Formula 1’s return to Imola was one of those races that looked like it was following one script, then tore it up and rewrote it for an unexpected final act.

That turned some winners into losers and vice versa. But for others it was already set to be a very good – or very bad – day regardless of the late safety car twist.

Winners

Mercedes

Seven seasons in F1’s V6 turbo-hybrid era. Seven constructors’ titles. And now 100 victories.

The century is an incredible way for Mercedes to clinch a record-breaking championship and was fully deserved.

OK, the 1-2 required Max Verstappen to have a failure, but it always looked like one of the Mercedes drivers was going to win (again).

There are now two objectives to the end of the season to crown an incredible year for F1’s dominant force.

First, Lewis Hamilton needs to wrap up the drivers’ title. And secure Mercedes a seventh consecutive double.

Second, Mercedes needs to complete the year with a perfect pole record – another F1 first is in its sights. – SM

Alfa Romeo

Kimi Raikkonen’s ninth place, backed up by team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi’s 10th, means Alfa Romeo surely now has one hand on eighth place in the constructors’ championship.

While that’s not exactly coveted, it’s the best possible for this team in its current form and eight points represents a significant lead over Haas (three) and Williams (zero).

Raikkonen’s marathon first stint laid the foundations for his result, albeit with the assistance of the retirements of George Russell, Esteban Ocon, Verstappen and Pierre Gasly – as well as Alex Albon’s spin. – Edd Straw

Daniel Ricciardo

Another podium after waiting so long for the first one just underlined the quality of the team and driver – because this was a weekend when the car wasn’t actually working all that well.

It owed its fifth place grid position to a stunning lap from Daniel Ricciardo. Straight into fourth from the start, he was leapfrogged by Sergio Perez only through being caught in the queue behind the long-running Kevin Magnussen. But the safety car caused Racing Point to jump while Renault stayed calm and just did the opposite of the pitting Perez.

Thereafter it was Ricciardo’s calmness under pressure which kept him ahead of Charles Leclerc and subsequently the newer-tyred Daniil Kvyat. Great, classy performance from all concerned. – Mark Hughes

Lewis Hamilton

The first lap was not vintage Hamilton as he lost a place to Verstappen and was a bit rude in crowding Gasly into the first corner.

And the first stint was looking a bit par for the course – complaining about struggling to follow around a Monaco-like Imola.

But when Verstappen kicked off the pitstops and forced Mercedes to respond, bringing in Valtteri Bottas first to protect his race lead, Hamilton was unleashed.

He was no doubt fortunate that Bottas’s race pace was hampered by debris, and the virtual safety car could not have been more perfectly timed given it started as he came into the pits and ended as he left it.

But he had done the hard work, extending his advantage over Bottas to just enough to cover the pitstop in normal circumstances.

Fate smiled on Hamilton today. But he was already looking like the architect of his own good fortune. – Scott Mitchell

Daniil Kvyat

A result that doesn’t look likely to save his F1 future and benefitted from his (quicker-looking) team-mate retiring with an engine issue, but Kvyat showed some proper fight on that late restart and thrilled with a round-the-outside pass on Leclerc, though a fourth career podium was just out of reach.

His qualifying performances have been out of whack for a while now, but in races he honestly could do a job for an F1 team for years and years yet. Unfortunately, there’s quite a few more than 20 drivers who that can be said about. – Valentin Khorounzhiy

Imola

We thought the mighty Mugello might be the drivers’ favourite surprise of the ad hoc 2020 calendar, but their reactions to Imola from the moment they took to the track suggested (subject to what the Istanbul Park newbies make of it in a fortnight) that the Emilia Romagna GP venue will be the most popular of the additional tracks.

The drivers predicted it would be fun for them to drive but frustrating to race on given its layout and narrowness, yet the race was tense at worst and thrilling at best, with overtaking just the right degree of possible. – Matt Beer

Losers

Red Bull

Verstappen gave game chase for the entire grand prix, passing both Mercedes drivers at different points and in different ways, and nailing down second place.

But he has nothing to show for it as, not for the first time, his efforts came undone because of a failure at the right-rear.

And as has become commonplace this season, the second car was nowhere near so couldn’t pick up the piece. If that wasn’t bad enough, Albon then spun after being overhauled by Kvyat and Perez at the restart.

Red Bull could have won this race. It should definitely have been on the podium. Instead it scored zero points and has probably accepted it needs to replace its second driver.

How could it have ended any worse? – SM

George Russell

That was such an unfortunate time to make a rare error. Russell looked on the verge of finally nailing a point after doing a superb job in pitting early to undercut him some places and then defend them.

With him having hung onto the McLarens for a long time, a point would have been just reward for a great performance. Instead, in trying to keep his tyres warm behind the safety car he made the most fundamental of errors.

His forlorn thumping of his own leg as he crouched on the grass afterwards said everything. – MH

Ferrari

So, look, fifth place for Leclerc is a handsome result, and it managed to avoid a huge swing in points versus its main championship rival AlphaTauri on a weekend where the AT01 clearly had more performance than the SF1000.

But the Sebastian Vettel pitstop was unacceptable. It doesn’t matter if he wasn’t on course for anything more than a handful of points and that his initial strategy was clearly the right one – a team of Ferrari’s stature and resources cannot have 13-second pitstops.

What was the last time you saw Mercedes do a casual pitstop in the double digits of seconds? What about Red Bull? These are the teams Ferrari wants to be fighting and has the resources to be fighting, and they make operational mistakes – but it is virtually undeniable that Ferrari makes a lot more. – VK

Valtteri Bottas

Pole position and the first-stint lead looked to be the foundation for a comfortable victory for Bottas. But a big chunk of debris picked up on the second lap gave him floor damage and meant he was in trouble.

Team-mate Hamilton was on the cusp of overcutting him when the timing of the VSC made it easy for him to stop and retain a lead he earlier picked up when Bottas pitted. The only positive was that Verstappen’s retirement at least handed him back second place after the Red Bull driver had passed him. – ES

Pierre Gasly

Fourth on the grid and a good start that should have ensured he at least stayed there was exactly what he wanted to achieve, but he had to get out of the throttle when Hamilton moved over on him on the first lap.

Given what would happen later in the race, a huge result was still on the cards as he held fifth place, but a coolant leak soon manifested itself and he retired. – ES

Lance Stroll and Racing Point

Racing Point looked like a loser pre-race – if you’re third in the constructors’ championship you simply shouldn’t be 11th and 15th on the grid.

Then Lance Stroll rapidly put himself down to last by clipping Esteban Ocon’s Renault and breaking his front wing. Skittling a pitcrew member by coming in too fast later on wasn’t ideal either.

But all of that should’ve been erased by a brilliant against-the-odds podium finish for Sergio Perez, whose mega first stint combined with his main rivals being caught up in traffic turned an initial 12th place into a fourth place that Verstappen’s shunt was going to turn into third…

…had Racing Point not brought him in for a pitstop that Perez admitted now looks like a “painful” mistake. Third became sixth as a consequence, and Renault and McLaren have demoted Racing Point to fifth in the points too. – MB