Verstappen storms to 2025 Italian GP win as McLaren faces team-order backlash

The Dutchman proved untouchable at Monza, converting pole position into a dominant victory ahead of both McLaren drivers. The result also marked the beginning of a remarkable late-season comeback, with Verstappen starting to close a championship gap that once seemed almost impossible to overcome.

The first twist came before the lights had even gone out, as Nico Hulkenberg was unable to take the start following a technical problem on the formation lap. Verstappen, meanwhile, had Norris alongside him on the front row, with Piastri and Charles Leclerc immediately behind. Lewis Hamilton faced a tougher task on his first Monza weekend as a Ferrari driver, starting from 10th after serving a five-place grid penalty.

Norris wasted no time in attacking Verstappen. The two went wheel-to-wheel into the opening chicane, where the Dutchman cut across the run-off area and stayed ahead. Red Bull subsequently asked Verstappen to surrender the position, handing Norris the early lead, but the situation was quickly reversed. By Lap 4, Verstappen had found his way back past the McLaren and from that point onwards began to dictate the race.

Leclerc also provided some early entertainment for the Tifosi. The Ferrari driver initially got ahead of Piastri and moved into third, before the pair became involved in a lively fight during the opening stages. Piastri eventually reclaimed the position on Lap 6, leaving Leclerc in fourth as the leading trio began to stretch away.

With tyre degradation proving relatively manageable, the race then settled into a more strategic rhythm. Verstappen steadily increased his advantage over Norris, while Piastri was unable to close the gap to his teammate. Leclerc continued in fourth ahead of George Russell, with Hamilton making progress from the midfield to move himself firmly into the points.

There was considerably more action further back. Fernando Alonso's race came to an early end after a suspension failure on his Aston Martin, while Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson made contact during their battle through the field. Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz were also involved in an incident at the second chicane, with the Haas driver later receiving a 10-second penalty.

As the pit-stop window opened, the different approaches at the front became clearer. Verstappen and Ferrari eventually moved onto the hard compound, while McLaren kept Norris and Piastri out considerably longer in an attempt to give both drivers fresher soft tyres for the closing laps. However, rather than creating an opportunity to challenge Verstappen, McLaren's strategy produced an unexpected situation between its own drivers.

Piastri was the first McLaren to stop, before Norris suffered a slow pit stop one lap later and emerged behind his teammate. With the change of position resulting from the delayed stop rather than an on-track battle, McLaren instructed Piastri to hand second place back. The Australian complied, restoring Norris to P2 before the pair were allowed to race again.

By that stage, however, the fight for victory was effectively over. Verstappen had built a commanding advantage and comfortably brought the Red Bull home to secure his third win of the campaign. Norris and Piastri completed the podium, while Leclerc finished fourth in front of Ferrari's home crowd. Russell took fifth, with Hamilton recovering from his grid penalty to finish sixth and complete his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver.