The start was aborted after Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri was abandoned on the side of the circuit in the grass. Replays showed Tsunoda’s car blowing smoke, and the driver shut off the engine and parked to his right. Despite another formation lap, the race start was further delayed. In the end, a total of three formation laps were played out before the final start, shortening the race to 51 laps.
Carlos Sainz managed to retain the first position at the race start after starting from pole, but the DRS activation on Lap 3 resulted in Max trying to overtake the Spaniard. The two almost collided when the Red Bull driver tried to make a move after finding a gap, however, Sainz managed to keep him behind with a beautiful defensive move.
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Sainz managed to hold onto the first spot up until Lap 15, when Verstappen finally overtook the Ferrari driver. Red Bull’s other driver Checo Perez moved up to fourth soon after, sending George Russell behind him. After the overtake, it was the same story like almost all other races this season, with Verstappen continually increasing his lead up front, and the other drivers playing catch up.
Take a look at all the point scorers at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix –
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
7. Alex Albon (Williams)
8. Lando Norris (McLaren)
9. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Lap 41 saw Hamilton and Piastri going wheel to wheel, with both coming in contact with each other. The contact resulted in front wing damage for McLaren. This resulted in Hamilton taking a five second penalty, while his teammate Russell also took a similar penalty early on in the race. After a long battle, Perez managed to move to P2.
In the end, it was Max Verstappen who sealed a victory at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix, taking his 10th consecutive win of the season, setting a new Formula One record! Red Bull completed the race at Monza with a 1-2, with the final podium position being occupied by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, despite constant pressure on the final few laps from his teammate Leclerc, who finished fourth. The victory also means that Red Bull has become the first team in F1 to record 15 straight wins.
How long do you think Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing can continue their winning ways? Let us know in the comments down below.