Verstappen Claims New Record On Ferrari's Home Turf

Monza is the fastest permanent circuit on the calendar, and it has been red-flagged for the past five years. Fans didn't need to wait for the race to start before it was suspended, as Yuki Tsunoda's AlphaTauri suffered catastrophic engine failure during the formation lap.

Most people assumed Verstappen would claim the lead from Sainz as soon as DRS was enabled, but no. Sainz battled hard, leaving Verstappen no option but to put pressure on him until he made a mistake. Sainz locked up going into the first turn, giving the Flying Dutchman the edge into Curva Grande and eventually into Variante della Roggia.

Sergio Perez had a more challenging time getting into second, eventually relying on DRS down the main straight. More proof that it'snot just about the car. The battle between Sainz and Leclerc was brilliant to watch, as Ferrari put it all out there for the fans. The team didn't intervene until Leclerc locked both front wheels going into Variante della Roggia, after which the team told him there was no need to fight any further.

For once, all the action was at the front of the pack, but there are some notable mentions further down the field. Neither Mercedes deserved their positions. Yup, we said it. Hamilton cost Piastri a points-scoring position and received a five-second penalty. Russell knew he would receive a five-second penalty for overtaking Ocon off the track, but instead of giving the position back, he bailed into the distance to build a five-second gap between him and the person behind. Hamilton owned his mistake and apologized to Piastri after the race.

The Mercedes duo stopped Alex Albon from scoring more points for Williams. Overall, it was an entertaining race to watch, especially since it took Perez such a long time to claim second place. He only completed the move on lap 46, after which we were treated to the Ferrari drivers fighting for third.

Once he was clear of the field, Verstappen opened up a 12-second gap at the front, which dropped to six seconds near the end. According to Verstappen, they were erring on the side of caution in fear of running into dirty air and potentially raising temperatures.

Once again, F1 proved that it isnot as boring as some people claim.

There are eight Grands Prix left, plus three sprint races. The maximum available points on the table is 232, subtracted from Verstappen's 364 points, which is 132. For anyone below that threshold, it's mathematically impossible to win. Verstappen eliminated the Ferrari duo this weekend, leaving only Hamilton, Alonso, and Perez in the challenge (mathematically anyway).

Checo is in second with 219 points, Alonso in third with 170 points, and Hamilton in fourth with 164 points. Red Bull is well on its way to securing the most points ever in a season. It currently has 583 points and eight races to go. Mercedes is second with 273 points, and Ferrari is third with 228 points. Aston Martin is 102 points ahead of McLaren with 115 points. But Alonso's sudden lack of speed, Stroll's inability to consistently score points, and McLaren's drivers putting in a stellar effort could put that fourth place into danger.

The battle between McLaren and Aston Martin will be the one to watch.