The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix may have lacked wheel-to-wheel battles, but it delivered a clear message: McLaren has taken a significant step forward and is now poised to challenge for podium finishes and even race wins. Yet, one man stands in their way—Max Verstappen. He showcased his championship ambitions by starting on pole position. McLaren ran him close in qualifying, locking out 2nd and 3rd, but many expected Verstappen to have the superior race pace.

And indeed, Verstappen controlled the race with a certain ease. However, instead of clinically building his usual 20-second lead, the Red Bull driver’s usual safety buffer appears to have diminished significantly. Verstappen could only stretch out a 6-second lead as Norris kept a watchful eye from behind. Was Verstappen taking it easy, conserving his tyres? The answer lies somewhere in between.

With 10 laps remaining, we had an answer. Norris upped his pace, his McLaren demonstrating superior race performance as the Red Bull ahead of him began to suffer from tyre degradation. Inch by inch, Norris closed the gap, but in reality, he needed another two laps to catch and pass Verstappen. As the chequered flag fell, Norris finished less than a second behind—a tantalizingly close finish.

This pattern of “so close, yet so far” echoed throughout the field. However, the result at Imola confirmed that Verstappen will now have to work harder to secure his fourth driver’s championship. A couple of bad results could throw the title race wide open—something few expected to say in 2024.

2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Results

1 Max VERSTAPPEN

2 Lando NORRIS +0.725

3 Charles LECLERC +7.916

4 Oscar PIASTRI +14.132

5 Carlos SAINZ+22.325

6 Lewis HAMILTON +35.104

7 George RUSSELL +47.154

8 Sergio PEREZ +54.776

9 Lance STROLL +79.556

10 Yuki TSUNODA +1 lap

11 Nico HULKENBERG +1 lap

12 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1 lap

13 Daniel RICCIARDO +1 lap

14 Esteban OCON +1 lap

15 Guanyu ZHOU +1 lap

16 Pierre GASLY +1 lap

17 Logan SARGEANT+1 lap

18 Valtteri BOTTAS+1 lap

19 Fernando ALONSO+1 lap

DNF

Alex Albon Williams – lap 54