Piastri concedes he 'braked too early' in battle with Verstappen at Imola race start

Oscar Piastri admitted he "braked too early" allowing Max Verstappen to snatch the lead on the opening lap of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, where the Red Bull driver secured a dominant victory.

The Australian started on pole and held the lead into the first braking zone at Tamburello. However, Verstappen executed a bold move to the outside, squeezing Piastri and taking the lead through the subsequent right-hander.

"I just braked too early, it was a good move by Max as well," Piastri stated after finishing third. "It’s disappointing obviously, but I think we made a few wrong calls after that anyway. Not our best Sunday, so definitely a lot of things to look at and review."

Piastri ran second initially but was caught out by a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) timing which benefited Verstappen for a free pit stop. Later, a Safety Car allowed Verstappen to pit again, further extending his lead. Piastri's older tyres on the final restart meant he couldn't challenge for the win.

He also lost second place to his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the closing laps. "I tried my best to hang on, but I just didn’t have the grip," Piastri commented on Norris's pass. "I tried my best and it was inevitable I think that he was going to get past, but I wasn’t going to give up without a fight."