P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen pulled off an overtake of the ages at the first corner in Imola, leaving one of its victims stunned.
George Russell has described Max Verstappen’s opening lap overtake on him and Oscar Piastri in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as the “overtake of the year so far”, with his initial thought in the moment having been “bugger”. Verstappen, after initially making a poor start from the front row, found himself behind Piastri and Russell on the run into the first corner, but he managed to brake extremely late and sweep around the outside of the pair while Piastri was defending from Russell on the inside. Russell was hugely impressed by Verstappen’s move, considering it the best overtake he’s seen in a long time and further illustrating the talent of the 27-year-old driver. Russell acknowledged that even with their past incidents, he has respect for what Verstappen does on the racetrack and called the move “amazing”, recognizing his phenomenal performance throughout the weekend with a super quick car.
