Max Verstappen Delivers A Monza Masterclass Winning F1 Italian GP

Max Verstappen on the podium with the winners trophy during the F1 Grand Prix of Italy

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Max Verstappen is notorious for delivering on tracks where no one expects the car to. Monza was one of these tracks. The Dutchman took pole by breaking the track record, with the fastest average speed lap in history.

In the race, after a small kerfuffle with Lando Norris, he managed to stretch out his lead, leaving the two McLarens to fight between themselves, and took his Red Bull to victory at the Temple of Speed. This is his third win of the season, his last one coming in Imola nine races ago.

“It was a great day for us. Of course, Lap 1 was a bit unlucky, but after that we were flying and that was for me really enjoyable,” said Verstappen.

“I just needed to settle in, there was a lot of fighting going on. And then I could see the pace was there – quite quickly we were back in the lead,” he added.

That personal satisfaction was also perhaps also in the resilience of the team. Last year at Monza, Red Bull struggled with balance, with the car sliding at times.

“Last year here was very tough for us. The car was not really performing where we wanted it to be. I just hope everything is a bit more balanced this weekend,” he said on Thursday.

This year, the reigning champion returned bringing the kind of performance that has been hallmark in his most dominant campaigns, crossing the line just over 19 seconds ahead of Norris.

Opening Lap Shenanigans

In the opening lap, Verstappen and Norris were battling it out for P1. Norris was pushed on the grass but managed to take the first corner on the inside. Verstappen cut the chicane to keep the lead and was told soon after to give the position. The Dutchman did so but just a lap later he overtook Norris in the same corner.

Verstappen managed to open the gap to Norris, leaving the McLarens to battle it out.

McLaren Team Orders

Thereafter, it was relatively quiet race for Verstappen. For McLaren, though, it was another race where their team orders would take to the headline.

Piastri pitted first to cover off Charles Leclerc and Norris pitted a lap later. His pitstop however took almost six seconds, dropping him behind Piastri. What followed after was a clear exercise in team orders. The Australian was ordered to yield and give the position back to Norris, the team’s logic being that since Piastri was given priority in terms of the timing of the pitstop, Norris should be let past. However, the Briton lost the position to a slow stop.

Piastri showed his clear dissatisfaction. “We said that a slow pitstop was part of racing. So I don’t really get what’s changed here,

“But if you really want to do it, then I’ll do it.”

The championship leader crossed the line third, with Norris eating away at their deficit by three points.

Ferrari’s Home Struggles Continue

It was clear from qualifying that Ferrari would struggle to match the pace of those ahead. Charles Leclerc threatened the podium for a short while but was unable to match Piastri. In the end, he had to back off to defend against George Russell. The Monegasque ultimately finished fourth. For a brand that thrives on success at its home circuit, the performance was another reminder of their ongoing challenges and the inconsistencies in their competitiveness.

Lewis Hamilton limited the damage of his five-place grid penalty, climbing from tenth to sixth.

Looking Ahead

For Red Bull, Monza could mark the beginning of an upward trajectory for the remainder of the season, or it could stand as an outlier in a campaign largely dictated by McLaren’s resurgence. What is certain, however, is that Max Verstappen’s hunger is not satiated.

On whether more wins could follow, Verstappen was pragmatic: “We’ll try, for sure. We’ll go step by step, race by race, but for us this of course was an unbelievable weekend.”

“We’ll go step by step, race by race, but for us this of course was an unbelievable weekend.”