Max Verstappen beamed with pride on Sunday after defying expectations of a McLaren runaway to showcase once again the sharp pace and tactical brilliance of both himself and Red Bull at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The victory was a firm rebuttal to talk of Red Bull’s decline, marking Verstappen’s fourth straight win at Imola, his second of the season, and the 65th of his career, all during the team’s milestone 400th Grand Prix appearance.

Finishing behind him were his friend and title rival Lando Norris in second, and championship leader Oscar Piastri in third, both in McLarens, followed by a resurgent Lewis Hamilton, who brought Ferrari home in fourth.

“I am incredibly proud of everyone,” Verstappen said.

“It’s been a very important week for us, and the car has performed really well. I think the execution of the whole race was really good, too.”

He said he was delighted with the move at the first corner of the opening lap that surprised Piastri, who started on pole, and enabled him to take the lead and eventually a commanding victory.

Two safety car interventions were also helpful for Verstappen who was able to save 10 seconds as a result with each of his pit-stops in an eventful and strategic race. 

“The start itself wasn’t particularly great, but I was still on the normal line and I thought I would try and send it round the outside and it worked really well,” he said of his bold passing move at Tamburello.

“That then unleashed our pace because once we were in the lead, the car was good and I could look after my tires — we had very good pace today.

“It’s a massive improvement from Friday, and I’m very pleased with that.”

“That virtual safety car was quite handy for me to pit, and even on the hard compound, our pace was very strong, but then there was a safety car, so the field was back together.”

“Even on the restart, we managed it really well and brought it home.”

Looking ahead to next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, the second event in a three-race triple header started at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Verstappen will be seeking to add to his victories in 2021 and 2023.

“I like driving and racing in Formula One,” he said.

“Next week it’s a completely different kind of track in Monaco and that’s also going to be very challenging, but for the moment I just want to enjoy today and take it in.”

He added that he always enjoyed racing in the heartland of Ferrari, where the fans love motor racing and hope that Imola, in the final year of its current contract, will stay on the calendar in the future.

“It’s always fantastic to be in Italy,” he said.

“A proper passion for motorsport, so it’s fantastic to see all these fans out here the whole weekend. So, thank you for coming to support all the drivers.”