At the Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen denied Lando Norris pole position but finished fourth in the race, nearly 40 seconds behind winner Oscar Piastri. Two weeks later, Verstappen comfortably defeated both McLaren drivers in Emilia Romagna. The turnaround raised the question of Red Bull overperforming or McLaren missing the mark.
Both teams brought modest upgrades to Imola, with McLaren adding downforce and Red Bull optimizing its rear corner aero and sidepods. The changes helped keep Red Bull’s tyre temperatures under control, a limiting factor in previous races.
Red Bull’s performance surprised McLaren, with Christian Horner noting the team’s newfound ability to outperform McLaren. Andrea Stella acknowledged that McLaren struggled to match Red Bull’s pace, especially through Imola’s high-speed corners.
Qualifying GPS data showed Verstappen slightly ahead of Piastri in high-speed corners and on straights. Piastri claimed pole by a narrow margin, with George Russell close behind.
