Max Verstappen Wins Italian Grand Prix For Third Time

Max Verstappen edged his rivals to win the Italian Grand Prix and his third victory this season and his third in Monza, as the McLaren duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, followed in second and third, respectively. 

The four-time F1 champion started in pole position on the grid and gave his race his best efforts through the laps. He recovered the pole from Norris and led on, topping the timesheet in 1:13:24.325s. However, a pit stop mishap from McLaren gave away the front row to. Verstappen.

On the other hand, Piastri had to cede his position to Norris over a pit stop delay that almost ruined the race for the Briton. Nonetheless, the Dutchman started off aggressively, holding off the front row from Norris at the corner, going wide to keep the lead. He later ceded the position, which was due to the Briton. 

Charles Leclerc showed a great start to the race, attacking Piastri in a contest for the third position, which the F1 Championship lead maintained. Leclerc finished in fourth while his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, improved to sixth. 

Caught in the drama of chaos were Carlos Sainz and Olivier Bearman, who ran perilously close into the Williams and both ran off the track. There was no serious impact on either car, and both drivers continued the race. 

McLaren and Pit Stops

Losing the race victory in Monza to Verstappen came from McLaren's mishap in the pit stop.  Norris had done everything right and led trailing cars with enough time to allow him to return in front after a pit stop. 

"First weekend, where we're really a bit slow, but I still really enjoyed it," said Norris. He replied when asked about his pit stop: "No idea. I was there for quite a long time, we make mistakes as a team, and today was one of them."

Piastri was fair to his teammate, allowing him to move in front, but the delay was enough to ruin the race for the podium pole for the Briton. He was held four seconds longer than necessary while changing to soft tyres. 

What Max Verstappen and Red Bull Did Right

Red Bull did not leave anything to chance. They pitted rightly. Changed from medium to hard tyres as compared to McLaren, who changed tyres to soft. Verstappen had the better traction in the latter stages, leading the nearest car by almost +20s. 

"We were flying," said Verstappen. "We pitted at the right time, we could push more, fantastic execution from the whole team. Super enjoyable to win here."

Italian Grand Prix Top 10 Drivers 

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)....1:13:24.325s

2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

7. Alex Albon (Williams) 

8. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)

9. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

10. Isack Hadjar (RB)