The finish of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was extremely close.
Max Verstappen narrowly beat
Lando Norris, who hounded the Dutchman in the second half of the race. However,
McLaren team boss
Andrea Stella did not quite agree with a statement Norris made about his chances of winning in
Imola.
Norris, who crossed the finish line just seven-tenths after Verstappen, thought he needed just one or two more laps to overtake the
Red Bull Racing driver and take his second victory in a row. However, his team boss
Andrea Stella was a bit more realistic, stating that
McLaren lost out to Red Bull in specific parts of the race.
"When Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri were fighting each other, I think this initial investment paid dividend towards the end of the race. Lando had the best conditions of the tyres. In addition to the outright car pace, managing the tyres was an important factor. We have to say, Lando from his point of view has become a bit of a master." Said McLaren's team principal.