Max Verstappen dominated the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, taking victory ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were switched in a late McLaren strategy after a botched pitstop.
Verstappen was never under pressure after conceding first to Norris for exceeding track limits at the start, and completed a brilliant weekend after taking pole on Saturday.
Norris was second after being let through by Piastri, the Australian being requested to do so after Norris’ one and only stop was punctuated by a malfunctioning wheel gun.
But for Verstappen, it was a world away, as he produced a classic performance to take his third Grand Prix win of the season, the fastest of all time.
Before the race started, Nico Hulkenberg was told to box his car into retirement, owing to a hydraulic fault on his Sauber.
At the start, Verstappen and Norris got away well, and as the McLaren dived down the inside into the Rettifilio, forcing Verstappen onto the run off.
Behind, Charles Leclerc managed to jump Piastri, but the Australian swept past him and reclaiming third at the first Lesmo.
Red Bull ordered Verstappen to let Norris through, which he did under braking into Turn 1, allowing himself some leeway as Piastri and Leclerc continued to squabble.
The Ferrari got through as Piastri went deep, swooping through at the Curva Grande.
On Lap 3, they pair jostled for third still, as Leclerc went deep this time, but managed to hold off the McLaren.
All the while, Norris and Verstappen started to forge a gap, and into Turn 1, he muscled past and back into the lead.
Piastri and Leclerc continued their battle, and this time Piastri would come out on top, bravely braking late into Turn 1 and taking him around the outside.
Lewis Hamilton was on a charge, taking both Yuki Tsunoda and Andrea Kimi Antonelli on Lap 1, and after releasing himself from Fernando Alonso on Lap 5, he took Gabriel Bortoleto for sixth on Lap 6.
Team-mate Leclerc was falling into the clutches of Russell, who got himself into the DRS range of the Ferrari at the start of Lap 9.
Verstappen cruises into the lead
Into Lap 11, and Verstappen was now over three seconds ahead of Norris, as Hamilton began to creep up into the Leclerc-Russell battle.
Hamilton began to fall back, and was around 2.5s behind on Lap 15, as Verstappen was now over four seconds ahead in the lead from Norris.
A rhythm was most certainly forming by a third’s distance, but Antonelli sparked some excitement with a divebomb on Tsunoda down into Turn 1.
Norris, eager to push, went a touch wide at the exit of Lesmo 2, as Bearman pitted from 11th, returning on Hards.
In what seemed like a last-minute call, Red Bull’s pit crew frantically got themselves ready, but it would be for Tsunoda and not Verstappen.
In an attempt to get an undercut, Tsunoda was swfitly brought in and emerged on Hards, but by the Roggia chicane, Bearman had got ahead.
Bortoleto and Alonso pitted together, and Sauber’s pit crew caved, enabling Alonso to get ahead, with Lawson then overtaking the Brazilian.
It promised a spicy battle between the three and Oliver Bearman who was joining in, but Alonso slowed into the Parabolica, pitting immediately, citing a suspension failure.
A good chance of points were gone in an instant, as replays shows the Aston Martin’s right rear suspension collapse under the load of exiting the Ascari chicane. “Unbelievable,” the Spaniard moaned.
Russell was the first of the leading cars to pit, coming in on Lap 27 for Hards. Team-mate Antonelli followed him in a lap later for the same, rejoining 14th ahead of Bortoleto, gaining the overcut.
Carlos Sainz pitted from seventh on Lap 30, rejoining behind Bearman and ahead of Tsunoda, also on Hards.
Yet to pit, the second Haas of Esteban Ocon was now in seventh, but also had a five-second penalty hanging over him for forcing Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin off at the Roggia chicane earlier in the race.
Leclerc was boxed on Lap 33, stamping onto the brakes, and a quick stop put him back out ahead of Ocon in sixth on Hards.
Norris and his engineers agreed to stay out for longer, and opting for Softs later in the race in a bid to overhaul Verstappen, who was now 5.5s ahead, also yet to pit.
Piastri was a further six seconds back, with Hamilton a further 10 behind in fifth place.
Russell got himself past Stroll for eighth, as Leclerc started to lap well on the Hards.
Verstappen came in for his first stop on Lap 38, opting for Hards, giving Norris the lead, and rejoining third.
Hamilton pitted a lap later, the longer stint appearing to be a failure, rejoining behind Russell. Further back, Antonelli bravely held his Mercedes around the outside of Curva Grande to take 10th off Pierre Gasly.
Lap 41 and the first real on-track incident occurred. Bearman and Sainz came together on the exit of the Roggia, the latter getting ahead into the braking zone. Both pirouetted but kept their engines running, rejoining the track, seemingly without any discernible issues with their car.
The incident would be deemed on Bearman, who was served a 10-second penalty for taking Sainz off.
Norris pit error triggers McLaren team game order
With 10 laps now to go, Norris still led having yet to pit, and with Piastri, also yet to pit, closing, it now appeared that maybe it was a case of holding onto second rather than looking to take the win.
Further back, Alex Albon was got up to ninth, taking Antonelli at the Roggia after being forced onto the grass on the run towards the Curva Grande.
Norris continued for one more lap into Lap 46, with Piastri being boxed first for Softs from third spot.
The move was to ensure Piastri could cover off Leclerc, with Norris giving the team the option.
But when Norris pitted a lap later, the left front gun failed to secure the tyre properly, adding four seconds to his time.
This put Piastri into second, with now an interesting wait to see if McLaren would request the positions to be switched.
Norris’ willingness to play the team game would work in his favour, as McLaren requested Piastri to allow Norris through, with them both free to race after he would do so.
Despite his unhappiness, Piastri complied and let Norris through, with them now both free to race each other, as Verstappen was ordered to coast to the finish, nearly 20 seconds ahead.
Verstappen would cruise to the line, to take his third win of the season, with Norris and Piastri completing the podium.
Leclerc gave the tifosi something to cheer about with fourth, as Russell and Hamilton followed home in fifth and sixth respectively.
Albon completed an impressive recovery drive with seventh, as Bortoleto took more points with eighth.
Despite a late five-second penalty, Antonelli took ninth, with Isack Hadjar negotiating the race well to claim a point despite starting in the pit lane.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Italian Grand Prix – Race Results
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