Formula 1 was back in action this weekend, just days after the previous round in the Netherlands, and at Italy’s renowned ‘Temple of Speed’ circuit at Monza, near Milan, it was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who claimed the top step on the podium following the Italian Grand Prix, in which he comprehensively beat the McLarens of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The iconic Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda won his first Drivers’ title at Monza exactly fifty years ago today on 7 September 1975, driving for Ferrari, and the team ran a special one-off livery this weekend in commemoration of his 312 T car that day, with the drivers’ race suits, boots and helmets also suitably amended. Last Sunday at Zandvoort, both of Ferrari's current drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, failed to score any points; Leclerc was unfortunately punted out of the race by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, while Hamilton crashed into the barriers due to a driving error, forcing his retirement. Worse was to follow too for the seven-time champion, as, after twice failing to slow sufficiently when passing double-waved yellow flags during laps prior to the start of the Dutch Grand Prix, the stewards awarded him a five-place grid penalty to be carried forward to today’s Italian race, and two points were added to his racing superlicence.

... with Ferrari very keen to impress its home fans, it came as no surprise when Hamilton and Leclerc topped the timing screens ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Verstappen.

Nevertheless, Ferrari was hoping for a far better outcome on home soil for both of its drivers in front of its massed tifosi fans. Unless Hamilton decides to walk away from Formula 1 at the end of a season which has as yet proved to be a significant disappointment for both his new team and the driver himself, Ferrari will almost certainly keep its current driver pairing for 2026, and in the Mercedes camp Toto Wolff has indicated that George Russell and Antonelli will also remain in situ, with just a few contractual issues for its British driver still to be finalised. Meanwhile, Verstappen, who has spent his whole 10-year Formula 1 career to date within the Red Bull set-up, has indicated that he is doing his utmost to help make the team more competitive and will remain with the outfit when the new technical regulations are introduced next season before deciding on the best way ahead for 2027 onwards.

The reigning champion, who became a father for the first time in May, has long insisted that he has absolutely no intention of continuing to race in F1 into his 40s like Fernando Alonso and Hamilton have, as it has such a massive impact on your home life, and he also has other GT racing ambitions which require a far lesser time commitment. In the shorter term, his father, Jos, himself a former Formula 1 driver, has revealed that he, his son, and Max's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, have been in talks with Red Bull, Mercedes, and, interestingly, Ferrari about the 2027 season. It also seems likely that for 2026 Red Bull will promote Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls to its main team as a new partner for Verstappen, with Arvid Lindblad becoming Liam Lawson’s new teammate at Racing Bulls. Lindblad may well be a new name for some followers of F1, but he is a British/Swedish 18-year-old member of the Red Bull Junior Team who currently competes in F2 for Campos Racing.

These moves would, of course, leave the current Red Bull driver, Yuki Tsunoda, without a seat for next year and probably failing to find one elsewhere on the grid despite Honda support. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old American IndyCar driver, Colton Herta, has opted to leave the USA to compete in Formula 2 next year as well as become the reserve driver for the new Cadillac F1 team, and if he proves to be competitive in F2, which isn’t a foregone conclusion, a possible promotion to F1 with Cadillac may follow at some stage.

Lastly, before turning to the on-track action at Monza, with global interest in Formula 1 at an ever-increasing all-time high, this is seriously good news for fans worldwide, for the FIA governing body, for Liberty Media as the owner of the sport’s commercial rights, for the teams whose values continue to rise and for the promoters behind individual Grands Prix. There has long been a queue of countries keen to join the existing F1 calendar, some of whom are better placed to meet the related commitments and requirements than others, and the list includes a variety of new and former hosts, with Germany's Hockenheim, Portugal's Portimão, and Turkey's Istanbul keen to return. Many existing promoters have committed to remain until at least 2030, but it will be fascinating to see how the calendar develops in the short to medium term.

The Race

The opening free practice session during the build-up to this afternoon’s Grand Prix began at 13.30 local time on Friday, and, with Ferrari very keen to impress its home fans, it came as no surprise when Hamilton and Leclerc topped the timing screens ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Verstappen. The subsequent second practice period was interrupted by red flags after Antonelli had beached his Mercedes at the second Lesmo curve, and, come its conclusion, Norris led the way, with Leclerc, Sainz and the Drivers’ Championship leader, Piastri, the best of the rest. Norris was again fastest in yesterday’s final practice session, ahead of Leclerc, Piastri and Verstappen.

The sun shone down under blue skies as those famous five red lights were extinguished to signal the start of the 53-lap race, and it was Verstappen who retained an early lead after cutting across the run-off area at the opening chicane when under severe pressure from Norris.

At the qualifying hour, it was Verstappen who delivered, taking pole position with the fastest-ever lap in the 75-year history of Formula 1 at an average speed of 164 mph. The Dutchman was a mere 0.077 seconds faster than Norris, though, as, to their rear, Piastri and Leclerc claimed the second row on the grid for this afternoon’s race. Hamilton was fifth quickest, but his Zandvoort penalty meant he would start tenth, with Russell and Antonelli therefore occupying the third row.

Grand Prix day at Monza always has a unique atmosphere, with the massed Ferrari fans’ desire for their drivers to succeed virtually tangible. Of course, many would also be set to leave the circuit before the end of the race if things were n't going their way. The tifosi would have loved to see an all-red front row, but it wasn’t to be, as they had to settle for fourth and tenth, and, as the race start neared, the preferred strategy appeared to be a one-stopper, starting on medium-specification tyres before switching to hards later. However, any safety car interruptions could, of course, alter this.

George Russell had to settle for fifth in his Mercedes

Following the formation lap, which began at precisely 3pm local time, 17 cars lined up on the grid after the premature retirement of Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, with Hadjar and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly starting from the pitlane. The sun shone down under blue skies as those famous five red lights were extinguished to signal the start of the 53-lap race, and it was Verstappen who retained an early lead after cutting across the run-off area at the opening chicane when under severe pressure from Norris. This led to Verstappen handing the lead to Norris at the start of the second tour, but the Red Bull team leader soon retook first position from his McLaren rival just two laps later, and this was to be an advantage he would never relinquish before the chequered flag. Meanwhile, to their rear, Piastri fought his way back past Leclerc to third on the sixth tour.

When Verstappen’s race engineer informed Verstappen of the nature of the change to his rear, he could only laugh!

As the Grand Prix progressed, Verstappen began to comfortably extend his lead over second-placed Norris to more than six seconds, but worse was soon to follow for Fernando Alonso when he was forced to retire his Aston Martin with suspension failure. At mid-race distance McLaren was busy discussing tyre strategies with both of its drivers, and subsequently Ferrari brought fourth-placed Leclerc in to switch from medium to hard rubber. On lap 38 Red Bull pitted the leading Verstappen for the same change, and he rejoined the circuit behind the still-to-stop pair of McLarens.

Ultimately Piastri pitted first, with just seven laps remaining, as soft tyres were bolted on, and, when the team pulled Norris in one tour later, a troublesome front left wheel delayed the stop and meant that the British driver emerged behind not only Verstappen but crucially also his Australian teammate. This led to McLaren instructing Piastri to let Norris pass into second place before they could race to the end, which he reluctantly agreed to after questioning the validity of the reasoning behind the order. When Verstappen’s race engineer informed Verstappen of the nature of the change to his rear, he could only laugh!

The top six runners then remained unchanged to the chequered flag, with Verstappen cruising home 19 seconds clear of second-placed Norris and with Piastri joining them on the post-race podium. Ferrari finished with fourth- and sixth-place results for Leclerc and Hamilton, respectively, sandwiching Russell’s Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in his first Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari

This year’s Formula 1 campaign continues in a fortnight’s time in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, before seven subsequent long-haul destinations will ultimately bring us to its conclusion in December.


2025 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1hr13m24.325s
2 Lando Norris (McLaren) +19.207s
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +21.451s
4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +25.624s
5 George Russell (Mercedes) +32.881s
6 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +37.449s
7 Alex Albon (Williams) +50.547s
8 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +58.484s
9 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +59.762s
10 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +1m3.891s
11 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1m4.469s
12 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1m19.288s
13 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +1m20.701s
14 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1m22.351s
15 Esteban Ocon (Haas) Lapped
16 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Lapped
17 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Lapped
18 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Lapped
19 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Retired
20 Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) Did not start


2025 Drivers’ Championship
1 Oscar Piastri 324
2 Lando Norris 293
3 Max Verstappen 230

2025 Constructors’ Championship
1 McLaren 617
2 Ferrari 280
3 Mercedes 260