Verstappen wins exciting Italy race amid McLaren team orders row
Lando Norris finished second ahead of Oscar Piastri to trim his teammate's championship lead, but only after the Australian had to reluctantly give Norris the place back following a botched McLaren pit-stop.
MONZA - A team orders row hit McLaren's title challengers as Red Bull driver Max Verstappen used all his Formula 1 nous to seal victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
Lando Norris finished second ahead of Oscar Piastri to trim his teammate's championship lead, but only after the Australian had to reluctantly give Norris the place back following a botched McLaren pit-stop.
Piastri was then given free rein to try to overtake his team mate in the final three laps, but Norris held on for second. The Briton had slipped further behind in the title running last weekend when he had to retire in the Netherlands as Piastri triumphed.
Dutchman Verstappen is third in the standings and knows a fifth straight world title is highly unlikely, but the Red Bull man at least grabbed his 66th career F1 win.
Verstappen, who had set the quickest lap ever seen in F1 in qualifying to seize a surprise pole off the McLarens, stayed ahead, having twice switched places with Norris in a thrilling set of early exchanges.
He then built up enough of a lead so that a one-stop pit strategy did not threaten his victory.
Norris decided to stay out longer on his first set of tyres but to no avail, with a slow stop almost costing him second before the team asked a riled Piastri to let him pass.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fourth and Mercedes driver George Russell fifth. Lewis Hamilton rose up to sixth, having started with a five-grid penalty in 10th on his first Italian GP for the Scuderia. - BERNAMA-dpa
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