From History to Ruthless Dominance, Max Verstappen Conquers the Italian GP 2025

There are circuits that test drivers, and then there is Monza, the Temple of Speed. It’s where legends are made, where the smallest mistake can turn triumph into disaster. In 2025, Max Verstappen didn’t just survive the pressure of Monza. He bent it to his will.

Saturday: The Lap That Shook Monza

Qualifying at Monza always comes with chaos: cars bunching for slipstreams, teams arguing over track position, and the Tifosi roaring for Ferrari at every corner. This time, though, the noise was silenced by one lap.

Verstappen’s 1:18.792 wasn’t just pole position. It was the fastest lap in Formula 1 history, averaging a jaw-dropping 264.68 km/h. Norris came within a tenth. Piastri was just behind him. Yet somehow, Verstappen found the kind of margin that separates perfection from almost perfect.

And at Monza, almost perfect doesn’t cut it.

Source: Race Fans

Sunday: When Calm Became Crushing

Pole at Monza isn’t always a golden ticket. In fact, nobody had converted pole into victory here since 2019. The long straights and DRS trains often eat away at that advantage. But Verstappen had other plans.

Norris got a lively start, and for a heartbeat, McLaren fans thought the race might swing their way. Verstappen absorbed the pressure, kept the Red Bull planted, and by lap ten had already started to stretch the gap.

By the halfway mark, his lead looked comfortable. By the finish, it was brutal: nearly 20 seconds clear of Norris. To underline the point, he also grabbed the fastest lap late on. It was the kind of performance that strips rivals of excuses.

Source: Reuters

McLaren: Speed Undone by Sloppiness

This race could easily have been McLaren’s story. Their car was fast, their drivers sharp, and after qualifying it looked like they might finally cage the Red Bull. But when you’re fighting Verstappen, everything has to be flawless.

Norris’s pit stop was anything but. A sticky wheel nut added nearly six seconds to his stop, enough to shuffle him behind his teammate. Suddenly, Oscar Piastri was running second, and McLaren had a dilemma.

What followed was awkward. The team told Piastri to let Norris through. He hesitated, pushed back, then finally gave way. Norris finished second, Piastri third, but the damage was done. Verstappen’s win looked easy partly because McLaren made it so.

And in the championship picture? That matters. Piastri’s lead shrank to 31 points. For a season that once looked like his to lose, the margin no longer feels safe.

Source: MotorsportWeek

Ferrari: A Home Race Without Fireworks

Every September, Monza is painted red. Flags, smoke, chants it’s Ferrari’s weekend, no matter the results. But once again, the results didn’t live up to the passion.

Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and stayed there. Lewis Hamilton, still finding his feet in Ferrari red, slipped down the order after grid penalties and could only recover to sixth.

Ferrari had gambled on a low-downforce setup to claw back time on the straights. Instead, they paid for it in the corners. Through the Lesmos and Ascari, the SF-25 slid where the Red Bull and McLaren stuck. On paper, fourth and sixth aren’t disastrous. But at Monza, with thousands of fans singing your name, anything short of a podium feels hollow.

Source: ScuderiaFans

Why Verstappen’s Win Mattered More

This wasn’t just another Verstappen victory. It was symbolic.

• Pole and Win at Monza: The first since 2019.
• Fastest Lap of All Time: A record that might stand for years.
• Fastest Race Lap: As if the victory margin wasn’t enough.

Each detail reinforced the same truth: Verstappen and Red Bull got everything right. Strategy, tyre management, execution there was no weak link.

Contrast that with McLaren, who left Monza with questions about pit crew efficiency and team orders. Or Ferrari, who left with more questions than answers about their car’s setup.

What Happens Next?

Championship battles aren’t won on single weekends, but they can turn on them. For Piastri, Monza felt like a slip controlled, but costly. For Norris, it was another reminder that his best isn’t quite enough when Verstappen is flawless.

And for Ferrari? They’ll regroup, but the gulf is still there. Home advantage, crowd energy, and history didn’t bridge it.

Verstappen leaves Italy with momentum and with something more intangible: the aura that comes from not just winning, but doing so with ruthless efficiency. It’s the kind of aura that wins championships.

Final Thoughts

Monza loves drama, but this time the drama was over early. Once Verstappen hit his stride, there was no fight left at the front. McLaren blinked, Ferrari stumbled, and Verstappen turned speed into supremacy.

The Temple of Speed had its champion, and his name is Max Verstappen.

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