Max Verstappen has closed the gap on Championship leader Oscar Piastri with victory in Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Trailing by an increasing margin, the defending champion required a statement performance at Imola and that is what he delivered for his fourth successive win at this track.
Starting in second spot on the grid, the Dutchman pulled off a stunning move at the end of the pit straight to edge past pole-sitter Piastri.
A safety car only played into his favour at his first pit stop and the Dutchman was able to cruise to success ahead of Landro Norris, with Piastri dropping down to third during the closing stages.
Norris's fresher tyres allowed him to pass his teammate to ensure that he also closed the gap on Piastri in the standings.
The driver of the day was arguably Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth in his often-criticised Ferrari despite starting in 12th position.
Williams driver Alex Albon got the better of Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc on the final three laps to finish fifth, a consequence of Leclerc being arguably harshly advised to hand back a place to Albon after initially defending his spot in a strong, but fair, manner.
George Russell, who had issues with his Mercedes, Carlos Sainz Jr, Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10.
IT'S LIGHTS OUT IN IMOLA 🚥
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 18, 2025
What a MOVE from Max Verstappen to claim the lead from Oscar Piastri 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/xtjZnKQChu
How does the title race look?
Piastri now heads the Drivers Standings by just the 13 points from Piastri, with Verstappen within 22 points of the leader.
Although Russell earned points for his seventh spot, the Briton is now 47 points adrift of Piastri, with Leclerc and Hamilton fifth and sixth by a 38 and 43-point margin.
Darren Plant
