Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen cruised to victory from pole position as Oracle Red Bull racing recorded a one-two finish at the Emilia Romagna grand Prix. Championship leader Charles Leclerc finished in sixth after his car spun out on the 54th lap ending Ferrari's hopes of a podium finish in one of their home races.
F1
Max Verstappen wins while Leclerc spins at Italian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen put in a vintage display to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as both Ferrari drivers endure miserable homecoming.
Max Verstappen claimed his second pole of the season at Emilia Romagna
Verstappen made a near-perfect start, taking advantage of the damp conditions to get ahead of championship leader Charles Leclerc, who started beside him on the grid.
With the race barely starting, there was drama on the track as Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz came together, and the Ferrari driver spun out and was forced into another early retirement after he also crashed at the Australian Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz made it back to back DNFs as he crashed early on in the race
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Leclerc made a pitstop on Lap 50 to change to soft tyres, and this saw him briefly dropping to fourth as Lando Norris took advantage and used the DRS to overtake the Ferrari driver.
After emerging in fourth place, Leclerc passed Norris to find himself in a good position to finish third. However, after climbing a kerb on the 54th lap, the Monegasque driver had to make another pitstop and came out in ninth place, but he showed great resolve to finish sixth.
Charles Leclerc visibly unhappy after finishing sixth
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Verstappen never relinquished his lead and looked like the winner long before the final flag and the Dutchman did the unthinkable, when he lapped Sir Lewis Hamilton on lap 40.
The race was never in doubt for Red Bull, with Verstappen and Perez crossing the finish line to give Red Bull their first one-two finish since 2016.
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Sergio Perez (L) and Max Verstappen gave Oracle Red Bull their first one-two finish in six years
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Mercedes continued their well-documented woes as they narrowly missed out on a podium finish. George Russell did well to finish fourth after starting the race in 11th place, while Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in 13th.
Despite Leclerc's underwhelming finish, the Ferrari driver still holds a 27-point advantage over Verstappen, with 19 races left on the calendar.
Formula one returns in two weeks for the Miami Grand Prix.
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