Verstappen ends McLaren streak with record-breaking Monza win

Max Verstappen produced a stunning drive to win the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, breaking McLaren’s stranglehold on the Formula One season.

The Red Bull driver, starting from pole, delivered a flawless performance to claim victory in 1hr 13mins 24.325sec — the fastest race in F1 history. It marked only his third win of the year in a campaign dominated by McLaren.

McLarens left trailing

Verstappen’s decisive moment came early, regaining the lead from Lando Norris with a bold overtake on lap four. From there, he steadily built a gap, managing his tyres and controlling the race to the finish.

Oscar Piastri, who still leads the drivers’ standings, finished third after McLaren enforced a late position swap that moved Norris into second. The shuffle followed a slow pit stop that had dropped Norris behind his teammate.

“I always know it’s going to be a good fight with Max and it was,” Norris said afterwards. “But just not the speed today, not the pace of Max and the Red Bull.”

Piastri remains 31 points clear at the top, with Norris in second. Verstappen, despite the win, still trails by 94 points in the title race.

For Ferrari, there was no fairytale at home. Charles Leclerc, who last won at Monza in 2019, had to settle for fourth. Lewis Hamilton, carrying a five-place grid penalty, fought his way up from 10th to sixth but couldn’t break into the top five on his first Monza outing in red.

George Russell finished just ahead of him in fifth, keeping Hamilton at bay in the closing stages.

Verstappen’s satisfaction

“It was really enjoyable,” Verstappen said of his weekend. “I think we pitted at the right time and with the hard tyres at the end you can push a bit more… It was a fantastic execution by everyone.”

The Dutchman now has two Italian wins this season, adding Monza to his Emilia Romagna success in May. For Red Bull, it was a timely reminder of their pedigree after months of McLaren dominance.