Team-mates in hot water and F1 star on the rise - things we learned from the Italian GP

Verstappen praat met Leclerc na kwalificatie op Monza — Photo: © LAT Images

Italian Grand Prix

Team-mates in hot water and F1 star on the rise - things we learned from the Italian GP

Max Verstappen cruised to victory in Monza and broke yet another milestone

Dan Davis

Monday 4 September 2023 09:57

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At least Max Verstappen was forced to wait a little before easing to his latest win.

His triumph at the Italian Grand Prix was his 10th in a row, a staggering new Formula 1 record, and showcased exactly why he is so untouchable this season.

Not even Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, both of whom had qualified in the top three with the former the polesitter, were able to prevent Verstappen's charge.

Luckily, however, there was plenty of drama further down the field.

Here, GPFans rounds up five key talking points from the drama in Monza.

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Verstappen romped home to his tenth consecutive race win

Verstappen in uncharted territory

Verstappen did not appear the slightest bit taken aback when he was informed over team radio that he had indeed shattered another motorsport milestone.

Easing his RB19 through the various sweeping bends and luscious straights in the sunshine, the most the world champion could muster up was a half-hearted laugh.

No one has reached this level of promised land before. He is a once-in-a-generation talent, an inevitable force and a level-headed racer rolled into one.

Toto Wolff may have hit out at Verstappen's record as being suited only for Wikipedia but surely buried beneath that dagger is begrudging respect for the feat.

It is only once in a blue moon that dominance of this extent is exerted over the rest of the field, after all, and Verstappen, blessed as he is with supreme skill, will certainly continue his course through the heart of uncharted territory.

Albon the real deal

Thank goodness Alex Albon is good enough to fight in the constructors' championship single-handedly, with Logan Sargeant nowhere to be seen.

Albon looks firmly at home in his Williams and he is the sole factor behind them sitting seventh in the standings, ahead of Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri.

With two consecutive points finishes under his belt, the Thai racer is reaching new heights and looks comfortable pushing his elbows out in the midfield fight.

Blessed with strong pace, helped in part by Williams' impressive straight-line speed, and an ability to unlock impressive performance in qualifying, Albon can finally begin to look up rather than nervously over his shoulder.

It is little wonder that James Vowles believes his star man makes it look easy. It is far from it, of course, but Albon's purple patch is paying handsome dividends.

Albon finished seventh, his joint-best result with Williams

Ferrari welcome to squabble

They may not have been able to provide their pulsating, roaring home crowd with a sensational win, but Ferrari laid on their fair share of thrills and spills regardless.

In the end, Sainz was forced to settle for third, though he made the most of his moment by pumping up the spectators before hoisting aloft his deserved trophy.

Leclerc trailed him in fourth but mounted a brave charge for the final podium spot over the final few laps, making for an enthralling spectacle for all involved.

They came desperately close to making unnecessary contact, with Sainz dodging and weaving across the width of the track, but returned home unscathed.

Sainz was able to retain his slender edge and came home behind the two Red Bulls, a boost for him after being somewhat overshadowed by Leclerc this year.

Lawson ready for big step

Take a bow, Liam Lawson.

He may have narrowly missed out on a points finish after needing to make a second pit stop, but this was another impressive display from the hungry rookie.

Having qualified just behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, his in-house benchmark, Lawson set about racing in the midfield on his way to taking the flag in 11th.

Already, he is poles apart from Nyck de Vries' underwhelming offerings and looks genuinely rapid, making him a reliable stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo.

Lawson appears comfortable going through the motions of a Formula 1 race and is destined for a glittering future. The only uncertainty is where that will be.

Lawson narrowly missed out on the top 10 but delivered an impressive drive

McLaren in hot water

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri may have dodged a reprimand from the stewards after an altercation, but they later received an ear-bashing from Andrea Stella.

The two drivers came to blows on lap 24 after Piastri rejoined the circuit alongside Norris in a race for 10th, with the duo then making glancing contact.

Fortunately for McLaren, neither machine suffered major damage, though Stella, clearly not counting his lucky stars, hit out at the collision was "unacceptable".

"There should never ever be contact between two McLaren cars," he raged.

Ultimately, Norris finished in eighth while Piastri, who was forced into a front wing change after a shunt from Lewis Hamilton, settled for 12th place.