F1 | Verstappen: “I had the right pace. The gap with McLaren? They were waiting for a Safety Car”
Max Verstappen may not be fighting for the 2025 World Championship, but the Dutchman continues to make his mark on the season. At Monza, he delivered a flawless weekend – starting with pole position on Saturday and sealing it with a dominant victory on Sunday, leaving no chance to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Despite a slow start that gave Norris an opportunity to attack, Max Verstappen quickly recovered, retaking the lead within a few laps and pulling away to secure one of the biggest margins over McLaren this year. The result gave him his third victory of the season and marked the first win for Laurent Mekies as Red Bull team principal.
Verstappen: “Fun race. First time I felt so much support, I didn’t beat Ferrari this time”
Whenever a chance to win arises, Max Verstappen is always ready to take it. In Italy, he put together a perfect performance, starting strongly on Friday and ending with an unexpected victory on Sunday. “It was a fantastic day for us. The first lap was a bit unlucky, but after that we were flying and it was really enjoyable,” the Dutchman commented after the race. “We managed the pace quite well in the first stint and I think we pitted at the right time. On the hard tyres at the end, you can push a bit more because they are more durable.”
He also praised the work of his team, which from Friday onwards had given him a competitive RB21: “A fantastic execution by every member of the team. I think we were fully committed throughout the whole weekend, and it was really great to win here.”
A tricky start, then total control
Max Verstappen has made better starts in the past, and at Monza it was Norris who drew alongside him into the first chicane, forcing the Dutchman to cut across to stay in front. Verstappen gave the position back, but only needed a few laps to retake the lead. “I could see their medium pace was really strong. I just needed to settle in, there was a lot of fighting early on. Then I realised the pace was right, and we got back into the lead quite quickly,” he explained.
The gap he opened to the McLarens was one of the largest recorded in 2025, but Verstappen suggested it should be seen in context: “The McLarens waited a long time for a Safety Car, otherwise they would have been closer. But we had the pace to make our strategy work.”
The Monza crowd embraces Verstappen
The unique atmosphere of Monza always surprises. While Ferrari fans traditionally save their passion for drivers in red, their affection often spills over to others – though winners in non-Ferrari overalls have often faced boos. It happened to Lewis Hamilton during his Mercedes years and to Verstappen at the height of Red Bull’s dominance. This time, however, things were different. From the top step of the podium, Verstappen heard chants in his honour coming from the Ferrari faithful below.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard so much support here,” Verstappen admitted. “The other two times I won, I had beaten Ferrari, so I wasn’t exactly celebrated.”
Marko: “Impressive to be back in front again”
The redemption came after a difficult year. At Monza in 2024, Verstappen and Red Bull endured one of their worst weekends of the season. In 2025, however, he claimed his third win of the campaign, also Laurent Mekies’ first as team principal. “Twenty seconds ahead of McLaren, wow. The championship is gone, but if I think about how last year we had one of our worst races here, and just two races ago in Hungary we were struggling to score points, it’s impressive to be back in front,” Helmut Marko told Sky Sport. “Verstappen is fully motivated, and being this dominant takes us back to another dimension. We’ll try to win a few more races this season.”
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