Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Otherwise, it’s us – thanks for your company and comments, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Updated at 16.05 BST So with six races to go, Verstappen leads by 116 points. That means he can win the drivers’ championship under the lights in Singapore in a fortnight – but only if he scores 14 more points than Leclerc – first versus fifth, for example. If it’s not then, though, it will be soon. Updated at 15.52 BST
Driver rating
1 Verstappen 335 2 Leclerc 219 3 Perez 210 4 Russell 203 5 Sainz Jr 187 6 Hamilton 168
Final placements
1 Verstappen (Red Bull) 2 Leclerc (Ferrari) 3 Russell (Mercedes) 4 Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 5 Hamilton (Mercedes) 6 Peres (Red Bull) 7 Norris (McLaren) 8 Gasly (AlphaTauri) 9 De Vries (Williams) 10 Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) 11 Ocon (Alpine) 12 Schumacher (Haas) 13 Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 14 Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 15 Latifi (Williams) 16 Magnussen (Hare) DNF Ricciardo (McLaren), Stroll (Aston Martin), Alonso (Alpine), Vettel (Aston Martin) Here is our match… “Ricciardo’s stalled car could easily have been covered by double wavy yellows,” reckons Chris Pollard, “without any danger to drivers or spectators. There was no reason for the safety car to run to the checkered flag. It’s just blatant bias on the part of the race organizers.” I’m not sure about that – it’s easy to be liberal about these things when the real responsibility for security rests with someone else. I’m also not sure it would have made any difference to the finish, nor that it would be fair to reduce a 53-round fight to two rounds, for entertainment purposes. I’m not sure what’s right here, is what I’m saying, but I see both sides. Russell says he told his team that, sooner or later, they keep getting those podiums and he believes Verstappen and Leclerc were too quick today. Verstappen says he wanted a restart, but his team was fastest in each group and it was “really nice to drive today”, albeit a bit warm. Leclerc is disappointed that he didn’t have a fight at the end, but he gave it his all and is disappointed that he didn’t win in front of the tifosi. There are still a bunch of buds. Max Verstappen celebrates after victory. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images Updated at 15.37 BST Well done Nyck de Vries, taking points on his F1 debut. he’s got some talent and I think there’s a good chance we’ll see him more often next season, not just when Alex Albon is out.
Termination positions
“It’s a shame he didn’t make it in the end,” Christian Horner tells Verstappen, “but you were the fastest car all weekend.” And almost every other weekend, but the public does not like the way the race ended, voicing their displeasure – although they will know that we would have seen more or less the same result if we had a red flag and then a proper rush to the finish. 1 Veratappen 2 Leclerc 3 Russell 4 Sainz 5 Hamilton 6 Days 7 Norris 8 Gas 9 De Vries 10 Zhou
Max Verstappen wins the Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull!
Behind the safety car, he runs a mock formation lap, but he won’t mind – this is his first podium at Monza, his fifth in a row, and he can win the title in Singapore next time. Charles Leclerc is second for Ferrari, George Russell third for Mercedes. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crosses the line to win the race. Photo: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters Updated at 15.32 BST Lap 53/53 Of course driver safety is the most important thing, but there has to be a better way to end a race than this. I guess Verstappen was winning easily, so a red flag giving us an entertaining three-lap finish would be unfair on him… and yes, my fingers started laughing as they typed that. Lap 52/53 Yes, this will finish behind the safety car. Verstappen is cruising and the question now is how to catch him next season because this season is OVER. Lap 51/53 Ricciardo’s car is still there and nobody is there trying to move it, suggesting that this race will end behind the safety car. I don’t think it will matter much. 1 Verstappen 2 Leclerc 3 Russell 4 Sainz 5 Hamilton 6 Days 7 Norris 8 Gas 9 De Vries 10 Zhou 11 Ocon 12 Schumacher 13 Boots 14 Tsunoga 15 Latif 16 Magnussen 17 Ricciardo Round 50/53 “According to Murphy’s Law, everything that can go wrong will go wrong,” says Edwin Innih Imoesi. “I think we have to establish Verstappen’s law: whatever goes right, goes right for him.” It’s like Gary Player said, the more he practiced, the luckier he got. Lap 49/53 Verstappen enters for a free pit, as does Leclerc. we are likely to finish this race behind the safety car, which is what makes Verstappen’s 17 second lead so important. He has done so well to build and groom it, and his lead and top of the standings looks set to grow. Lap 48/53 Ricciardo’s car is stuck, but on the side of the track – the yellow flags might be enough to sort it out. But no, the safety car comes out and with Verstappen and Leclerc passed, Russell, right next to the pit lane, is called. Lap 47/53 Can we talk about Ferrari’s strategy – should they have stopped once rather than twice and used the inside? But ultimately, Verstappen is the better driver and has the fastest car, and sometimes there are no tactics that can get around those realities. But hold on for a while! Ricciardo has an engine problem, he is parked on the side of the track and we will definitely get a safety car! Is Verstappen now vulnerable? Lap 46/53 Leclerc closes in on Verastappen, but only slightly – the lead is 17.427s, and Verstappen, possibly with pace in hand, picks his way behind the markers. I keep saying this, but the ease with which he’s sorted this fight bodes ill for everyone else. Lap 45/53 After all the excitement of last year, it’s surprising to see Verstappen win the race and the title so easily. It’s like when Jon Jones won his first UFC belt – he was late to beat Shogun Rua, but no one came close to him afterward. Lap 44/53 Perez, caught by Hamilton, goes in for a new pair of softs and pulls out behind Norris. he has work to do if he wants to pass both and finish fifth. And check out Nyck de Vries, tenth and fighting for a point on debut. Lap 43/53 Verstappen is serene up front as Schumacher passes Latifi to take 14th and hold off the retaliatory. I don’t think there will be much traffic at the end unless there is an accident. Lap 42/53 A double DNF for Aston Martin, Stroll, the only rated finisher in every race this season, has to retire and join Vettel in the garage. Hamilton, sixth, is closing in on Perez, fifth, but the gap, 15.934s, is too big to close with 11 laps remaining. Lap 41/53 Sainz, in fourth place, is closing in on Russell, in third. Russell is no closer to Leclerc, in second. 1 Verstappen 2 Leclerc 3 Russell 4 Sainz 5 Days 6 Hamilton Lap 40/53 Sometimes you see a player or a team, in any sport, take a break or a win and use it to keep going, just like Verstappen did. He shouldn’t have won last year’s title, but he did, and he’s got the confidence to go on and improve. He is now the best in the world, ahead of Hamilton not only because he has a better car. Lap 38/53 Verstappen’s lead shrinks slightly, Leclerc’s soft tires close the gap, but unless something major happens, he has no chance of getting within striking distance. Lap 37/53 Those extra two seconds in the pit really cost Lando Nozza – not much, time-wise, but now he’s got Ricciardo and Hamilton in front of him and not much prospect of catching them back. Meanwhile, Leclerc sets the fastest lap, cutting Verstappen’s lead to 19.505 seconds. Marshals watch Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc drive his car. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images Updated 15.02 BST Lap 36/53 Verstappen is 0.4s faster than Leclerc and it’s soft new tyres, with his lead now up to 20.078s. Norris comes in and his pit is slow, so when he comes out again he drops from sixth to seventh, he gets between Ricciardo and Gasly. He is overtaken by Gasly and then Hamilton both. McLaren’s Lando Norris during a pit stop. Photo: Ciro de Luca/Reuters Updated at 15.05 BST Lap 35/53 Verstappen leads Leclerc by 19.693 seconds. will it be enough to keep the soft tires and Ferrari engine at bay? 1 Verstappen 2 Lcelcerc 3 Russell 4 Norris 5 Sainz 6 Days 7 Boots 8 Ricardo 9 Air 10 De Vries Lap 34/53 Verstappen leads again as Leclerc takes second, conceding around 18s and on soft tyres. Hamilton pits and does the same, exiting 12th after three seconds of stillness. He has a lot of traffic to get through if he wants to finish somewhere decent this afternoon. Lap 33/53 Norris is now fourth but will have to pit again so is likely to finish lower than higher. Meanwhile, Russell has been told by his team that he will have to finish five seconds ahead of Sainz, while Leclerc is set to pit for a second time in an attempt to hold off Verstappen. And as I type this, Sainz passes Perez. Lap 32/53 Leclerc now leads by 6.287 seconds and will be listening to Jaws music in his ear worm. Behind, Hamilton passes Perez to take fifth, but Alonso, who has finished in the points for 10 consecutive races, is out. Lap 31/53 Sainz is called and will take the soft. Russell moves up to third and has a decent chance of continuing. Sainz starts seventh, with Perez unable to get sixth, but I’m sure it won’t stay that way. Lap 30/53 Behind Verstappen, Sinz has cooled off a bit and trails him by 15.706 seconds. will probably change to soft at some point. Lap 29/53 Leclerc now leads Verstappen by 7.947 seconds and an overtaking looks like a matter of time. Except there’s something that can happen between now and when the champion is close enough, so Ferrari have hope…
