Emilia Romagna Grand Prix betting tips and F1 race predictions: Verstappen may be forced to go defensive

Where to watch the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1 2pm Sunday

Best bet

Winning margin under five seconds
1pt 13-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix predictions

Success has become the norm for Max Verstappen, but the relief and happiness was evident in his voice after taking pole position for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

It had been a difficult first half of the weekend for world champion Verstappen, as the upgraded Ferraris and McLarens looked the class of the field in practice.  

But despite his teammate Sergio Perez being eliminated in Q2, Verstappen produced a wonderlap when it mattered, pipping McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by less than a tenth of a second.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had dominated the weekend heading into the qualifying hour, but starts a disappointed fourth, albeit only just over two tenths slower than Verstappen.

Starting position is crucial at the narrow Imola circuit, where overtaking is difficult.

Verstappen has made a habit of disappearing into the distance in races, but he may not enjoy that luxury this afternoon.

For the third race weekend in a row McLaren had shown the most impressive form during race simulation runs in practice.

And that proved an accurate barometer in Miami last time, where Norris claimed his maiden F1 victory at the 110th attempt.

Having started fifth, strategy and a timely safety car helped to deliver the Bristolian to the front just after half distance, and he subsequently scampered away to win by 7.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen.

Perhaps significantly, Ferrari also looked in strong shape on the longer runs in practice with their machines featuring a significant upgrade package.

However, track position is everything at Imola and even if his Red Bull is challenged for speed, Verstappen should be able to keep the challengers at bay provided he gets away from the line cleanly.

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