F1 | Verstappen ends McLaren dominance with victory at Monza
The Italian Grand Prix weekend ended with Max Verstappen taking victory in what became the fastest race in Formula 1 history. Lando Norris crossed the line in second place, securing three more points than his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. For the Woking-based team, the result meant the end of their streak of consecutive 1-2 finishes in F1.
Much discussion was sparked by the incident in which Oscar Piastri was instructed to let Norris through after a mistake during the Briton’s pit stop. Team Principal Andrea Stella later explained the decision, highlighting the careful way McLaren is managing the internal battle between its two title contenders.
No advantage over the rivals
As former driver and analyst Matteo Bobbi pointed out in a video on his channel, the Monza circuit demands an extremely low-downforce setup. This characteristic made the Italian track particularly challenging for McLaren, as it is one of the most extreme examples of low-downforce layouts on the F1 calendar.
“On paper, they were not favourites here. On this type of low-downforce configuration they struggle a little more. They need more corners to showcase their strengths.” Indeed, throughout the weekend it was evident that Red Bull had the upper hand on the straights, consistently gaining on the two papaya cars.
“They need circuits that put tyres under stress. Then they can unleash their other secret weapon, the most important one: the ability to make the tyres last longer. But this time the situation was different – tyres lasted well for everyone, which relegated McLaren to being the second force.”
These observations, however, do not take anything away from Max Verstappen, who delivered a flawless weekend. Despite Red Bull running with a trimmed rear wing for Monza’s straights, the Dutchman still managed to contain the losses in the higher-downforce corners and secure a commanding win.
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