No party in "red": Max Verstappen continues his winning streak at the GP in Monza and easily outperforms Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position. The Formula 1 world champion starts from seventh place, puts on a furious race to catch up and can soon bag the next world title.
Party crasher Max Verstappen spoiled Ferrari's long-awaited home win and triumphed for the first time in Monza. After another very strong performance, the World Cup dominator won the Italian Grand Prix and relegated pole setter and fan favorite Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari to second place. Third place in the Formula 1 classic on the high-speed track was Mercedes driver George Russell.
After a penalty, Verstappen raced from seventh place on the grid to his fifth race win in a row, taking another big step towards defending his title in front of more than 100,000 fans - and could possibly crown himself again at the next race in Singapore. The support of Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, who had visited the Ferrari pits, did not help Leclerc either.
In the overall standings, Verstappen is now 116 points ahead of his closest rival, Leclerc, and there are still six race weekends to go this year. Mick Schumacher fought but, as expected, had no chance in his Haas when the points were awarded and finished twelfth. For Sebastian Vettel, his last race in Monza, where he won his first in 2008, ended in a bit of drama. In the eleventh round, the Aston Martin of the former world champion from Heppenheim, who ended his career after the season, went on strike.
"We knew it was going to be a long, difficult race. It wasn't that long for me," said Vettel on Sky: "The damage wasn't indicated. But Singapore suits me, and it can't get any worse than here ." After a minute's silence for the late Queen Elizabeth II, Leclerc and Verstappen got off to a good start. Leclerc defended his lead, Verstappen was already third at the start of the second lap and then second three laps later.
After that, Verstappen took it easy in the hunt for Leclerc and took it easy on his tires. Leclerc, in turn, used an early virtual safety car phase to pit. So it was clear: the new tires on the Ferrari had to last a long time. "Tyre Whisperer" Verstappen stopped halfway through the race and switched to medium tires, Ferrari reacted and brought Leclerc into the pits again shortly afterwards - the Monegasse got soft tires, i.e. the faster mixture. But after the change of strategy, Leclerc was almost 20 seconds behind.
"I'll be happy if I finish second," Verstappen said before the race. But at the latest after Leclerc's first early stop, the Dutchman naturally sensed his chance. The rival in red kept getting a few tenths of a second closer, but Verstappen was able to manage his lead from the front without any problems. A late safety car phase could have made things even more exciting - but it lasted too long. The field finished behind the safety car, the Tifosi whistled, the final sprint was cancelled.
