Lando Noris (P2, 18 pts): 9.5/10
There was a risk that the comedown from his euphoric victory in Miami could have made this a nasty bump for Lando Norris in Imola. If it had been us, we'd probably still be recovering from the after-party and in no state to function. But no, Norris was right back in it and intent on carrying the momentum through into a second weekend. Red Bull's struggles on Friday gave him reason for optimism but it wasn't a great start to the weekend for himself either. In qualifying, Max Verstappen was back in form and back on pole as a result, while Norris was pipped to the front row by his team mate Oscar Piastri who now had the same upgrades Norris used to such a great effect last time out. A grid penalty put Norris back into P2 but he couldn't make use of it into turn 1 when the lights went out. Stopping three laps earlier than Charles Leclerc meant he was put on a strict tyre conservation diet by the team, which had him fretting that the Ferrari was going to catch him. But the pit wall was right, and Leclerc ran out of grip first - and so did Verstappen. It allowed Norris to fire up the afterburners and charge down the race leader, and providing the thrilling finish that an otherwise calm and sedate Emilia Romagna Grand Prix sorely needed.
Max Verstappen (Pole, P1, 25 pts): 9.5/10
After losing out in Miami, it really felt that some doubts were creeping into Max Verstappen's mind and those of his colleagues at Red Bull. We've become accustomed to the team appearing to struggle on Friday only to come good on Saturday in time for qualifying and the race, but this time there appeared be real puzzlement and consternation after practice. Even though they found a way to put Verstappen on pole, the fact that both McLarens were within a tenth of a second of his Q3 time would have been a wake-up slap in the face. It seemed like all was well on Sunday, Verstappen easily fending off Lando Norris into the first corner and pulling out of DRS activation range even before it was enabled. At one point his lead was over eight seconds. And then, shockingly, it all went away and Verstappen was fighting for his life to stay ahead of a charging Norris. He hung in there for a win by seven tenths, but if it had been a lap or two longer and gone the other way then the effect on F1 would have been genuinely seismic.
