Verstappen Wins at Monza, McLaren Orders Leave a Bitter Aftertaste

Max Verstappen did what Max Verstappen does: he turned pole position into yet another win, this time at Monza, in what turned out to be the fastest Formula 1 race ever run. And while his Sunday afternoon looked about as stressful as a man lying in a hammock, sipping an Aperol spritz, McLaren managed to turn a double podium into a family squabble that left no one entirely happy.

At lights out, Verstappen and Lando Norris went door-to-door—or whatever the open-wheel equivalent is—thundering down the start/finish straight. Verstappen skipped the first chicane to stay ahead, then, in a move so un-Verstappen-like it probably shocked his own reflection, he actually gave the place back on Lap 2 to avoid a penalty. It lasted about as long as a gelato on an August sidewalk. With DRS at the ready, Max blasted back past Norris and was gone.

From there it was clinical. Pit when he needed to, switch to the hard tires, manage the gap, cruise to the flag. “It was a great day for us,” Verstappen said afterward, sounding like a man describing a particularly satisfying trip to the grocery store. “Lap 1 was a bit unlucky, but after that we were flying… fantastic execution by everyone from the whole team.”

Meanwhile, behind him, McLaren’s papaya-colored soap opera was unfolding. Norris looked set for second until a botched pit stop handed Oscar Piastri the position. The team promptly called their drivers in for a bit of Formula 1 musical chairs, ordering Piastri to hand the spot back. Piastri grumbled—because of course he did—but he obeyed, allowing Norris to reclaim P2 with five laps to go.

“It’s not how I want things to go,” Norris said, clearly about as thrilled as a man finding mayonnaise on his burger. “But it’s the most fair thing, I think… it was a team mistake, which happens every now and then, and that cost me.”

Piastri, to his credit, kept his Australian cool and banked third, trimming his championship lead over Norris to 31 points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc did his best to give the tifosi something to scream about, but fourth place was all he could muster, and Monza’s sea of red had to settle for that.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton made the most of their Mercedes, grabbing fifth and sixth, while Alex Albon once again drove his Williams like it was powered by something other than sadness and budget constraints, finishing seventh. Behind him came Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sauber, Kimi Antonelli (penalized for erratic driving, which in Italy just makes you fit in), and Isack Hadjar, who somehow turned a pit lane start into the final points-paying position.

For Aston Martin, the afternoon was a combination of heartbreak and busted parts: Lance Stroll slumped out of the points, and Fernando Alonso’s suspension decided it was done with this sport entirely.

So yes, Verstappen won again—his 66th career victory—and yes, it was another exercise in precision and dominance. But the story here wasn’t so much the Dutchman’s metronomic brilliance as it was McLaren’s corporate parenting moment: “Now kids, share your podiums nicely.”

In the end, Verstappen left Monza with another trophy, Norris salvaged second, Piastri sighed his way to third, and Ferrari left their own backyard empty-handed. The tifosi went home hoarse, Verstappen went home smug, and McLaren went home with a podium—and probably a very awkward team dinner.

FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2025 – RACE RESULT

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	LAPS	TIME / RETIRED	PTS.
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	53	1:13:24.325	25
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	53	+19.207s	18
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	53	+21.351s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	53	+25.624s	12
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	53	+32.881s	10
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	53	+37.449s	8
7	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	53	+50.537s	6
8	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	53	+58.484s	4
9	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	53	+59.762s	2
10	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	53	+63.891s	1
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	53	+64.469s	0
12	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas	53	+79.288s	0
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	53	+80.701s	0
14	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	53	+82.351s	0
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas	52	+1 lap	0
16	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	52	+1 lap	0
17	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	52	+1 lap	0
18	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	52	+1 lap	0
NC	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	24	DNF	0
NC	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	0	DNS	0
Note – Bearman received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. Antonelli received a five-second time penalty for driving erratically.

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Greg Engle

Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community.

Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.

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