Maxc Verstappen Again Wins In Imola, Defeats Norris In Exciting Duel

JAKARTA - Max Verstappen again showed his dominance in the Formula 1 event by winning his fifth victory this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Sunday 19 May. In the fierce race, Verstappen managed to beat Lando Norris by a difference of only seven tenths of a second while crossing the finish line, while Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third place.

The two riders, Verstappen and Norris, started the race with the perfect start. Verstappen defended his position from Norris' threat to the Tamburello corner, while Norris closed the chances of Charles Leclerc trying to overtake behind them.

Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda, and Sergio Perez complete the top 10 and get points. Perez is the only racer in the top 10 to start the race with a loud tire, while others use medium tires.

On lap 9, Williams racer Alex Albon entered the pit to replace the medium tires to the hard tires, but experienced problems when the tires were not installed properly. Albon had to go back to the pits to change back to medium tires and be penalized with a 10-second stop/go penalty because conditions were not safe when exiting the pits.

Norris entered the pit from the second position on lap 23 and changed the tires to the hard tires, followed by his teammate, Oscar Piastri, on the next lap. Piastri managed to slip himself between two Ferrari riders after the pit stop was over, with Verstappen's lead over Norris reaching six seconds in the middle of the race.

Norris tried hard to catch up, and with seven laps remaining, his difference with Verstappen was reduced to less than 2.5 seconds. In the last five laps, the difference was thinner to 1.5 seconds. However, Verstappen managed to maintain his position impressively and win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with a difference of only seven tenths of a second from Norris.

This race provides exciting entertainment with a tight duel between Verstappen and Norris, adding to the tension and enthusiasm of Formula 1 fans around the world.