F1 star forced into shock retirement at Imola Grand Prix

Start, Imola, 2025, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Imola Grand Prix

F1 star forced into shock retirement at Imola Grand Prix

Esteban Ocon was the first retirement from the race

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 18 May 2025 16:10 Updated: 16:58

Esteban Ocon pulled to the side of the road completely out of the blue during the Imola Grand Prix, causing a virtual safety car as he retired from the race.

The Frenchman's Haas car seemed to still have its electrics in operational order, as reported by Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson, but he still had to pull over and have his car collected by marshals.

He became the first retirement of the Imola GP, underpinning what has been an awful weekend for Haas in Italy.

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Both Ocon and Ollie Bearman failed to get out of Q1 in qualifying, leaving the team with an extremely tall order if they were to score a point in the grand prix, made even harder by Ocon's retirement.

Virtual safety car hands Verstappen advantage

The virtual safety car caused by Ocon's retirement played nicely into the hands of race leader Max Verstappen.

With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri having already pitted, Verstappen was able to gain a free pit stop under the virtual safety car, and that helped him build a huge lead.

Later on in the race, a full safety car was also called for Kimi Antonelli, who also had to pull over to the side of the track and retire his Mercedes car after a loss of throttle control.

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Haas Esteban Ocon Imola Grand Prix Anthony Davidson Italy