In the end, Verstappen held on. It was a champion’s drive, all things considered – the 59th of his career, and his third in a row at Imola. But it needed to be. Norris’ rhetoric has changed out of all recognition. He is growing in confidence every week. The Briton – who also stayed up to watch the boxing – said he should have got pole here, could have won the race, and saw no reason why McLaren could not challenge Red Bull from here on in. With 17 races left this year, that is a lot of racing.
Red Bull still have a huge lead. But there is blood in the water now, and both McLaren and Ferrari can smell it. The only shame is that Mercedes – for whom Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were sixth and seventh here – are still swimming with armbands on.
Norris has no such issues. “I was just praying for one more lap,” he reflected once the dust had settled on this race. “I was pushing like hell. It wasn’t to be today. But I think we’re at a point now where we can happily say we’re fighting against Ferrari and Red Bull. It’s what we have to get used to. We’re fighting for first or second now. It’s still a surprise to say it’s frustrating not to win but after the last race [in Miami] and the improvements we’ve made it’s what we should start to expect.”
Mercedes ‘in no man’s land’ as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell hit out at car
While McLaren and Ferrari took the fight to Red Bull in Imola, raising hopes for an exciting rest of the year, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell bemoaned the fact Mercedes were “stuck in no man’s land” – too far back to challenge the frontrunners but comfortably ahead of the midfield.
Mercedes’s two British drivers finished sixth and seventh respectively at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on what was another anonymous weekend for the Brackley team, who dominated the sport for the best part of eight years from 2014 onwards.
Hamilton and Russell did manage to beat the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez. But only because the Mexican was on an inverted strategy having started from 11th on the grid. Hamilton, who ran into the gravel at Acque Minerali at one point, started two places behind Russell but managed to leapfrog his teammate with 10 laps to go when Russell made a stop for fresh tyres, a stop which did result in him netting the fastest lap bonus point.
“You are never going to be happy with P6 and P7,” Russell said afterwards. “I am not going to sulk over losing a P6. This is where we are, in no-man’s-land, behind the Ferraris and McLarens and ahead of the midfield. Everybody is staying super-motivated which is inspiring to see. We have got to just keep pushing. The car was capable of P6 and P7 and that is where we finished.”
