Headline take: dominant Verstappen, awkward McLaren optics, spicy title math

Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix with a throwback display that evoked 2023—clean start, race pace in hand, and metronomic tyre management. Red Bull’s upgrade package hit the sweet spot in Monza’s low‑to‑medium speed sections, letting Verstappen control stint lengths and break the tow. The win came with an extra landmark: the fastest-ever average speed for a Formula 1 race, underlining how relentlessly the RB21 pounded out laps at the Temple of Speed.

The other headline was McLaren—not for lack of speed, but for the optics. A slow left‑front on Lando Norris’s stop flipped track position to Oscar Piastri. Soon after, the call came: swap. Norris did not request it; Piastri complied. McLaren sealed a 2–3, but the discourse drowned out the scoreboard. Would Norris have passed anyway on warmer, used softs? Probably. Would that on‑track pass have avoided the backlash? Almost certainly.

Below, the weekend’s big winners and losers—plus what it means for the F1 points system, standings, and the championship run‑in.

Winners

Max Verstappen — control, clarity, and a record in the book

Pole, race control, tyre life, radio quips. Verstappen dictated the tempo, stretched the first stint on mediums, and cruised home on hards. Even rear‑tyre blistering on the C4s never became a problem. The margin at the flag and the historic average speed tell the story: Red Bull found real performance and race‑pace comfort, not a one‑lap flash. It also landed as the first Red Bull victory of the Laurent Mekies era—useful optics and a proof point for their development direction.

Lando Norris — damage limitation with upside

On race day the McLaren wasn’t on Red Bull’s pace. Even so, Norris banked P2, trimmed the championship deficit to his teammate, and kept the constructors’ snowball rolling. Crucially, he didn’t force the issue into Turn 1 when the odds of a mistake outweighed the reward. Right decision on the day, even if the radio silence post‑swap spoke volumes about the situation’s PR sting.

Ferrari — small win at home, foundations for more

Charles Leclerc’s launch and early elbows with the leaders were electric, and Ferrari’s race‑pace execution was calmer than Zandvoort. Lewis Hamilton served a five‑place grid penalty yet still climbed to sixth. Fourth and sixth on Sunday isn’t a parade, but it is a reset—especially with the constructors’ fight tightening.

Alex Albon — Williams’ points engine

From 14th to 7th with long‑run discipline, a tidy overcut window, and clean execution when it mattered. Williams have quietly stacked a season’s worth of small wins; this was another textbook Sunday that pushes their modern‑era points tally into genuinely respectable territory.

Gabriel Bortoleto — rookie maturity, real points

Monza was his 2024 breakout; 2025 showed the same composure. Even after a slow stop, Bortoleto recalibrated rather than overreached, and banked more points for Sauber. The trend line points one way: up.

Isack Hadjar — from pit lane to payoff

Pit‑lane start, disciplined long first stint, no Safety Car bailout required—just pace and patience. P10 is one point, but it’s a meaningful one in a tight constructors’ midfield where every position swings prize money.

Mezzanine: solid but not sparkling

Oscar Piastri — fast enough for the podium, hurt by tyre life and timing

Twice passing Leclerc early looked feisty, but the price was paid on medium‑tyre life. The team pitted him first; Norris declined priority. The call to swap later was awkward, but Piastri’s immediate compliance de‑escalated the moment. If not for the slow wheel change on Norris’s car, the pass likely happens organically on Norris’s used softs anyway—and this entire storm never brews. Still, the pace baseline was top‑three all weekend.

Mercedes — points floor, not a ceiling

George Russell was mainly managing Leclerc’s offset, not threatening him. Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s race was noisier—penalty management, then forward progress to ninth—but the end result was still a decent haul from a package happier on harder compounds.

Losers

McLaren (the optics, not the result)

The 2–3 is gold for the constructors’ championship. The radio traffic isn’t. McLaren is a team‑first outfit with clear cultural guardrails; both drivers know it. But the public read is simple: swapping cars due to a botched stop feels like manufacturing an outcome that likely would have happened anyway. Fairness was the intent; organic racing was the better narrative. Expect this to linger a news cycle longer than the points table merits.

Yuki Tsunoda — top‑10 start, momentum lost

Back‑to‑back Q3s promised more, but race pace never hooked up and a mid‑race tangle compounded a numb balance. On a weekend where the senior team dominated, this one will sting.

Oliver Bearman — pace without polish

There’s speed here, no doubt. But penalties and an incident with Carlos Sainz turned a borderline points day into P12 and two more license points. He’s now flirting with a ban threshold. Execution has to tighten.

Aston Martin — promise, then heartbreak

Fernando Alonso muscled into Q3 when the AMR25 was expected to struggle; a late‑race suspension failure erased a likely P7–P8. Lance Stroll’s uphill climb never caught traction. Reliability becomes the watchword for the run‑in.

Alpine — split strategies, little to show

Power‑sensitive Monza punished them. Franco Colapinto’s early lock‑up cooked tyres; Pierre Gasly’s long first stint fishing for a Safety Car came up empty. Marginal gains only.

What it means for the F1 points and standings

  • With the modern Formula 1 points system (full distance: 25‑18‑15‑12‑10‑8‑6‑4‑2‑1; no fastest lap point since 2024), Verstappen’s 25 shrinks the gap to the McLaren pair, but the orange cars still control the drivers’ championship.
  • Post‑Monza snapshot:
    • Drivers’ Championship: Oscar Piastri leads from Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen third and closing.
    • Constructors’ Championship: McLaren holds a substantial cushion; Ferrari and Mercedes are locked in a tight fight behind; Red Bull’s resurgence compresses the battle for second.
  • The final third of 2025 is set up beautifully: multiple teams capable of winning individual races, and two McLarens managing the balance between team orders and a live drivers’ title duel.

If you’re new to how F1 points work, our explainers go deeper:

McLaren team orders: why the optics hurt (and what the data suggests)

Team orders are part of championship management, but fairness is also about process. Key context:

  • Norris was offered first stop and declined, provided no undercut would occur—reasonable given track position. The slow left‑front made the delta look like an undercut regardless.
  • On used softs, Norris had meaningful pace delta and was already closing pre‑call. The likely scenario: an on‑track pass within a lap or two. The swap ensured the outcome, but removed the contest.
  • Piastri’s immediate compliance helped contain intra‑team fallout. The optics still landed badly with fans—especially with memories of earlier team‑order flashpoints.

Takeaway: McLaren protected the aggregate result but lost the narrative. In a season where both drivers are in the F1 drivers’ championship fight, every call is a messaging exercise as much as a sporting one.

Race craft and strategy notes that decided Monza

  • Start and Lap 1 discipline: Verstappen won Turn 1 positioning and never surrendered DRS control.
  • Medium‑tyre longevity: Extending the first stint widened strategy windows and neutralised undercuts.
  • Pit execution variance: One slow stop reshaped the podium order and the Monday discourse.
  • Ferrari’s first‑stint aggression: Leclerc’s elbows‑out moves were costly on tyre life but made the opening laps unmissable.
  • Williams patience play: Albon’s long‑first‑stint rhythm opened the door to clear‑air push laps and track position.

Who moved the F1 constructors’ championship needle most?

  • McLaren: A 2–3 is a points monster. Regardless of the swap debate, it’s a constructors’ slam dunk.
  • Red Bull: The win plus race‑pace signal suggests more chances to steal chunks of points in the final eight rounds.
  • Ferrari: A clean double‑points home race matters. Reliability and execution need to stay at this level to defend P2.

SEO corner: quick answers F1 fans are searching for

How do F1 points work in 2025?

Top 10 finishers score 25‑18‑15‑12‑10‑8‑6‑4‑2‑1 in a full‑distance race. There is no fastest lap bonus from 2024 onward. Sprint races pay 8‑7‑6‑5‑4‑3‑2‑1 to the top eight.

Who is leading the F1 2025 drivers’ championship right now?

Oscar Piastri leads the standings, with Lando Norris second and Max Verstappen third after Monza.

Who leads the F1 constructors’ championship?

McLaren leads the constructors’ standings after Monza, with Ferrari and Mercedes next and Red Bull closing the gap.

Did McLaren issue team orders at Monza 2025?

Yes. After a slow pit stop dropped Lando Norris behind Oscar Piastri, the team instructed a position swap. Norris did not ask for the swap; Piastri complied immediately.

What happened to fastest lap points?

The fastest lap bonus point was discontinued ahead of the 2024 season. Only finishing positions score in both grands prix and sprints.

Internal reading for deeper context

Final word

Verstappen took care of business. McLaren took care of points. The optics? Not so much. As the season heads into its final third, the F1 championship standings look set for a grandstand finish: two McLarens juggling teamwork and rivalry, Verstappen rediscovering menace, Ferrari re‑centred at home, and a midfield that keeps delivering real, tangible swings. Buckle up.