At the Miami Grand Prix Max Verstappen denied Lando Norris pole but only crossed the finish line in fourth in the race, nearly 40 seconds adrift of winner Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren.
Fast-forward two weeks and Verstappen not only defeated both papaya drivers, but did so comfortably. If his Japanese Grand Prix win was largely down to retaining track position in a strategy-starved race, then the four-time world champion was good value for his win in Emilia-Romagna, being pretty closely matched throughout the contest with much better tyre wear than anticipated.
