Max Verstappen laid the foundation for his victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix with a brilliant overtake on Oscar Piastri during lap one at Imola.
The Red Bull Formula 1 driver made a sweeping move around the outside of the Tamburello chicane to take a race lead he subsequently never lost.
Verstappen has made a habit of overtaking at race starts, so here’s a look back at five other notable opening laps from the world champion, together with Imola 2025.
Imola 2021
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, at the start
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Starting in chronological order, the first is at the location where Verstappen passed Piastri last Sunday: the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
The Dutchman has now won four years in a row at Imola, with the first victory of the streak coming during the intense title battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was already the second race that season, following the opener in Bahrain.
In the Middle East, Hamilton and Verstappen had already battled, with Verstappen initially thinking he came out on top, only for the lead to be handed back after exceeding track limits.
In Imola, it came to the first real clash between the two title rivals – one of many that year. On a wet track, Hamilton and Sergio Perez started from the front row, with Verstappen in P3. However, unlike 2025, the Dutchman made a good start and by the time they reached the first chicane he was already alongside pole-sitter Hamilton.
Verstappen claimed the inside line at Tamburello, with Hamilton trying to hold his ground on the outside – as the outside would become the inside on the second part of the chicane. However, there wasn’t enough room for two cars and Hamilton ended up off the track, losing part of his front wing over the sausage kerbs.
This successful overtake gave Verstappen the lead, which he would convert into a win in a rather tumultuous race. Hamilton finished 22 seconds behind the Red Bull driver in second, but was fortunate after ending up in the gravel trap on lap 31 and having to reverse out. A red flag caused by Valtteri Bottas and George Russell saved the seven-time world champion from further disaster.
Mexico 2021
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B, and the rest of the field at the start
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
The race in Imola was a precursor to a historic F1 season. When the F1 circus arrived in Mexico later that year, the tension was already reaching a boiling point.
Verstappen had just won a modern classic in Austin the week before but needed to win in Mexico City as well, as that track was considered favourable for Red Bull due to the high altitude. However, Verstappen’s qualifying didn’t go as planned, meaning he had to line up third for Sunday’s race, giving Mercedes the perfect opportunity with a front row lockout. With Bottas on pole and Hamilton alongside him, pre-race discussions mainly centred around the question: how could the Mercedes duo hold off Verstappen on the long straight leading to the first chicane?
Despite all pre-race discussions, Mercedes could not convert the front row advantage into the desired result. The way Verstappen struck was very similar to his recent overtake in Imola.
In Mexico, Verstappen took advantage of Bottas’ slipstream, who had Hamilton on the inside. The Finn left the outside line completely open, allowing Verstappen to get alongside, with the three cars heading towards the first corner.
Just like in Imola 2025, Verstappen was on the grippier racing line, allowing him to brake significantly later than his competitors and take the lead. For Bottas, it went from bad to worse in the opening lap, as he was spun around by Daniel Ricciardo. All this happened far behind Verstappen, who won by over 16 seconds. It would be his last win before the nerve-wracking climax of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.
Belgium 2022
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Half a year later, the competitive landscape in F1 looked completely different. The 2021 machines were replaced by ground-effect cars under the new regulations. While Mercedes suffered from porpoising, Ferrari was the early-season pacesetter.
Verstappen suffered from two DNF’s in Bahrain and Australia and stated that it would take him 46 races to catch-up. But by the end of August, when the field arrived at Spa-Francorchamps for the first race after the summer break, Red Bull already had the dominant package. Verstappen clocked the fastest time in qualifying, with more than half a second lead over second-placed Charles Leclerc. However, due to grid penalties for changing engine components, Verstappen had to start from P14 on Sunday.
Carlos Sainz and Perez, starting from the front row, fancied their chances, but after the first lap, Verstappen was already in P8. With Pierre Gasly’s grid slot empty, Verstappen overtook Bottas, Nicholas Latifi, and Kevin Magnussen at the start, moving up to 10th by the time he reached La Source hairpin.
From there, the championship leader played it safe, especially when Lance Stroll went off the track twice in front of him. It underlined Red Bull’s dominance: the car was quick enough, so Verstappen didn’t need to take any risks.
On lap 12, he eventually passed team-mate Perez for the lead, completing a remarkable charge through the field from P14 to victory.
Japan 2022
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Strictly speaking, this wasn’t an overtaking move. However, the way Verstappen held onto the lead in the first corner of Suzuka has to be included in the list of his best first-lap moves.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, rain was pouring down before the race, and all teams had their tents up on the grid. When the action finally started with a standing start, Leclerc had a much better getaway than Verstappen. The Ferrari driver was slightly ahead and had the inside line going into the first corner, but Verstappen took more risk on the outside and managed to retake the lead.
Once again, Verstappen found more grip on the racing line, though this was relative in the rain. He later mentioned he absolutely wanted to keep the lead, as it would give him clear visibility.
However, that clear visibility was short-lived. After chaos in the opening lap and very poor visibility for the rest of the field, the race was red-flagged after the second lap. Following the long-awaited restart, Verstappen pulled away from the competition by 27 seconds in a shortened 28-lap race, though the early red flag caused confusion about whether full points would be awarded.
Verstappen himself was unsure as well, leading to amusing scenes behind the podium. “Should I sit there? But I’m not champion yet? Oh, I am? No, I’m not, right? I am? Are you sure?” When he was eventually confirmed as world champion, his manager Raymond Vermeulen smiled and told Motorosport.com in the paddock: “It seems that things can never go normally with us.”
Brazil 2024
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, overtakes Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images
After a dominant 2023 season, Verstappen had to fight harder for the world title in 2024. Red Bull started the year strong, but from the Miami Grand Prix onward, the season took a dramatic turn as McLaren became the strongest team.
But thanks to an update in Austin, things improved slightly for Red Bull during the final third of the season, yet Verstappen still needed one more win to seal the championship. That victory came in Brazil, although it didn’t look like it after a delayed qualifying session on Sunday morning. Verstappen got eliminated in Q2 due to a late red flag and had to start from P17 on a grid after taking an engine penalty.
“It was an emotional rollercoaster. After qualifying, I was extremely frustrated when I got back to my room,” Verstappen said.
But when the lights went out, the Dutchman was determined not to let his title hopes slip away with title rival Lando Norris on pole. By the end of the first three corners, Verstappen was already in P11, having chosen the outside line at the Senna S – a move that had worked for him in 2016 as well, overtaking Nico Rosberg around the outside.
Verstappen then overtook Hamilton at the start-finish straight at the end of the first lap, meaning he was already in the points. It turned out to be the start of perhaps the most complete race of his career: winning in the Brazilian rain and taking a big step towards the fourth title that he would eventually secure in Las Vegas.
Imola 2025
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
The most recent example is, of course, Imola 2025. This time Verstappen started from the front row, next to polesitter and championship leader Piastri, but had a poor start. The Red Bull driver also saw George Russell passing him, momentarily dropping Verstappen to third.
However, he positioned his RB21 well. After checking both mirrors, Verstappen ensured that Russell couldn’t come across, preventing the Mercedes driver from taking the outside line. At the same time, he left less than a car’s width on the right to prevent Norris from diving into that gap. The Dutch driver kept the outside line clear, which was crucial for the move that followed.
Verstappen benefitted from the extra grip on the racing line, lifting and braking about 10 metres later than Piastri. The McLaren driver admitted he was too cautious and would have approached it differently with hindsight. Verstappen entered the braking zone about 30 km/h faster than Piastri and took that momentum into the corner.
It was enough to take the lead and manage the race with a surprisingly strong pace. The situation was completely different from four years ago – the start of this list – but could it nonetheless be a sign of a title battle that lasts all the way to the final race in Abu Dhabi? Only time will tell…
