Max Verstappen set a new record for the most consecutive wins in Formula 1 after an action-packed Italian GP at Monza; Sergio Perez fought hard to make it a Red Bull one-two, while Carlos Sainz just held off Charles Leclerc in the final laps to take third place
Monday 4 September 2023 06:27, UK
Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz to become the first driver to win 10 consecutive F1 races.
Verstappen, who started from second, overtook pole-sitter Sainz before the first and only pit stops to secure victory and surpass Sebastian Vettel's record of nine straight wins from 2013.
The triumph extends Verstappen's lead to 145 points in the drivers' championship from Perez, as Red Bull maintain their unbeaten record in 2023.
"I never would have believed it was possible (to win 10 races in a row) but we had to work for it today and that made it a lot more fun," said Verstappen.
"We had good pace but they had a lot of top speed so it was hard to get close and get the move into Turn One so I had to force him into a mistake. Luckily it came at some point where he locked up. I tried to stay patient then just had to pick my moment."
Perez was involved in an almighty battle behind Verstappen for the podium places, as Charles Leclerc nearly ran into the back of Sainz on the final lap in the fight for third.
George Russell took fifth from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who used an alternative tyre strategy to finish in sixth despite a late collision with Oscar Piastri's McLaren.
Alex Albon gave Williams their joint-best result of the season with seventh, ahead of Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas.
Italian GP result
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, Aston Martin
10) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
The start was delayed due to Yuki Tsunoda crawling to a halt on the formation lap, but it was a relatively clean opening lap of the race as the top five drivers held their positions.
Sainz led a DRS train at the front from Verstappen and Leclerc, but the Red Bull driver quickly noticed the leader was struggling with his rear tyres.
Verstappen nearly got past on a couple of occasions as he got alongside approaching the first corner. However, Sainz went too deep into the first chicane on Lap 15 which put him on the wrong line for the exit, so Verstappen got a good run through the Curve Grande (Turn 3) and took the lead before Turn 4.
Outside of the pit stop phase, Verstappen retained the lead for the remainder of the Grand Prix, although he revealed there was a problem with his car during the latter stages of the race.
Behind Verstappen, we saw the biggest race-long battle of the season so far as Sainz tried to hold off Leclerc and Perez.
A slightly slow pit stop for Sainz meant he was only just ahead of his Ferrari team-mate when Leclerc emerged out of the pits, with Perez behind the pair.
The trio ran in a DRS train for 10 laps, before Perez overtook Leclerc on Lap 32, despite nearly colliding the lap before.
Sainz also defended hard from the Red Bull driver, with Perez claiming he was forced off the track when he cut the first chicane.
Eventually, he eased through on the approach to Turn 1 after staying close enough off the last corner to take second place and make it at Red Bull one-two.
But, the podium battle wasn't done there as Leclerc put pressure on Sainz in the closing laps. They traded positions with four laps to go through the first sector, with Sainz prevailing, then Leclerc nearly hit his team-mate on the last lap as he locked up at the first chicane.
Hamilton was one of three drivers to start on the hard tyres, while everyone else began the Italian Grand Prix on the mediums.
The seven-time world champion found himself in the lead as everyone else pitted but came out in 10th after his pit stop on Lap 28.
Now on the mediums, he thought Mercedes gave him too long of a stint until the end of the race. But, he overtook Alonso and then came together with Piastri at the second chicane.
Due to the collision, Hamilton was given a five-second time penalty as Piastri suffered front wing damage and was forced to pit.
Meanwhile, Hamilton continued his march through the field and overtook Norris, then Albon and crucially was ahead of the Williams driver by more than five seconds to take sixth place on the week he signed a new deal to stay with Mercedes until 2025.
Next up for the F1 circus are the stunning streets of Singapore under the lights. All sessions from the Singapore GP will be live on Sky Sports F1 from September 15-17. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for just £26 a month for 12 months. Cancel anytime
