Portugal Colonial - Verstappen 'incredibly proud' after Imola masterclass

It was a riposte to those who believe Red Bull are in decline as he delivered a fourth consecutive triumph at Imola, his second win this year and the 65th of his career at the team’s 400th race.

Friend and title rival Lando Norris of McLaren finished second and championship leader Oscar Piastri third in the second McLaren ahead of a revived seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari.

"I am incredibly proud of everyone," said Verstappen.

"It's been a very important week for us and the car has performed really well – and, also, I think the execution of the whole race was really good."

He said he was delighted with the move at the first corner of the opening lap that surprised Piastri, who started on pole, and enabled him to take the lead and eventually a commanding victory.

Two safety car interventions were also helpful for Verstappen who was able to save 10 seconds as a result with each of his pit-stops in an eventful and strategic race.

"The start itself wasn't particularly great, but I was still on the normal line and I thought I would try and send it round the outside and it worked really well," he said of his bold passing move at Tamburello.

"That then unleashed our pace because once we were in the lead, the car was good and I could look after my tyres - we had very good pace today.

"It's a massive improvement from Friday and I'm very pleased for that.

"That virtual safety car was quite handy for me to pit and even on the hard compound our pace was very strong, but then there was a safety car so the field was back together.

"Even on the restart we managed it really well and brought it home."

Looking ahead to next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, the second event in a three-race triple header started at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Verstappen will be seeking to add to his victories in 2021 and 2023.

"I like driving and racing in Formula One," he said.

"Next week it's a completely different kind of track in Monaco and that's also going to be very challenging, but for the moment I just want to enjoy today and take it in."

He added that he always enjoyed racing in the heartland of Ferrari, where the fans love motor racing and hope that Imola, in the final year of its current contract, will stay on the calendar in future.

"It's always fantastic to be in Italy," he said.

"A proper passion for motorsport so it's fantastic to see all these fans out here the whole weekend. So thank you for coming to support all the drivers."

Ferreira--PC