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The 2024 F1 Imola GP race weekend is over, and Max Verstappen has won two races over the weekend (the second being the Sim race he took part in). The Red Bull driver had a mountain to climb this weekend, and he did so appreciably.
Fending off Lando Norris for the win and equaling Ayrton Senna's record for the most consecutive poles capped an all-around weekend where the driver made no mistake whatsoever. He was accompanied by Norris on the podium, who pushed his mate to the brink but was just unable to cross the final hurdle.
With the race weekend done and dusted, who would be happy with how everything went and who would be a bit upset? Let's take a look.
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2024 F1 Imola GP
Winner
Max Verstappen
This win was down to the driver extracting everything from the car. If the driver made a mistake in qualifying, he would have lost. If he made a mistake while Lando Norris was behind him, he would have lost. He absorbed whatever pressure needed absorbing and continued to fend off any challenge that was thrown at him.
At the F1 Imola GP, Max Verstappen showed that it's not just 'the car', it's the man behind the wheel as well.
Loser
Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez was openly talking about expediting his contract renewal at Red Bull in Miami. Since then, the Mexican has had two stinkers and now finds himself in a tough spot. It was an unacceptable weekend for Sergio, and it put him once again in a precarious position.
Winner
McLaren and Ferrari
After this weekend, both Lando and Charles realized that Max Verstappen was not out of reach anymore. The F1 Imola GP showed that the fight is now for the milliseconds, and the one that could nail it will be ahead. The next few races are going to be fascinating, as the battle will surely intensify at the front.
Loser
Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz has let the offers on the table simmer for a while as he tries to raise his stock on the track. Unfortunately for him, the opposite is happening, as the Spaniard has not beaten Charles in a long time now. Another weekend, Carlos was just a step behind Charles as his stock took another hit.
Winner
Lance Stroll
That was an impressive racecraft from Lance, as he scored points for Aston Martin. The qualifying was not the best, but during the F1 Imola GP, he showed impeccable racecraft and made his way through the field to score points. A positive for the Canadian after a long time.
Loser
Fernando Alonso
Arguably the worst race weekend for Fernando Alonso since he's come back. The Spaniard crashed his car multiple times and seemingly had nothing going for him after that.
Alonso will be looking to shrug off the F1 Imola GP and move on to Monaco, where he put on a show last season.
