Lando Norris

Verstappen rolls back the clock to take masterful Italian Grand Prix Victory

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 07: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 and the rest of the field at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 07, 2025 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Andy Hone/LAT Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202509071178 // Usage for editorial use only //

Max Verstappen rolled back the clock to take a masterful Italian Grand Prix victory on Sunday. Us viewers suffered a case of déjà vu, believing it was 2023 as Verstappen ran and hid at the front from pole.

Behind him, the McLarens got themselves into another team order pickle, reminiscent of Hungary 2024. Norris’ slow pitstop caused Piastri to undercut him, despite Lando leading the pair, giving him strategy priority. The team feared being undercut by Leclerc on Piastri, which, like Hungary, probably wasn’t really on anyway.

The team ordered Piastri to let his teammate through as they deemed the delay a team mistake that needed to be made up to the Brit. This caused a lot of buzz around the paddock as everyone and their dogs had an opinion on it. At the end of the day, McLaren are only fighting themselves for the championship and can deal with that however they want.

It was the usual suspects that made up the rest of the top 6 – Leclerc, Russell and a rejuvenated Hamilton. Behind them, Albon completed another great turnaround after a disappointing qualifying; Bortoleto, Antonelli and Hadjar rounded off the top 10.

We were treated to a decent Italian Grand Prix with DRS being more effective than usual, but it’s a bit of a disgrace that these Pirelli medium tyres could basically go the whole race without much degradation. We need these tyres to create strategy headaches; a locked-in one-stop is no fun for anyone, we can’t always rely on McLaren to give us the drama.

Alright, lets get into the ratings:

1. Max Verstappen – 8.7

Max ended his 4-month victory drought. His longest in this era of F1, and did it in style. Starting from pole, he lost the lead in the first corner to Norris but hung in his DRS zone, before passing on Lap 8. From there, he drove away steadily to take a 19 second victory.

2. Lando Norris – 8.1

Lando was the better McLaren all weekend. Narrowly pipped to pole by Verstappen, he dived up the inside at Turn 1, Lap 1 and Verstappen only stayed ahead by cutting the chicane. He was given the place back but couldn’t maintain the lead as the Red Bull showed great pace. The McLarens went very long to put the softs on towards the end, hoping for a safety car that wouldn’t come. It felt inevitable that something would happen once they decided to pit Piastri first. Lando’s front left tyre took multiple attempts to secure to the car, resulting in a 5.9 second stop and his teammate was through into 2nd, extending his championship lead. The team decided that this was unfair, and swapped the cars, reinstated Lando’s deserved 2nd place.

3. Oscar Piastri – 7.8

Oscar couldn’t reproduce his pole lap in Zandvoort at Monza and was stuck in 3rd place for 99% of the race. He pulled off a super move around the outside of Leclerc into the first Lesmo on the first lap which maintained his podium place. As explained above, he jumped Lando in the spots but was forced to give it back after team orders were executed. Only 3 points lost but you can understand if he’s frustrated about the way it worked out in Italy.

4. Charles Leclerc – 8.1

Charles did his best to get on the podium at Monza. He got a great start to overtake Piastri but couldn’t make it stick. He then shadowed the two McLarens closely enough to cause them to second-guess their pitstop strategy but wasn’t ever close enough to threaten truly.

5. George Russell – 7.5

Another quiet race for George in Monza, starting and finishing 5th. He wasn’t quick enough to trouble the top 4 and had a big enough gap to Hamilton behind once he cleared the field to hold onto the position. He only finished 8 seconds from the podium but was rarely seen during the race.

6. Lewis Hamilton – 7.8

A more promising performance from Lewis. He qualified 5th but started 10th after his penalty from the Dutch Grand Prix was applied. He made quick work in the race to get up to 6th, passing Alonso and Bortoleto in the early stages but wasn’t able to make an impression on Russell ahead.

7. Alex Albon – 8.2

A fantastic recovery drive from Alex after a disappointing qualifying. He went long on the hards in the first stint, kept out of trouble so when he put on the mediums, he had a good differential to those around him, overtaking Antonelli late on for 9th, and inherited his final finishing position of 7th when Ocon and Stroll pitted late on.

8. Gabriel Bortoleto – 8.2

Gabriel got back in the points after an off weekend all around for Sauber in Zandvoort. He made his 4th Q3 of 2025 with a very stellar 8th. He made up a few spots at the start, but couldn’t hold onto them as the race went on. However, he can be very satisfied with 4 points from Italy.

9. Kimi Antonelli – 7.8

Toto Woolf called Kimi’s performance “underwhelming, coming home in 9th after qualifying in 6th, but I think this has been his best performance for a while. It was an interesting turn from Toto, who seems to be changing his tactics with the young Italian, putting some fire up his butt. Despite all this, its a welcome return to the points for Antonelli, even with a 5-second penalty for driving erratically.

10. Isack Hadjar – 7.9

Another good recovery drive. Shockingly, both Racing Bulls were knocked out in Q1, but Hadjar was able to get back into the points, passing his rival for the Red Bull seat next year, Tsunoda, on the way.

11. Carlos Sainz – 6.9

Carlos missed out on points after connecting with Ollie Bearman at the 2nd chicane. Ollie got the penalty but Carlos should have given him more space, for both their sakes. Carlos couldn’t make as much progress as his teammate after qualifying next to each other.

12. Ollie Bearman – 7.5

Speaking of Bearman, he was unlucky to get the penalty as I felt it was a nailed-on racing incident. This pushed him out of the points, but at least he didn’t finish 11th for the 7th time this season. Another weekend where Ollie outperformed his veteran teammate, it’s becoming a trend!

13. Yuki Tsunoda – 6.5

This is the expected performance for Yuki in this Red Bull. Got into the top 10 in Qualifying but wasn’t able to hang on to any points, and fell back. Still only 12 points all season for the Japanese driver and he has scored points in 1 of the last 9 races.

14. Liam Lawson – 6.9

A quiet afternoon for Liam. Wasn’t able to make up as much ground as his teammate. He started on the softs which gained him a spot but the DRS train stunted his progress. Had a little scuffle with Tsunoda as he tried making up ground on fresher hard tyres but that was about all the action he saw. Was running towards the back until some late pitstops gained him some ground.

15. Esteban Ocon – 6.2

Ocon tried the hard tyre alternate strategy, going long and hoping for a safety car to grab some points. This gamble didn’t pay off for him. He was running in 7th until his mandatory pitstop sent him down to 15th.

16. Pierre Gasly – 6.5

Another struggle for Alpine as they just aren’t relevant for much of the season. Both got knocked out in Q1 and couldn’t get on TV during the race. You can count on Pierre finishing in front of his teammate though.

17. Franco Colapinto – 6.5

Just see above, really, apart from Franco didn’t finish ahead of his teammate. Knocked out in Q1 and ran towards the back the whole race!

18. Lance Stroll – 5.5

An underwhelming performance from Stroll, qualified 17th, started on the hards and went long, hoping for a safety car. Was in the points because of everyone else pitting and returned to the back once he pitted as well.

19. Fernando Alonso – 7.1

Fernando was so unlucky. A suspension failure as he travelled over the curbs at the exit of the Ascari chicane ended his race. We haven’t seen anything like that for a long time and Fernando was very much in the fight for points before this premature ending. Its scandalous that he is on the same points as his teammate when he has been thoroughly outperforming him but has suffered from unreliability all season.

20. Nico Hulkenberg – 4.5

Gutting for Nico as a hydraulic issue forced his retirement before the race even started. A rare DNS for the German. It was looking promising for him, starting in 12th but couldn’t attempt to improve. Was out-qualified by his teammate again, however.

British Grand Prix Driver Ratings

Silverstone does it again. You can always trust the British Grand Prix to throw up some drama, some rain and some unexpected results. Heavy rain earlier in the day threatened to disrupt the race, but the track was perilously close to drying up by the start. All the cars began the formation lap on intermediate tyres, but a few drivers opted to change to slicks before the start—a decision that would prove costly. From there, we were treated to 52 laps of high-speed drama, slipping, sliding and spinning. At the flag, McLaren emerged in their usual spot for 2025, securing a one-two finish, while other big names like Ferrari and Mercedes struggled with strategy.

It was Lando Norris who came out on top to win his first British Grand Prix after Piastri was harshly penalised for a safety car infringement when leading. The Aussie would have to settle for 2nd, but it was behind the two McLarens, where we will find the driver of the day: Nico Hulkenberg! The Sauber driver came from 19th on the grid to take his first podium, at the 239th time of asking. This has to take the lead as the most popular moment in recent F1 history; the whole paddock was basking in Nico’s success, which was lovely to see.

Now, let’s get into the driver ratings:

Lando Norris claimed his first British Grand Prix victory, marking his eighth career win. Starting third on the grid, he did well to resist Hamilton’s advances on Lap 1. Soon Norris was on the back of Verstappen, and he overtook on lap 11 only to lose second place immediately during the pit stops. However, he regained the position after Verstappen’s mistake at the safety car restart. Norris ultimately inherited the lead after Piastri was penalised for a safety car infringement, but looked like he would have been able to take the fight to his teammate if not for the penalty. We will never know, though, and history will only remember a Norris victory.
Driver Rating: 8.5

Oscar Piastri

When Piastri took the lead from Verstappen on Lap 8 and stretched his lead to 12 seconds, he could be forgiven for thinking a win was his. The safety cars scuppered him, though; first, nullifying his lead, followed by a controversial penalty for erratic driving that cost him the victory. Despite this, he drove a strong race and was unlucky to miss out on the top step of the podium.
Driver Rating: 8.2

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg delivered the drive of the day, and likely drive of the year, starting 19th and finishing 3rd. His strategy was flawless, pitting for fresh intermediates just as the rain intensified and switching to mediums at the perfect time. Hulkenberg was one of the few drivers to make no discernible mistakes and capitalised on others’ errors to secure his first podium in 239 races. Once he got into his podium position, he drove expertly to pull away from the pack and secure Sauber’s first podium in 13 years.
Driver Rating: 9.7

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton showed promise early in the weekend, topping practice sessions and narrowly missing out on pole position. However, the Ferrari really struggled in the wet conditions, and Hamilton battled balance issues throughout the race. He lost time in the final pit stops and couldn’t catch Hulkenberg, finishing fourth. Despite the challenges, it was one of Hamilton’s better results this season.
Driver Rating: 8.1

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen took pole position with a flawless lap but struggled in the race due to Red Bull’s gamble on a low-downforce setup, which was ill-suited to the wet conditions. Verstappen grappled with a tail-happy car and graining tyres, uncharacteristically spinning at the safety car restart and dropping to tenth. He recovered to fifth, but it was a day of damage limitation for the reigning champion.
Driver Rating: 7.7

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly had a really solid race, making the right strategic decisions and gaining positions during pit stops. He fought with Hamilton and Russell for much of the second half of the race, but couldn’t match their pace ultimately. He dispatched Stroll to take 6th late one, an important result for Alpine, who languish at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship
Driver Rating: 8.5

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll ran as high as third during the race despite a sub-optimal strategy. He wasn’t able to hold on as he struggled with severe tyre degradation as the track dried, eventually finishing seventh. Despite the drop, it was a commendable performance from the Canadian, who often faces criticism, not least from me.
Driver Rating: 8.1

Alex Albon

Alex Albon scored points for Williams after a tricky couple of races. He stayed out of trouble and delivered a consistent performance to finish eighth.
Driver Rating: 7.9

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso started seventh but could only manage ninth at the finish. He expressed frustration with the team’s strategy but still secured valuable points for Aston Martin.
Driver Rating: 7.8

George Russell

George Russell’s race was marred by poor strategy decisions from Mercedes, even before the race had started. He was one of the car to pit on the formation lap, and Mercedes chased strategy calls from there. It was a strange decision to go with new hards, twice, on a drying track when tyre temperature is crucial. They went early with their decision to go with dries towards the end, and got the decision wrong for the 2nd time, causing Russell to lose bundles of time. He would have to settle for a point when, at times, a podium looked like a possibility…miraculously.
Driver Rating: 7.5

Ollie Bearman

Ollie Bearman was the only rookie to finish the race, coming home in 11th. He had a few clumsy moments, which included hitting his teammate, and pulling off a beautifully choreographed double spin and Brooklands. Despite this, he did manage to finish ahead of Ocon.
Driver Rating: 7.1

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz had an up-and-down race. His performance was hindered by strategic missteps and a late coming together with Leclerc when the Ferrari driver lost control at Stowe, pushing them both out of the points.
Driver Rating: 7.3

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon was caught in several incidents, including a collision with his teammate. He finished 13th after a challenging race.
Driver Rating: 7.2

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc had a nightmare race, pitting too early for slicks on the formation lap and struggling with pace throughout. It was one of his worst performances as a Ferrari driver with multiple mistakes and excursions across the grass and gravel traps.
Driver Rating: 5.2

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda finished last on the road for the second consecutive race. He struggled for pace and was the only driver to be lapped. Just when the curse of the 2nd Red Bull seat looks like it hits rock bottom, the bottom falls out again. Where/when will this end?
Driver Rating: 4.5

Did Not Finishers

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli was taken out early in the race after being hit by Isack Hadjar. He was unable to continue with most of his diffuser missing.
Driver Rating: 5.0

Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar caused the collision with Antonelli, which led to him losing control and crashing heavily at Copse. It was a slow weekend all round for the Racing Bulls team, a learning opportunity for their young drivers.
Driver Rating: 3.5

Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto was a victim of risky strategy after Sauber put him on mediums on the formation lap. Struggling with tyre warm up on a track that wasn’t ready, Bortoleto lost control while feathering the throttle at Turn 1, crashing into the barriers and destroying his rear wing. Race over on Lap 2.
Driver Rating: 4.0

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson’s race ended on the first lap as three cars attempted to take the Loop side by side, when there was only room for two. Lawson was the unlucky victim, as a thump from Ocon, the meat in the sandwich, broke his rear suspension.
Driver Rating: 4.0

Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto did not start the race due to transmission issues on the reconnaissance lap.
Driver Rating: N/A