Verstappen secures a record breaking 10th win at Monza

Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, breaking the record for most Formula 1 victories in a row by defeating Ferrari despite their valiant but fruitless efforts.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen crushed Ferrari’s dreams of a home victory after winning the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, marking the first driver in F1 history to win ten straight races in a season.

In what was expected to be a one-stop race, Verstappen had to choose between battling to advance past Carlos Sainz for the pole position at Monza or patiently wait for a tactical move in the pits.

Verstappen positioned himself in second place after failing to overcome Sainz off the start, and he began to plan his next strategy to overcome the Ferrari. Despite his best efforts, the pole-sitter Carlos Sainz eventually surrendered the lead on lap 15 to Verstappen and later Sergio Perez, who completed a Red Bull 1-2.

In spite of relentless pressure from teammate Charles Leclerc, Sainz was able to maintain third place, which led to a thrilling battle between the two Ferrari drivers in the final laps.

Ferrari was expected to suffer from rear tyre degradation in the race as a result of its low-drag setup for this track, which helped it win pole for only the second time this season.

With only a few high clouds and hazy sunshine over a very warm Monza, it was a perfect late summer day for a Formula 1 race, necessitating only the use of umbrellas to offer welcome cooling shade. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had already given the local fans in the crowded grandstands cause to take a chance to anticipate a Ferrari win by securing pole position for the race.

However, Yuki Tsunoda’s action to pull over during the formation lap with smoke gushing out of AlphaTauri’s cockpit and force the driver to wait for the start forced the grid to wait for race start.

A second formation lap was deemed unnecessary since the AT04 got locked in gear. The drivers were instructed to remain on the grid and turn off their engines while they waited for the AT04 to be hauled away on a low-loader, resulting to a fifteen minute delay.

Sainz once again impressed the Tifosi by leading off the start heading to the first chicane once the race eventually got underway. He edged Max Verstappen, who was closely pursuing him in the Red Bull, while Charles Leclerc held off George Russell for third.

Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen, and Valtteri Bottas were the only drivers who went with the hard compound in the hopes and expectations of a lengthy first stint and the absence of a safety car. The remainder of drivers opted for medium tyres.

Alex Albon, who started behind Sergio Perez, originally fell behind Piastri on the first lap, but the Williams’ rapid pace on the second lap allowed him to catch up and move up to sixth.

The leading Ferrari had already started to wobble after six laps. As a result, Verstappen attempted a sneaky pass into the first chicane deploying DRS and the slipstream, but Sainz fought back, causing the Red Bull driver to fall back to the order.

“That was naughty!” Verstappen commented on the move. He kept up with Sainz’s pace but was getting irritated, while Perez was having the same issue trying to overtake Russell for fourth. Gasly was the first to pit on lap 11 despite having a front jack trouble as tyre wear became a more crucial concern for the drivers.

Having a superior exit coming out of the first chicane on lap 15, Verstappen finally attacked and took the lead, and immediately pulled out of DRS range. Later in the lap, Perez obliterated Russell as well.

On lap 20, Sainz finally made a pit stop for hard tires, but it was a slow procedure. At the same time Russell, Verstappen and Leclerc also made their pit stop on lap 21 for hard tires. Perez’s stop on lap 22 handed the lead temporarily to Piastri and Norris.

Later, Hamilton took the lead after the McLaren duo pitted and had a small contact with each other as they re-entered the race. On lap 25, Verstappen retook the lead and shortly after, Hamilton pitted and switched to medium tyres.

Sainz, Leclerc, and Perez were racing for the final podium spots after Verstappen quickly pulled away. On lap 32, Perez’s Red Bull finally proved to be too quick for Leclerc taking the second slot.

Despite landing in fifth place, Russell had received a five second time penalty for overtaking Ocon off-track as he exited the pit lane. He nevertheless maintained fifth place by maintaining a large enough lead ahead of Albon, Norris, and Piastri.

On lap 41, Hamilton moved in on Piastri and bulldozed his way past him, resulting in a collision that required Piastri to pit for a new front wing with a five second time penalty being handed to Hamilton.

Sainz and Perez’s battle for second place was getting hotter by the lap, with the Mexican taking over on lap 46. Sainz and Leclerc afterwards engaged in a brutal duel for third place in the final laps. Without any response to requests for team orders, Sainz simply held out to cross the line ahead of Leclerc.

Alex Albon drove another impressive defensive race to claim seventh place for Williams, ahead of Lando Norris in eighth.

Fernando Alonso bounced back from a challenging start, falling behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas and out of the top 10 for seven laps before earning two points for Aston Martin in ninth. Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top 10 for Alfa Romeo, benefiting from the Hamilton/Piastri incident.

During Piastri’s late recovery effort, he additionally received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track when overtaking Liam Lawson’s AlphaTauri.

Piastri finished 12th (with the fastest lap) after his additional pit stop, behind the sister Williams with Sargeant, who finished 11th on the road but slipped to 13th in the final standings after being given a five-second time penalty for triggering the incident with Bottas. Therefore, Lawson moved up to eleventh.

2023 FORMULA 1 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX RACE RESULTS