Max Verstappen took his fifth win in just seven races this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but he had to work for it as Lando Norris mounted a thrilling late charge in the closing laps.

Verstappen’s Imola victory extends his lead in the 2024 Formula 1 drivers’ championship as the circus heads to Monaco next weekend.

Verstappen made a clean getaway from pole position and controlled the race in the early stages, building up a comfortable gap over Norris’ McLaren. However, as the race wore on, Norris found more pace and began rapidly closing the gap to the Red Bull out front.

A nail-biting finale saw Norris slashing Verstappen’s lead lap after lap, getting the deficit down to under a second at one point. But a snap of oversteer for Norris seemed to hamper his charge, allowing Verstappen just enough breathing room to hang on for a tense 0.725 second victory.

“It was so tight at the end, Lando was really coming,” said Verstappen. “I had to hit every apex perfectly. He made me work so hard for this one.”

Norris was left disappointed but proud of his charge from second on the grid. “I gave it absolutely everything, just couldn’t quite get past Max in the end. He was faultless today. Certainly kept him honest!”

Charles Leclerc completed the podium for Ferrari in third, unable to stick with the lead duo’s pace over the latter stages. Oscar Piastri backed up Norris with a strong fourth place finish for McLaren.

The race saw some dramatic moments, including an early pit stop issue that left Alex Albon having to return to pit road with a loose wheel, ultimately ending his race. Fernando Alonso also retired late on after struggling for pace all weekend long in the Aston Martin.

George Russell claimed the bonus point for fastest lap, making a surprise late pit stop for a fresh set of medium tires to go for it. Sergio Perez recovered well to take eighth after starting 11th.

With his fifth victory from seven races so far in 2024, Verstappen has extended his championship lead as Formula 1 heads to the iconic Monaco Grand Prix next weekend.