Max Verstappen emphatically ended his nine-race waiting time for another victory by winning the Italian Grand Prix at a canter when Lando Norris trimmed Oscar Piastri’s World Title before late McLaren Pit-Stop drama.
Winning for the first time since May’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for just her third win in 2025, Verstappen won in an exciting early duel with Norris in both the first corner that saw the pole cut the first corner and then soon give up the lead after gaining an advantage.
But after restoring his British rival at the start of the lap four, Verstappen checked out front for a surprising effect in front of the McLaren cars that had won all except three of the season up to Sunday.
Norris still looked at the second place course to scratch three points back on Piastri then, but fell short to the third behind the Australian late after a slowly single pit stop had seen his teammate move on.
But after McLaren gave Piastri – who had a quick trouble -free stop his lap before – the earlier stop for him to avert any threat from Charles Leclerc behind him, with Norris, who agreed on this plan, the Australian asked to give up another back to his teammate.
Piastri questioned their reasoning of Holdradio, but duly adhered to restoring orders before stop, which means his point benefit over Norris is cropped by three points to 31 points with eight Grands Prix and three sprints still left this season.
Piastri had previously had to fight back to third after twice lost his starting position in an early ding-dong match with Leclerc.
But Ferrari then challenged faded with Leclerc, ending a distant fourth in front of Mercedes’ George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton made early grounds of his punished 10th place on the web, but once behind Russell he could not make further progress and was so sixth.
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Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearsman collide at the Italian Grand Prix.
Alex Albon closed a fine improvement from a disappointing qualification to end seventh for Williams in front of Sauber’s Gabriel Boredoleto, which was promoted to eighth after a five -second penalty for Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
With Antonelli ninth, Isack Hadjar drove from Pit Lane to the last point of 10.
More to follow …
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