Monza GP: Verstappen ends McLaren’s dominance

Monza GP: Max Verstappen wins solo, cuts McLaren’s lead. Ferrari cheered by fans but misses the podium.

Max Verstappen wins the 2025 Italian Grand Prix at Monza after starting from pole position. Despite losing the lead early in the race to Norris, the Dutchman regained it with a brilliant move around the outside at the first chicane. The Red Bull Racing Honda driver then crossed the finish line with over 19 seconds of advantage on Lando Norris. The Red Bull driver received a standing ovation and applause from the crowd. Monza track was flooded by the “tifosi” after the end of the race.

His tire management was masterful, allowing him to maintain strong pace well beyond the halfway point on a circuit as demanding as Monza. The race didn’t bring many other concerns for Max. He simply controlled the gap in front, keeping Norris and the other McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, behind. George Russell upheld Mercedes pride with a solid fifth-place finish. P6 went to the other Ferrari, driven by Lewis Hamilton, who climbed up four positions after starting tenth due to the penalty received at Zandvoort.

Great enthusiasm filled the grandstands for Ferrari, with the Italian crowd passionately supporting Charles Leclerc in P4. The Monegasque driver got off to a strong start, managing to overtake Piastri in the opening laps. However, the Australian later reclaimed the position with a spectacular move around the outside at the first Lesmo corner.

The fastest lap of the race was set by Norris (1:20.901), while other standout performances included Albon finishing seventh for Williams and the Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who impressed his home fans by taking ninth place at the wheel of the Mercedes. Driver of the they for http://Sportchaos.live? Gabriel Bortoleto in P8

Piastri remains championship leader after the Monza GP

Despite finishing third at Monza, Oscar Piastri retains the lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 324 points, ahead of teammate Lando Norris on 293. Crucial to this outcome was the team order issued by McLaren: in the final laps of the race, the team asked Piastri to let Norris through, after the Briton lost valuable time due to a slow pit stop.

Race winner Max Verstappen climbs to 230 points but remains behind the two McLaren drivers, who are now fully engaged in the fight for the title. Further back are Russell, Leclerc, and Hamilton, while young Italian Kimi Antonelli sits eighth with 66 points, showing great progress in his rookie season.

Alonso, forced to retire due to a suspension failure

Fernando Alonso’s race could have ended in a serious crash after what had been a smartly managed stint with his Aston Martin. The Spanish driver suffered a front-right suspension failure while riding the exit curb at the Ascari chicane, forcing him to retire.

Another retirement came even before the start of the race for Nico Hülkenberg, who was instructed to bring the car back to the pits during the formation lap. The German driver, visibly stunned, didn’t even get to complete a single lap of the Monza GP, despite having secured a solid P12 in yesterday’s qualifying.

On a more positive note, Sauber showed strong pace, confirmed by the P8 finish of his teammate Bortoleto, highlighting clear progress from the Swiss team.

More to come on http://Sportchaos.live and https://www.formula1.com/