Italian Grand Prix: Verstappen destroys McLaren and Ferrari
F1 Drivers NewsSunday, 07 September 2025 at 21:38
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the 2025 Italian Grand Prix after one of his finest and most dominant drives, destroying both pre-Monza favourites, McLaren drivers and title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished P2 and P3 respectively.
Starting from pole, races since he last won a Grand Prix, Verstappen had to fend off a charging Lando Norris, who put his McLaren on the inside as they hurtled into the Turn 1 chicane after lights out at Monza. The McLaren kept it tight but the Red Bull cut the second part of the corner and was told to give the position back.
What followed were a half dozen or so of the most exhilarating laps we have witnessed this season, as the top ten jostled for position, the top four with more ferocity than we have seen in recent times. Without bent metal, which is a testament to the level of driving in this era of drivers.
Verstappen lost the lead at the start after being forced to hand position back to Norris on the second lap, but quickly repassed with DRS into Turn 1. From there, he controlled the race. A mundane one that flew by, building a gap before pitting earlier than the McLarens and making full use of the hard tyre to seal the win. He crossed the line 19 seconds clear.
Verstappen: This was an unbelievable weekend
After his 66th Grand Prix victory, Verstappen said in parc ferme: "It was a great day for us. Lap 1 was a bit unlucky but after that we were flying. The car was really enjoyable. I could manage the pace quite well throughout that first stint and we pitted at the right time. With the hard tyres at the end, you can push a bit more; it's more resilient. Fantastic execution by everyone in the whole team.
"The whole weekend, we were on it. It's super enjoyable to win here. I could see the pace was good; I just needed to settle in. I could see the pace was there and quite quickly we were back in the lead. This was an unbelievable weekend," declared the reigning World Champion.
Behind, McLaren’s race was shaped by pit stop drama. Piastri undercut Norris after pitting first, while a slow 5.9s stop for Norris dropped him behind his teammate. McLaren later ordered a swap to restore Norris ahead, citing fairness after the stop issue. The result means Piastri’s championship lead over Norris is reduced to 31 points.
Norris said afterwards: "I always know it's going to be a good fight with Max and it was (at the start). So enjoyable but just not the speed today of Max and the Red Bull. A tricky one, one of the first few weekends where we're just a bit slower. But still fun, still a good race so I enjoyed it.
"No idea (with the pit stop). I felt like I was there quite a long time. Every now and then we make mistakes as a team and today was one of them. I did everything I could today, I couldn't do a lot more. I tried to fight against Max. We had a good race and he came out on top. Second was our best result and I need to keep up what I'm doing," added Norris.
Piastri: A little 'inschident' at the end but it's OK!
McLaren teammate Piastri summed up his day: "A difficult beginning Maybe not my best first couple of laps. We seemed to have pretty good pace compared to Charles, then I had to get past and it was a pretty lonely race from there.
"Just struggled a bit through the first part of the race. The car wasn't exactly how I liked. Once the tyres went away, it felt a bit better which is never a great sign. Happy with the points and I will take it."
On the late swap with Norris, Piastri replied cheekily: "A little inschident at the end but it's OK!"
Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth in front of the tifosi. The Ferrari driver briefly ran third at the start but could not hold off the McLarens, and a scrappy pit entry with a lock-up summed up a difficult afternoon. He lacked the pace to challenge the podium runners and finished nine seconds behind Piastri.
No Ferrari driver on the Monza podium this year
George Russell shadowed Leclerc through much of the race but dropped time on strategy, unable to make his way past the Ferrari despite fresher tyres. He ended up fifth, keeping Mercedes in the fight for best-of-the-rest points.
Lewis Hamilton salvaged sixth for Ferrari, recovering from his Dutch Grand Prix crash and five-place grid penalty. He made steady progress early on, clearing Bortoleto and Alonso, but did not have the pace to join Russell in the fight with Leclerc.
Alex Albon produced another strong performance in the Williams to finish seventh, his best result since Silverstone. He survived a close call with Antonelli when squeezed onto the grass and came through with a clean pass into the second chicane.
Gabriel Bortoleto secured eighth for Sauber, taking advantage of a penalty for Mercedes protégé Kimi Antonelli. The Italian rookie crossed the line in eighth but was dropped behind Bortoleto after a five-second sanction for erratic driving. Even so, Antonelli marked his Monza debut with a ninth-place finish and two valuable points.
The final point went to Isack Hadjar, who once again showed maturity in a race where more experienced drivers faltered. He completed the top ten for Red Bull’s junior squad, strengthening his case for a longer-term future in Formula 1.
2025 Italian Grand Prix Provisional Result
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