Verstappen, starting from second, passed pole-sitter Piastri with an audacious move around the outside of the first chicane on the opening lap, before expertly controlling the race from out front.
The Red Bull driver was cruising to victory before a late Safety Car closed up the pack, but he eased clear once more in a 10-lap sprint to the finish that saw Norris take advantage of having fresher tyres to pass Piastri for second.
- Emilia Romagna GP race result | F1 championship standings
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Piastri had dropped out of contention for victory after McLaren’s decision to bring him in for an early first stop backfired as he became stuck in traffic while Verstappen and Norris were able to significantly extend their opening stints.
The result sees Piastri’s Drivers’ Championship lead over Norris reduced to 13 points, while Verstappen closes to within 22 points of the Australian in third. McLaren extend their lead at the top of the Constructors’ Championship to 132 points.
Lewis Hamilton produced a superb recovery drive from 12th on the grid to take fourth in first race in Italy for Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion benefitted from both the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car that preceded it, making several passes in the closing laps to claim his best grand prix finish for Ferrari.
Alex Albon was fifth in a second successive race after the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc gave him the position back on the final lap having come under investigation for forcing the Williams off in a late battle.
George Russell was another to lose out on strategy as he finished seventh after starting third, while a disappointing afternoon for Mercedes was compounded by Kimi Antonelli being forced to retire from his first home race by a throttle issue.
Carlos Sainz was eighth to help Williams consolidate their fifth place in the constructors’ standings.
Isack Hadjar continued his impressive rookie campaign by taking ninth for Racing Bulls, while Yuki Tsunoda produced an impressive recovery from a pit lane start after a huge qualifying crash to take the final point for Red Bull.
More to follow…
Next up in F1’s European triple-header is the Jewel in the Crown, the Monaco Grand Prix on May 23-25, with coverage starting this Friday live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
