Credits: IMAGO / BSR Agency
In the most thrilling fashion, Max Verstappen won the Emilia Romagna GP. After leading for the majority of the race, the Dutchman got a late scare from Lando Norris. However, he held his nerve to secure the win, unaware of reaching another milestone. That milestone was the win for Team Redline at the virtual 24 hours of Nurburgring.
Verstappen was one of the three drivers to race for the team in the virtual race. As the rules of the endurance race stipulate, all three drivers divided the race amongst each other to complete 24 hours.
The Dutchman completed his share of the run before going to sleep on Saturday. In his admission before the Grand Prix in Imola, he slept for seven hours, which is less than the hours he usually rests for.
Despite being low on sleep, Max Verstappen was on point when it came to his reflexes. The reigning champion got off the line swiftly as the lights went out for the race start in Imola. Leading the pack, he built a consistent lead ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. By the time the race progressed to the 18th lap, Verstappen was more than five seconds clear.
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As he continued, to build the margin on the rivals, the chances of another win looked certain. That was until Norris got the go-ahead from his strategists to push after nursing the tires well for a long stint.
The Briton began to push and ensured the gap to Charles Leclerc in 3rd was a healthy one. Once he ensured that, he put a target on Max Verstappen for the race win. The duo fought to the finish line but the Red Bull ace kept his nerves to win by 0.725 seconds.
An unlikely victory for Max Verstappen
The win at the virtual 24 hours of Nurburgring was a clinical one as the Team Redline managed their strategy and execution to the T. However, things did not sail as smoothly for Max Verstappen when it came to the Emilia Romagna GP weekend in Imola.
The Dutchman failed to register the fastest lap in all three practice sessions. That gave Charles Leclerc, who was fastest in the first two, and Oscar Piastri, who was fastest in the third, a hope for registering a win. However, Verstappen pulled off a stunning performance in qualifying and grabbed the pole position.
Piastri, who was second fastest in qualifying dropped down to 5th for impeding Kevin Magnussen. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen carried the form from Saturday to get the most out of the car which was far from his satisfaction. But, with two wins on the same day, he won’t complain.
