(Motorsport) Max Verstappen secured his fifth straight victory after a dominant performance in Italy to have one hand on the title. Starting from seventh due to a grid penalty, the Dutchman progressed to 2nd place after just five laps and his Red Bull was noticeably faster than race leader Charles Leclerc’s F1-75. Ferrari decided to pit Lelerc after just 11 laps, capitalising on the Virtual Safety Car by fitting in medium tyres, a strategy that backfired as the compound didn’t provide the durability or pace that the team hoped for.

As a result, Leclerc was forced to pit again as the Monegasque driver was falling behind Verstappen but the decision to do so cost him as the gap between the two drivers increased to 20 seconds with just a few laps to go. To make matters worse for Ferrari, a technical failure for Daniel Ricciardo’s car resulted in the race finishing behind the safety car, eliminating every possibility of Leclerc to make a comeback. Boos could be heard at the Monza track because of the decision to end the race behind the safety car and Leclerc was heard complaining on the team’s radio that the track was clear.

Mercedes’ George Russell finished third while Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton, who started at the back of the grid because of penalties finished fourth and fifth respectively. Williams’ Alex Albon was ruled out of the race after being unwell and Nyck de Vries made his Formula 1 debut, finishing a brilliant 9th at Monza. As for Verstappen, he increased his lead in the Drivers Standings to 116 points with six races remaining and could potentially win his second World Championship in Singapore in three weeks time.

Italian GP Final Result, Top 10

1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) George Russell, Mercedes
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
7) Lando Norris, McLaren
8) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
9) Nyck de Vries, Williams
10) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo

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