Max Verstappen's procession towards a fourth straight Formula One World Championship crown moved through the gears at Imola, but the Dutchman was made to fight all the way to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by a charging Lando Norris.
Having matched the great Ayrton Senna's record on Saturday to qualify with an eighth consecutive pole, Verstappen seemed to be cruising towards career victory number 59 after he had led from the first corner in his Red Bull.
But Norris — fresh from his maiden F1 win in Miami two weeks ago — found some unexpected late race pace in the McLaren while Verstappen pushed the limits of the Imola track.
Battling with the setup issues that had plagued his weekend, Verstappen was warned for a third time for exceeding track limits as his lead was eventually cut to under a second, but he held on for his third consecutive win at this track to match the great Michael Schumacher.
Behind them, there was home cheer for the Italian crowd as Charles Leclerc put the Ferrari on the podium for the first time at Imola since Schumacher achieved that feat in 2006.
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F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Race results, standings for F1 Imola GP
| Driver | ||
| 1. | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | 11. | Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) |
| 2. | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 12. | Kevin Magnussen (Haas) |
| 3. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 13. | Daniel Ricciardo (RB) |
| 4. | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 14. | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
| 5. | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) | 15. | Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) |
| 6. | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) | 16. | Pierre Gasly (Alpine) |
| 7. | George Russell (Mercedes) | 17. | Logan Sargeant (Williams) |
| 8. | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) | 18. | Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) |
| 9. | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) | 19. | Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) |
| 10. | Yuki Tsunoda (RB) | DNF | Alex Albon (Williams) |
F1 Imola: Pre-race grid order
1. Verstappen, 2. Norris, 3. Leclerc, 4. Sainz, 5. Norris, 6. Russell, 7. Tsunoda, 8. Hamilton, 9. Ricciardo, 10. Hulkenberg
11. Perez, 12. Ocon, 13. Stroll, 14. Albon, 15. Gasly, 16. Bottas, 17. Sargeant, 18. Zhou, 19. Magnussen, 20. Alonso
MORE: F1 2024 standings
Who won F1 today? Emilia Romagna Grand Prix post-race analysis from Imola
"That was hard work," admitted Max Verstappen.
"Almost," sighed Lando Norris.
The post-race radio exchanges were pretty telling at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as Verstappen and Red Bull were pushed all the way by an in-form Norris in the McLaren.
It took Norris 110 races to claim his breakthrough first career victory in Miami a fortnight ago, but he almost immediately repeated the feat — ultimately coming within less than a second of being the first driver since Carlos Sainz in 2019 to go back-to-back after a first career win.
Confidence is a wonderful thing, and Norris clearly has it in spades right now. He fully deserved his Driver of the Day accolade for a gutsy performance that saw him find unexpected pace in the closing laps to make a real fight of it.
With 10 laps to go, it looked like the hunt was on. Verstappen had been warned for exceeding track limits three times, and he couldn't afford another mistake and a potential five-second penalty.
The gap from first to second began to diminish at regular intervals as Norris pushed.
But one thing Verstappen knows is how to grind out the win — you do not claim 59 F1 victories without plenty of guile.
In the end, experience told, but with a third straight one-two between the Dutchman and the Brit, you get the feeling that this could be a battle that intensifies as the season wears on.
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F1 Grand Prix qualifying recap
Verstappen clinched pole position on a day that many believed P1 could be up for grabs.
Nevertheless, it was business as usual for the three-time world champion and Verstappen's pole means he has now tied Ayrton Senna's consecutive pole record with eight in a row.
The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Norris had been quicker in practice but they couldn't beat the brilliance of Verstappen, who put in a sensational lap in Q3.
Piastri was then handed a penalty which saw him start fifth on the grid after receiving a penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in qualifying.
MORE: Who will Carlos Sainz drive for next season?
F1 live stream, TV channel to watch races in 2024
| Country | TV channel | Live stream |
| USA | — | FUBO, F1TV |
| Canada | TSN (English); RDS (French) | TSN Direct |
| UK | Sky Sports F1 | SkyGo, NOW TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports | Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports |
| India | — | F1 TV Pro |
