Max Verstappen claimed victory in the fastest Formula One race ever on Sunday, completing a triumphant Italian double. At the same time, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri saw his championship lead cut to 31 points after following team orders at Monza.
The reigning world champion cruised to a dominant win at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing 19.2 seconds ahead of second-placed Lando Norris. The race was timed at one hour, 13 minutes, and 24.325 seconds over 53 laps, with an average speed of 250.706kph around the iconic ‘Temple of Speed’.
“The whole weekend, we were on it. It’s super enjoyable to win here,” said Verstappen, celebrating his third win of the season and the 66th of his career. The victory also ended McLaren’s five-race winning streak and marked his first triumph since Imola in May.
After a chaotic start saw him lose the lead to Norris, Verstappen regained control by lap four and never looked back. “I could see the pace was good, I just needed to settle in,” he said. “Quite quickly, we were back in the lead. This was an unbelievable weekend.”
The race was not without controversy as the spotlight remained firmly on the intra-team rivalry at McLaren. Piastri, who had pitted ahead of Norris and gained track position due to a quicker stop, was asked to give the place back after Norris lost time in the pits due to a wheelgun issue.
Norris had originally been ahead on track but was brought in after Piastri for strategic reasons. He was told he would rejoin in front, but a 5.9-second stop allowed Piastri, who pitted in just 1.9 seconds, to leapfrog him.
Piastri initially questioned the situation but ultimately complied. “It is something we will discuss. We have discussed it before. It was a fair request. Lando qualified ahead and was ahead of me in the race, and he lost the spot through no fault of his own,” said the Australian.
“I said what I had to say on the radio, and when I got the second request, I was not going to go against the team. There is a culture within the team to protect outside of Lando and me and that is an essential thing going forward.”
Even Verstappen joined in the conversation over the team radio, responding with sarcastic disbelief when told about the switch: “Ha! Just because he had a slow stop?”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, giving the home crowd something to cheer after both Scuderia cars retired in Zandvoort last weekend. He had a brief scrap with Piastri but could not challenge the top three.
George Russell was fifth for Mercedes, followed by team-mate Lewis Hamilton in sixth. The seven-time world champion appeared at Monza for the first time in Ferrari red, having started tenth.
Alex Albon took seventh for Williams, with Sauber’s Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in eighth. Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was ninth for Mercedes despite a five-second penalty, and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar took the final point after starting from the pit lane.
In the championship standings, Piastri leads with 324 points, ahead of Norris on 293. Verstappen remains third on 230, with eight rounds remaining. McLaren continues to dominate the constructors’ championship, now 337 points clear of Ferrari.
