(Motorsport) Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen reignited his title bid after a dominant victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Dutch racing driver led from start to finish while his rival Charles Leclerc had a disappointing race, finishing sixth due to a crash while the other Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had a DNF after crashing with Daniel Ricciardo very early in the race. 

It was a perfect weekend for Red Bull as Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez finished first and second in an almost faultless display. Leclerc, who finished 2nd in the sprint race dropped to fourth at the beginning of the main event and eventually hit the barrier while chasing Perez for 2nd place with 10 laps to go. The Monegasque driver was forced to the pits in order to get a new front wing which ultimately resulted in the driver being forced to settle for sixth place. Leclerc’s pain was Lando Norris’ gain as the McLaren driver finished third in what was a hugely disappointing weekend for Ferrari at their home Grand Prix. 

As for Mercedes, George Russell finished in an impressive fourth place but seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton struggled throughout and ended the race in 13th place, well outside the points. His former teammate Valtteri Bottas finished fifth in the Alfa Romeo while Yuki Tsunoda was seventh in the AlphaTauri. Kevin Magnussen in ninth place was sandwiched between the two Aston Martin cars of Sebastian Vettel who finished eighth and Lance Stroll who was 10th. The result of the race meant that Max Verstappen progressed to 2nd in the Drivers Standings after taking 34 points from the weekend, the maximum available as he won Saturday's sprint and also got the fastest lap on Sunday.

Speaking after the race, Verstappen said “Yesterday and the day before, we were on it and it was looking like a strong weekend. Today, you never know with the weather how competitive you're going to be… as a team we did everything well and I think this one-two is well deserved.” His rival Charles Leclerc remains 27 points ahead in the title race and Ferrari will look for both their drivers, especially Carlos Sainz, to step up in the upcoming weekends so that Red Bull cannot mount a comeback. 

Emilia Romagna GP race result: Top 10

1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3) Lando Norris, McLaren
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
6) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
7) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
8) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
9) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Also read: Carlos Sainz extends contract with Scuderia Ferrari until 2024