Max Verstappen prevailed at the Italian Grand Prix and ended his winless streak since Emilia Romagna. The Red Bull driver dominated the race from start to finish, taking advantage of a solid strategy with 37 laps on medium tires before switching to hards, which allowed him to secure an unassailable lead.
The controversy began at the start: Verstappen cut the first chicane to maintain the lead over Lando Norris, but he had to yield the position to avoid penalties. Minutes later, the Dutchman regained the lead and had no more rivals.
The race remained stable until McLaren's pit stops in the final stage. Oscar Piastri came in first and exited without complications on soft tires. One lap later it was Norris's turn, who suffered a problem with the front left tire and lost five crucial seconds.
The delay allowed Piastri to overtake him on track, although the team ordered him to give the place back to the Briton, arguing that the mistake had been the team's and not the driver's. The Australian complied, although he did not fail to point out that "pit stop errors are also part of racing".
Verstappen crossed the finish line 19 seconds ahead of Norris and more than 20 ahead of Piastri. Charles Leclerc finished fourth after being overtaken by the Australian, followed by George Russell and a Lewis Hamilton who climbed from tenth to sixth place.
