The excited red crowd that roared in the stands at Monza did not make him tremble. Neither has the renaissance in his circuit, in his home, of Ferrari, led by the glamorous team by a feisty Carlos Sainz, focused on every corner, brave in every turn, ambitious and dedicated to the cause of the Prancing Horse, who couldn't even come close. to Max Verstappen. The Dutchman spoiled the party for the Italian team at the Italian Grand Prix, achieving his tenth consecutive victory, an absolute record in the same season, ahead of his teammate Checo Pérez and the man from Madrid.
The Spanish driver, who started from pole position, was barely able to enjoy the first position, in the entire race pending looking in the rear-view mirror. Verstappen, second on the starting grid, already bared his teeth on lap five, on the outside in turn one, but Sainz fought back successfully. Mad Max did not care, very comfortable between the two Ferraris, with no news behind an attack by Leclerc.
The absolute leader of the World Championship, at a fast lap pace, calmly watched as the Spaniard's rear tires were deteriorating hopelessly, with Red Bull's assault on the lead getting closer and closer. It was on lap fifteen, again at the end of the home straight, where Verstappen began to build up the overtaking of him. He blocked the Madrid brakes to save the situation and kept the square on the wire in a tense parallel duel during the long Biassono curve.
The surrender came definitively in the fourth angle, already lost the position. The horizon was once again the only rival of the defending champion, who began to put land in the middle very easily, with five seconds left when the Ferraris decided to enter the pits on the twentieth lap. The halfway point of the race had not yet arrived and Verstappen already had the ticket, almost a permanent subscription, to the highest step of the podium.
Solved the first position, in another galaxy the Dutch, the Ferrari had to deal with the other Red Bull. Checo Pérez got rid of George Russell's Mercedes, not without suffering, and went after Leclerc, whom he passed on the second attempt on lap 33. The Mexican then began the pursuit of a Sainz in no man's land. Tenth by tenth, with little bites at each turn, he ended up contacting the 55. Pérez became Bill Murray at times in Groundhog Day. He tried overtaking over and over again in the always difficult turn one, but the Spaniard was always victorious in that section. Sainz only waved the white flag on lap 46, at which point the Mexican took advantage of the speed of him and the DRS to move up to second place on the straight.
Without time to assimilate the blow, the Spaniard began his third and final battle of the day with Leclerc, crouching throughout the race until a few frenetic final laps. The Monegasque pushed his partner to the limit, even close to failure, on the verge of touching the two Ferraris. With two laps to go, Sainz had to defend the last place on the podium tooth and nail until he saw the checkered flag.
Behind, the war was no less. The McLarens were in almost all the fights. The two British cars touched each other. Then Norris had to deal with the surprising Williams of Albon, finally seventh, and Hamilton was thrown off the asphalt after colliding with Piastri, who fell to twelfth position. Much more placid, as well as lackluster, was the career of Fernando Alonso, who finished ninth.
The Asturian gave the Spanish leadership this time to Sainz, the first of the mortals after the unattainable Red Bull. After many days of disappointment, of races bowing their heads in a fateful season, the Monza straight, dyed the asphalt red Ferrari by the tifosi, was shouted out cheering the man from Madrid, named driver of the day after achieving his first podium this year.
1. Max Verstappen (PB/Red Bull) 1 h 13:41.143
2. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull) at 6,064
3. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Ferrari) at 11,193
4. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) at 11.377
5. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) a 23.028
6. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) a 42.679
7. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes) at 45.106
8. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 45.449
9. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin-Mercedes) at 46,294
10.Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) at 1:04.056
11.Liam Lawson (NZL/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 1:10.638
12.Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) at 1:13.074
13.Logan Sargeant (USA/Williams-Mercedes) a 1:18.557
14.Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) a 1:20.164
15.Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine-Renault) a 1:22.510
16.Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) a 1:27.266
17.Nico Hülkenberg (ALE/Haas-Ferrari) a 1 Vuelta
18. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) has 1 lap
