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Max Verstappen drove his way into the Formula One history books by taking his 10th-consecutive victory at Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Verstappen sat behind Carlos Sainz for 14 of the 51 laps at Monza’s Temple of Speed before fighting his way past the Ferrari pole-sitter at the second chicane.
From there, the commanding Dutchman never looked back to better the mark he shared with Sebastian Vettel and become the first driver in Formula One to reach double figures for straight victories.
Sergio Perez finished second in the other Red Bull, while Sainz held off team-mate Charles Leclerc in a tantalising late battle between the Ferrari drivers to take the final spot on the podium. George Russell finished fifth with Lewis Hamilton, who served a five-second penalty for colliding with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, sixth.
Follow live updates and reaction from the Italian Grand Prix with The Independent
F1 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX – RACE UPDATES
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Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix
New ground, even for Max Verstappen. A 10th Formula 1 victory in a row – breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record from 10 years ago – and another win at the home of Ferrari. But the Monza crowd were treated under the blazing Italian sunshine on Sunday to some brilliant racing at the front of the field throughout. Even with the spot at the top of the podium something of an inevitability once more.
To the end, the battles ensued. While Sergio Perez eventually took second to secure a Red Bull one-two, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc continued to squabble for that final podium spot. In the end, pole-sitter Sainz kept hold of a very much deserved third position: the Spaniard’s first podium of the season.
Mercedes were the next-best of the rest in fifth and sixth for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively, while Alex Albon drove one of the defensive races of his life to keep hold of P7 from the McLaren of Lando Norris. The Williams resurgence has been one of the more uplifting sub-plots of the season so far.
For Verstappen, though, this one wasn’t as comfortable as many that have gone by. At the home of Ferrari, the opening 45 minutes was enthralling – and he didn’t have it all his own way.
Read Kieran Jackson’s race report below:
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 16:22
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‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton admitted he was at fault for the collision with Oscar Piastri in the latter stages of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix and has apologised to the Australian driver.
Hamilton and Piastri were fighting for eighth position on lap 41 of the 51-lap race and, coming out of the Curva Grande, the two cars were side-by-side and touched with the Mercedes squeezing the McLaren on the outside and both having to take to the escape road.
It was an incident which ruined Piastri’s race, having to pit for a new front nose and dropping outside the top-10, with Hamilton promptly receiving a five-second penalty from the stewards.
Ultimately, the penalty did not impact Hamilton – who finished sixth – while Piastri finished 12th.
Kieran Jackson3 September 2023 17:20
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View from the podium
An incredible view from the podium down onto the fans below as the three podium finishers get the celebrations under way!
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(Getty Images)
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(Getty Images)
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 16:20
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Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner speaking to Sky Sports
“We had to do it the hard way. The Ferraris were quick today. Carlos was defending like his life depended on it, so first Max had to get that pass done then we were able to pull out a gap.
“It gives Max ten victories in a row which is an incredible moment. It is a huge effort from every single department.
“Formula One is the biggest team sport in the world and you need every single member of that team doing their job. This victory is down to everybody in the Red Bull team who have done an incredible job.
“For us to win here is massive.”
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 16:14
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VERTSAPPEN WINS ITALIAN GRAND PRIX!
What a reception for Carlos Sainz as he steps onto the podium. It may not have been a famous win for Ferrari in their home race, but that’s a performance to be proud of from the Spaniard:
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 16:11
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Carlos Sainz, who battled to hold onto third place, speaks to Sky Sports: “It was tough. It does not get tougher than it was out there today.
“Honestly, I spent the whole race pushing trying to keep the Red Bulls behind. In the end, I paid a bit of a price with the rear tyres.
“We had fun out there today.”
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 15:59
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VERTSAPPEN WINS ITALIAN GRAND PRIX!
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez speaks to Sky Sports: “Second was the maximum we could have achieved today, it was so difficult to overtake, a lot harder than we really thought.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress. On the setup side, I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in the car so I do expect that we will see the best form in the next races.”
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 15:56
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VERTSAPPEN WINS ITALIAN GRAND PRIX!
The victorious Dutchman speaking to Sky Sports after his record-breaking tenth-straight win: “I never would have believed that that was possible but we had to work for it and that made it definitely a lot more fun.
On the battle with Ferrari: “They had a lot of top speed and it was so hard to get close and get a move on into turn one. I had to force him into a mistake and luckily it came at some point where he locked and then I had better traction. From there on, we could do our own race.
“I was trying to stay patient. It’s a very long race, I could see they were struggling with their rear tyres so I just had to pick my moment.”
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 15:52
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Perez completes the Red Bull 1-2 while Sainz holds onto third place after a superb race. Hamilton did enough to keep sixth place even with his five-second penalty.
Here’s what the top ten looks like:
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 15:45
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VERTSAPPEN WINS ITALIAN GRAND PRIX!
The Dutchman has done it! He cruises to his record tenth-straight victory in dominant fashion.
It was hard work at the start but once he finally got past Sainz, it was all-too comfortable for the Red Bull driver.
“Not too bad,” he says over the radio. Not too bad, indeed.
(Getty Images)
Ben Fleming3 September 2023 15:40
