Temple of Speed, conquered: Max after a record-breaking pole (F1 Twitter)
I can’t talk about this race without first mentioning what happened yesterday during qualifying. Why? Because Saturday practically reset gravity at the world-famous Temple of Speed.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen didn’t just take pole position; he detonated a benchmark. His qualifying lap timed at about one minute and 18 seconds (1:18.792) at an average pace of 264.682 km an hour. That’s now the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded in Formula 1, eclipsing Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 record at the same track.
And the timing had a sense of cosmic comedy. Earlier this year, Hamilton signed an endorsement deal with Perplexity, an AI search company that, according to them, “provides accurate, trusted, and real-time answers to any question.” Hamilton tried to demonstrate Perplexity’s use on Twitter by asking it who had the fastest lap at Monza. Perplexity’s account replied with his own 2020 record—1:18.887. The record that would be broken the day after he tweeted about it. Ouch.
There’s an irony here that I can’t help but appreciate. At least the software updates in real-time.
That was just the start of a dominant weekend for Verstappen. Sure, McLaren’s Lando Norris launched like a slingshot once the lights went out, forcing him to skip the first chicane (and into P2 to avoid a penalty). But Verstappen did what Verstappen does best: overtake the competition. He waited for the perfect moment and took the lead back in lap 4, using DRS and later braking to clear the McLaren and snap the elastic. From there, the gap widened as the lap numbers went up.
On the radio, Norris was fuming, “What the fuck… [Verstappen’s] put me on the grass and then he’s just cut the corner.” But fury doesn’t buy straight-line speed or tire life at Monza. Verstappen took his lead back fair and square— after all, he can’t afford any more penalty points this season.
And Red Bull’s pit strategy played off. After the opening-lap drama, the team had him do a single pit stop ahead of the McLarens. From there, it was textbook: clean, no drama, and with a pace delta making McLaren’s only real weapon of pressure evaporate.
By the checkered flag, Verstappen not only secured his second pole-to-win of the season (and third win overall), but he also broke a second Formula 1 record. He crossed the finish line first in the fastest grand prix in Formula 1 history: 1:13:24.325 at an average 250.706 km/h, winning by about 19 seconds. That’s a 22-year-old Michael Schumacher benchmark erased by three clicks of the needle. Congratulations to him, seriously.
Record pole Saturday, record race Sunday. Same signature (F1 Twitter)
Meanwhile, the weekend could have gone better for the constructor’s championship lead. While McLaren still managed a double podium, they complicated a surefire P2 with an almost six-second stop for Norris, dropping him behind teammate Oscar Piastri. Cue the radio call, a reluctant position swap, and a little papaya melodrama. Sure, Norris salvaged P2 ahead of Piastri and scored the fastest lap, but the points haul just wasn’t clean. Why did they even need to change the order? The team would have still gotten a 2-3 regardless. Do they seriously favor Lando Norris that much?
The moment McLaren’s radio order came in (F1 Twitter)
And finally, we need to talk about Ferrari’s results (of course we do, this is Monza). The Tifosi got a respectable heartbreak. Charles Leclerc finished in P4, close enough to feel the podium’s heat alongside the disappointment of not quite reaching it. The car had straight-line punch, but not the stint pace to menace McLaren or Verstappen once the race found its rhythm. And while Lewis Hamilton’s recovery drive to P6 after a five-place grid drop kept the points honest, the fairytale never materialized.
Ferrari’s finishing results (Ferrari Twitter)
All in all, Monza was simple: Saturday broke the clock, Sunday paid it off. Verstappen did a double record pole/record race, and everyone else lived in the margins. McLaren banked what would have been an uneventful 2-3 with team-order fingerprints and a slow-stop smudge. Ferrari handed the Tifosi a respectable heartbreak in P4 and P6. And Hamilton’s Perplexity sponcon? A real-time tutorial in how fast the “right answer” updates when Max is in this mood. That’s it. That’s the weekend.
Miscellaneous Notes
And, as always, my other random thoughts and observations that didn’t make it into the main piece:
Solid scoring for Isack Hadjar. The Racing Bulls rookie finished P10 after having to start in the pit lane. Considering he scored his maiden podium last week, that’s a good upkeep of momentum.
A good weekend to be a rookie… Hell, this race was a good one for the rookies in general. Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto in P8, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in P9 (with a five-second penalty for erratic driving).
…Unless you’re Ollie Bearman. While the Haas rookie finished three positions ahead of his teammate, but collected a 10-second penalty for tangling with Carlos Sainz and got two penalty points. He’s now just two shy of a race ban. Yikes.
Alex Albon, metronome mode. The Williams driver sped from P14 to P7 with tidy racecraft. Good for him.
Monza still does not love Yuki Tsunoda: Verstappen’s teammate started P9 and drifted to P13— out of the points on Red Bull’s best weekend in months.
Stay weird, Liam Lawson. Back-row start, P14 finish, and a pre-race “team party” he and Hadjar allegedly weren’t told about. Motorsport is a workplace comedy sometimes.
Stop calling Max’s partner a “model”. She’s not one. She hasn’t done anything of note, like, ever. Stop giving her attention, for God’s sake! I’ve spent more than enough time talking about her problems.
That’s all for now, my dears. I’ll see you in Azerbaijan in a couple of weeks.
-Flower