Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, claiming victory at Monza and slowing McLaren’s dominance this season. Starting from pole, the Red Bull driver also set the fastest F1 lap in Saturday’s qualifying, outpacing McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“It was really enjoyable,” Verstappen said after finishing in 1 hour, 13 minutes, 24.325 seconds. “We pitted at the right time, pushed with hard tires, and executed perfectly as a team. The whole weekend was super enjoyable.”
Piastri, who finished third, still leads the championship by 94 points over Verstappen and 31 points ahead of teammate Norris, who placed second after McLaren enforced a position swap following a slow pit stop. “It was always going to be a good fight with Max,” Norris said. “We just didn’t have the pace today, but it was still fun.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, last year’s Monza winner, ended up fourth, disappointing the home fans, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from a five-place grid penalty to finish sixth after a strong charge through the field, unable to surpass George Russell.
Verstappen’s win hinged on a daring overtake of Norris at the chicane on lap four after initially letting him pass at the start. He built a comfortable lead of six seconds before his pit stop on lap 38 and regained time lost to the late-pitting McLarens. The victory marked Verstappen’s second Italian triumph this year, following his Emilia Romagna GP win in May.
