MONZA, Italy — Red Bull driver Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Verstappen led the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to the finish.
Verstappen and Norris went wheel-to-wheel almost immediately when the lights went out, getting close to each other down the start/finish straight before the Dutchman skipped the first chicane to keep the lead.
Although Verstappen gave up the position to Norris at the start of the second lap to avoid a potential penalty, he was soon back on his rival’s tail and took only a couple more tours to reclaim the top spot.
From there, Verstappen appeared to have everything under control, managing the gap back to both McLarens across their opening stints, pitting earlier than Norris and Piastri to strengthen that advantage and then cruising to the finish.
“I could see that their medium pace was very good,” said Verstappen after his third victory of the season. “I just needed to settle in, there was a lot of fighting going on. And then I could see the pace was there – quite quickly we were back in the lead.”
While Verstappen’s run to the finish was relatively serene, amid repeated messages from the Red Bull pit wall to avoid any unnecessary risks, drama developed at McLaren when a slow pit stop for Norris allowed teammate Piastri through for second.
Given the unusual circumstances, McLaren asked Piastri to move aside for Norris, after which they would be free to race. It was an instruction the championship leader initially questioned, but ultimately obeyed, thanks to a well-orchestrated swap.
Piastri settled for third, meaning his points margin over Norris came down from 34 to 31, with Charles Leclerc a few seconds further back in the lead Ferrari.
George Russell delivered another strong drive aboard his Mercedes to finish where he started in fifth, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from his five-place grid penalty to cross the line sixth.
