Only the strength of will was enough, the boiling mass of typhoids, which once again magnificently packed the natural ziggurat on the corner of Rivaca in Imola, would surely lead to a victory for Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. For all their hope, however, they were powerless against the unstoppable force that was Max Verstappen and Red Bull, who stormed to win the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna.
Instead, the full roar of Ferrari’s support was muffled by disaster when Leclerc fell to his own over-ambition in the dying stages, making a huge mistake that halved his lead in the championship and rekindled an exciting title fight.
Sergio Perez was second for Red Bull, while Leclerc’s late, unforced error in the retreat dropped him from third to sixth. McLaren’s Lando Norris was third.
For Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari race was also something they had to forget. The seven-time champion started 14th and finished just one place higher in a car that was an absolute handful of driving all weekend, but his teammate George Russell managed to make a brave fourth place.
However, this is the obvious feeling of disappointment with Mercedes now, team boss Toto Wolff turned to the team’s radio after the race to apologize to his seven-time world champion. “Louis, I’m sorry about what you had to drive today,” he said. “I know this cannot be managed.”
Adding insult to the injury, Hamilton was swept away by Verstappen, a moment that would bring the unpleasant reality of Mercedes’ place in the order of pecking at home with visceral brutality. “We’re not good enough to be a world champion and we just have to fix the car,” Wolff said.
On Saturday, after a tough sprint race in which they failed to make progress across the field, Hamilton allowed every chance they had to fight for the title, disappeared. Hamilton is the only Formula One driver to have won a race in every season he has raced since his debut in 2007. After Imola, it is a remarkable achievement that is in real danger of coming to a disgraceful end to this season.
He acknowledged that his hitherto all-conquering Mercedes team may have made a fundamental mistake in the design of his car. “During the test in Barcelona, I was asked, ‘What if you make a mistake?’ “But the fact is, with all the opportunities we have, we can have.”
Hamilton said there was no repair in the pipeline. “A weekend to forget, that’s for sure,” he said. “I am out of the championship. There is no doubt about that. I will still continue to work as hard as I can and gather it in some way. “
However, for Hamilton’s former rival for the title and again a clear contender this year, Verstappen’s victory was an incredible incentive. He was restless, impeccable at the front with a team performance worthy of the reigning champion and a strong reminder of why winning the title from his grip will not be an easy task.
Even better was the proof of how good Red Bull is when he is reliable. This is the first one or two for the Malaysian team in 2016 and it was well deserved, as Perez gave one of his best performances as a winger.
This revived the battle for the title again in no time. Leclerc’s lead over Verstappen was 46 points this weekend. It is now 27 – a difference that can be almost filled with one DNF.
It could have been an even bigger lead, and a puzzled Leclerc, who wanted so badly to compete in Ferrari’s home race, was more than aware that he had all the responsibility. Verstappen and Perez sewed the first two slots in the final stages, with Leclerc not having the pace to challenge. Ferrari took a perfectly reasonable chance to straighten it out for soft tires to give it a chance to attack a fresh tire, Red Bull straightened both pilots to cover it up, but the Monegasque driver still flew.
Finishing with Perez, he must have tasted the adrenaline. He continued forward until he was gone for a split second. He cheated him in Variante Alta, took too much curb, bounced, damaged the front wing and was forced to fall. That brought him down to nine, and the sixth was as long as he could recover.
Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes on the way to 14th place in Imola. Photo: Jennifer Lorenzini / Reuters
He wanted it too much, he admitted, raised his hands and apologized to the team. “We didn’t have the pace for much more and I was too greedy and paid the price for it and lost potential points. It’s a shame, this should not happen again, “he said.
Ferrari may face criticism for not taking third place, but their bravery must be applauded – they will not win this championship by hedging a bet against a Red Bull team in this form.
“It’s easy to do, he insisted on fighting Cheko. It’s painful, but he knows it himself and it’s a long championship, but he didn’t do it on purpose, “Verstappen said. “As a team, we did everything well and I think this one or two is well deserved.”
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On a day that started with torrential rain and presented a complex, insidious track, Red Bull really withstood this storm with deceptive ease. They proved their potential and thus put real pressure on Leclerc and Ferrari, who were found to be missing; Leclerc set out to consider what might happen as the red smoke from the flares moved away from the rapidly emptying Rivaca.
Valteri Botas of Alfa Romeo was fifth. Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for AlphaTauri, Sebastian Vettel eighth for Aston Martin with teammate Lance Stroll 10th. Kevin Magnussen was ninth for Haas.
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