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Victor Petkov
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Verstappen masterclass leaves Piastri and Norris behind his back at Monza
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The World Champion showed blistering pace in the Italian Grand Prix and finished over 20 seconds ahead of Lando Norris

Max Verstappen returned to winning ways with a commanding drive at the Italian Grand Prix, taking his first Formula 1 victory since May. While the Dutchman’s performance was unbealivable, much of the drama came from the McLarens behind — first with a pit stop gamble that nearly backfired for Lando Norris, and then with controversial team orders.

The race began in chaos, as Norris was forced onto the grass on the run down to Turn 1 but somehow held enough grip to make the corner. Verstappen wasn’t so lucky, cutting the chicane and drawing an immediate protest over the radio from the McLaren man. Red Bull quickly instructed their driver to hand the place back, but it was only a brief setback. Within four laps Verstappen had reclaimed the lead and never looked back, breaking free of DRS range and dictating the pace.

Behind them, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc staged a fierce battle for third. The Ferrari ace initially snatched the position on the opening lap and defended with determination, but the Australian’s superior pace soon told. Even so, Ferrari had cause for encouragement, with both cars showing more speed than expected. Lewis Hamilton in particular charged from 15th on the grid — after a penalty dropped him from P10 — to sixth within just a handful of laps.

Up front, Verstappen controlled the tempo until lap 37 of 53, when he pitted for hard tyres. McLaren rolled the dice, keeping Norris out longer to fit softs and give him a late-race pace advantage. Piastri stopped first, being 3 seconds behind Lando, who got his box lap later, but confusion led to 6-second box and he came out behind his teammate. McLaren decided to give the orders to Piastri to let his championship rival back into P2 and that was the final order.