The Italian GP saw a lot of action in 2023 as Max Verstappen went up against the two Ferrari drivers. Sergio Perez came from 5th on the grid to make it a Red Bull 1-2. Carlos Sainz tried his best to keep Max Verstappen behind him in a Red Bull that has dominated Formula 1 in 2023. But the Spaniard’s staunch defense was broken by both Red Bull drivers. At the end, Carlos Sainz had to settle for 3rd place after a big tussle with his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen slotted behind the pole-sitting Carlos Sainz at the start but hounded his rival as the opening stint wore on, eventually forcing the Ferrari driver into a mistake at the first chicane on Lap 15 and then sweeping past around the outside of the Curva Grande.
From there, the reigning double world champion never looked back, pulling out a comfortable advantage up front for his latest F1 record as Sainz, team mate Sergio Perez and the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc fought over the remaining podium positions.
After an action-packed finale and some fierce defending from Sainz, it was Perez who emerged with the runner-up spot behind Verstappen, giving Red Bull their sixth one-two finish of the season as they turned the tables on Ferrari at the famous marque’s home track.
Sainz and Leclerc sent heart rates racing at the Scuderia as they went wheel-to-wheel over third all the way to the chequered flag – a huge lock-up from the Monegasque into the first chicane on the last lap settling the scrap in his team mate’s favour.
Behind the drama at the front, Mercedes logged a solid double points finish as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton came home fifth and sixth respectively, despite both drivers being hit with five-second time penalties.
Russell took his for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at the first chicane in a fight with Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, while Hamilton – who used a different tyre strategy to make up ground late on – took his for a clash with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the second chicane.
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton praises Max Verstappen but questions caliber of his teammates
Alex Albon gave Williams some more points in seventh, defending from the other McLaren of Lando Norris in a race to the finish line, as the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas completed the top 10.
Liam Lawson finished on the brink of the points in his second appearance in place of Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri, with Piastri 12th after that incident with Hamilton and a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Williams rookie Logan Sargeant was left to rue his own coming together with Bottas, and a five-second time penalty for causing that collision, en route to 13th, followed by the other Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine.
It was a quiet afternoon for Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll after his back-of-the grid start, the Canadian taking 16th at the chequered flag from the Haas machines of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, who had another challenging race day.
Two drivers failed to make it to the finish, with Esteban Ocon retiring late on in the second of the Alpines and Yuki Tsunoda watching the action from the sidelines after a reported engine failure on the formation lap put his AlphaTauri out before the race had even started.
*Inputs from Formula 1
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