The safety car finally led the field back onto the track, Verstappen in front, then Leclerc, Norris and Perez.
Hamilton was ninth, the demolition helped him because it equalized the gaps.
And Hamilton wouldn't be Hamilton if he didn't take this opportunity.
In the end he crossed the finish line in second place, and thanks to the extra point for the fastest race lap, he was just ahead of Verstappen (43) in the World Championship with 44 points.
"The season is still long, we are still catching up," said Verstappen, after he had steered his Red Bull 22 seconds ahead of his eleventh Grand Prix victory.
After he retired after a flat tire at Imola last year and Mercedes cemented their superiority, the title race this year is now completely open.
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Red Bull celebrates with Ferrari sparkling wine
Photo:
BRYN LENNON / AFP
Second winner:
Is Lando Norris in the McLaren - even if he finished third.
The Briton set the third fastest time in qualifying.
But because he had crossed the track barrier at one point, the race management canceled the time and Norris fell back to seventh place on the grid.
"In the end I tried to keep second place, but Lewis was a little too fast," he said after the race.
In addition to third place at the 2020 season opener in Austria, it was the Briton's best result in his third Formula 1 season.
Ferrari on the podium: In
Imola, the winning drink provided the makings for cheerful comments, because after the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna, champagne was not toasted with, but a product from the Italian brand Ferrari Trento. Embassy? If the Scuderia doesn't make it onto the podium, does a sparkling wine have to judge it? At least at the home game in Imola (the factory in Maranello is only 80 kilometers away) that wasn't necessary, because Charles Leclerc showed a good race and finished fourth in front of his teammate Carlos Sainz - the podium at least in sight.