MONZA, ITALY: Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, the reigning world champion slowing McLaren’s dominance of Formula One with a phenomenal display from pole position at Monza.
Red Bull’s Verstappen held off Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after setting the fastest lap in F1 history when securing top spot on the grid on Saturday.
The Dutchman has little chance of securing a fourth consecutive drivers’ title as he still trails championship leader Piastri by 94 points, with the Australian finishing third.
Piastri leads the drivers’ standings by 31 points from Norris, who finished second, as the top five positions remained unchanged from the starting grid in a processional race.
Sunday’s victory was just Verstappen’s third of a season dominated by McLaren, whose car has blown away the competition by winning all but four grands prix.
However, a second win in Italy this year—after triumphing at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix back in May—caps a memorable weekend for the determined 27-year-old.
Charles Leclerc could not secure a podium spot for the Ferrari faithful in the stands, the Monégasque finishing fourth.
Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton gave his best effort after a five-place grid penalty dropped him to 10th at the start, charging up to sixth thanks to some spectacular driving early in the race.
But the seven-time F1 champion could not overtake his former Mercedes teammate George Russell and was left with another disappointing result in his first Monza Grand Prix with Ferrari.
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