Stella admits surprise at Red Bull’s Imola pace: “We didn’t expect that”

When the lights went out, it was Verstappen who made the crucial move—taking the lead into Turn 1 and never looking back. He was able to hold off the McLarens and capitalise on Red Bull’s surprising race-day speed.

Team Principle Andrea Stella admitted that the team was not prepared for the pace of the Red Bull, "We were a little surprised, I think I have to be honest here, by the pace of Red Bull, which was very competitive"

He congratulated Max on his strong race form, "Well done to Max, well done to Red Bull, for being able to pull off this kind of performance".

Despite a promising qualifying performance and strong form from Oscar Piastri, McLaren ultimately couldn’t convert that into a win. The turning point of the race, according to Stella, came at the very beginning.

"The race was very much decided by the episode in, or just a swap of position between Oscar and Max in corner one. After that, we tried to chase him, but effectively, we didn't have enough race pace today to be able to beat Max taking the lead after lap one." he commented.

While Norris managed tried to apply pressure in the closing stages, Verstappen remained composed to claim yet another victory, leaving McLaren to reflect on their change of pace over the weekend.