WATCH: Max Verstappen Blitzes Past Bottas to Clinch a Shortlived P2 in Imola

Max Verstappen pulled off a stunning move on Valtteri Bottas to get his Red Bull into P2. The Finn tried extremely hard in keeping Max at bay. However, a loss of downforce due to the floor damage left Bottas partially out into the gravel before going into the main straight, which opened the doors for Max to attack.

Ever since Max and Bottas pitted, the latter kept locking up his tires and running deep, coming out of turn 18. Max too, kept piling up more and more pressure on Bottas and forced him to push the already damaged car. So, it was not just a single headache for the Finn. The pressure was coming from all directions.

How Verstappen got himself ahead of Bottas

On lap 43, Bottas made a marginally bigger mistake than he did on his previous laps. Max saw the door open and almost got his nose into the back of the Mercedes.

However, Bottas shut it off immediately and made Max wait a little longer than he would have intended to.

Hence, Max waited patiently and completed his move on the Mercedes driver before going into turn 2. Bottas seemingly never gave a fight to the Dutch as he let the move look more straightforward.

Eventually, following the overtake, Max took to his team radio to share the moment with his team in the garage. “Send it,” Max said.

Following the move by Max, Bottas pitted for a set of soft tires to try to grab the 1 crucial point from the fastest lap.

Damage on Valtteri Bottas’s car gave Max Verstappen the advantage

Bottas was struck with floor damage as early as lap 2 of the race, after his car came in contact with some debris. It is understood that the Mercedes’ pit wall later affirmed the news.

They also added that apart from the floor damage, parts of the debris seem to have gotten stuck on his car’s barge boards. This left Bottas searching for grip on this tricky circuit.

This will be the third consecutive time Bottas has failed to stand on the top step of the podium, despite starting the race from the front of the grid.

The race might also gift Max some hope of fighting Bottas for P2 on the drivers’ championship table. So, could this race be the beginning of a great fight between the two until the end of this season?