Verstappen Wins Monza Amid McLaren Team Orders Drama
The Italian Grand Prix at Monza delivered everything fans expect from Formula 1’s “Temple of Speed”—fierce battles, heartbreak, and controversy. In the end, it was Max Verstappen who claimed victory, returning Red Bull to winning form, while McLaren found themselves in the middle of a storm of team orders that left many talking more about politics than pace.
Right from the start, tension was sky-high. Verstappen, starting from pole, defended hard against Lando Norris into the first chicane. Norris was squeezed onto the grass, Verstappen overshot and cut the corner, and the stewards quickly told him to give the place back. He did, but only briefly. By lap four, Verstappen had reclaimed the lead with a decisive move into Turn One, and from there, he was never challenged again. His dominance was clear as he crossed the line with a comfortable margin, securing his first win since May.
Behind him, though, the drama belonged to McLaren. For much of the race, Norris had been holding second place, with Oscar Piastri close behind. But a late round of pit stops changed everything. McLaren chose to pit Piastri first, an unusual move since Norris had been ahead, but it was explained as a defensive call to cover Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Piastri’s stop was lightning fast at 1.9 seconds, while Norris suffered a disastrous delay when his front-right wheel gun failed, costing him four extra seconds. That mistake dropped him behind his teammate.
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On track, Piastri inherited second. But not for long. Just a lap later, the call came over his radio: “Oscar, this is a bit like Hungary last year. Please let Lando past, then you are free to race.” Piastri pushed back, saying slow pit stops were simply part of racing. But despite his objections, he obeyed and moved aside, handing Norris the place back.
That single instruction has already sparked debates across the paddock and among fans. Some argue Norris had earned second place on merit and simply fell victim to bad luck in the pits. Others believe McLaren should have allowed Piastri to keep the position, since racing is unpredictable and mistakes—mechanical or human—shape outcomes. The decision also shaved three points off Piastri’s championship lead, which now stands at 31 with eight races remaining.
Norris admitted afterward that mistakes were made, calling it “one of those days,” while Piastri stayed professional, acknowledging the call but noting he disagreed in the moment. The incident mirrored a reversal from last season, when Norris himself had been asked to yield to Piastri.
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc salvaged fourth for Ferrari, giving the Italian crowd something to cheer, while Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s newest signing, Lewis Hamilton, followed in fifth and sixth. Fernando Alonso’s luckless season continued, as a suspension failure forced him to retire after a strong run.
So, while Verstappen stood tall again on the podium, the real noise came from the McLaren garage. Their dominance this season remains undeniable, but with two ambitious drivers locked in a title fight, their biggest challenge may not come from Red Bull or Ferrari—but from their own decisions. Monza showed that even when one team rules the track, the story isn’t always about who wins, but how it’s won.
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