Verstappen ‘no longer has a future at Red Bull’ - GPFans’ Italian Grand Prix Hot Takes
Verstappen ‘no longer has a future at Red Bull’ - GPFans’ Italian Grand Prix Hot Takes
After all the talk of a potential Lando Norris-Max Verstappen championship battle in the build-up to the Italian Grand Prix, it was another star who stood out in Monza.
Charles Leclerc took a stunning home victory for Ferrari at the iconic circuit on Sunday, pulling off an audacious one-stop strategy to hold off McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who had looked like the man to beat after lap one.
F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton FUMES as FIA issue Monza punishment ahead of Italian Grand Prix
F1 RESULTS: Ferrari spark WILD Monza celebrations as Verstappen title gap cut
Piastri, though, was given a two-stop strategy by his team, which you have to say, ultimately cost him the race.
Ferrari put all their chips on the table leaving both Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz on one-stop races, and whilst Piastri and his team-mate Norris were able to get past the Spaniard, the Monegasque driver proved a challenge too far.
After a thrilling afternoon, here is what the GPFans' team made of the race.
READ MORE: FIA issue DOUBLE Ricciardo penalty as RB RETIRE car at Italian GP
GPFans' Italian Grand Prix hot takes
Chris Deeley - US Editor
McLaren just cannot get out of their own way. Despite having had the fastest car on the grid for months, they’ve won three times all season. Three.
That’s the same number that Mercedes have won in the last six races. That’s the same number as Ferrari, the consensus fourth-fastest team on the grid. How do you ruin your star driver’s best-ever chance at a title? Act like McLaren.
They’ve made strategic mistakes all season long. They’ve been outclassed on the pit wall by Ferrari today. The only thing anyone can talk about when the team are brought up is potential internal conflict between their drivers.
This is a team that isn’t ready to win a title. This is a team of children sitting at the adults’ table. If they don’t grow up soon, they’re going to waste the best car they’ve had in a generation.
Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist
Max Verstappen may still have his championship advantage but his Italian GP weekend is nothing to be proud of.
Red Bull have swung from being the best team on the grid to finishing below a Mercedes, and if reports are to be believed there is no immediate solution to their woes.
Whilst Verstappen moans about his position over team radio, he needs to accept that he no longer has a future at Red Bull.
The former flying Dutchman is going down with a sinking ship and will be kicking himself after rejecting Toto Wolff’s enticing offer to Mercedes.
Verstappen may still win this world title, but he has ultimately made a major mistake by not signing for Mercedes next year - one he will come to regret later in his career.
READ MORE: FIA confirm PUNISHMENT after Verstappen incident at Italian GP
Matt Hobkinson - Lead Editor
Monza, you absolute joy.
The Temple of Speed delivered once again as the Tifosi can now head off to celebrate long into the night.
For all the recent years of jokes at Ferrari’s expense – they got their strategy absolutely perfect today. A laughing stock no more, at least for now…
It’s not often that a team can finish with both drivers on the podium and be disappointed, but that is exactly the position McLaren find themselves in.
They had an incredible chance to put the fear of God into Red Bull, but a poor start and poor strategy cost them dearly.
It will be these missed opportunities that Zak Brown could find himself looking back on and wondering ‘if only’ after the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi.
Sam Cook - F1 Journalist
The Italian Grand Prix proved why Lando Norris will never become a Formula 1 world champion.
Norris was outclassed by his much less experienced team-mate Oscar Piastri throughout, even if you take away the plethora of mistakes that Norris made.
Yet another poor start allowed Piastri to get the better of his McLaren team-mate into Turn 2, and whether or not the Australian should have made that move in the interests of Norris’ championship challenge is neither here nor there. Piastri would have beaten Norris at Monza no matter which of the two got the better start.
Congratulations to Charles Leclerc for a phenomenal race victory, are Ferrari also in a world championship battle?
READ MORE: Sky F1 pundit makes worrying admission over Mercedes star’s drug test
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson - F1 Journalist
McLaren really do not care about Lando Norris’ potential championship battle with Max Verstappen, do they?
If they did, they’d have surely had a discussion between their two drivers ahead of the race at Monza this afternoon regarding team orders.
Norris led into the first corner, and from thereon in, Piastri should have backed him up, letting him bring in his tyres and thus giving him a real shot at making a dent on Verstappen’s championship lead.
Instead, Piastri made a brilliant but bold move into the second chicane, which ultimately led to his team-mate not only conceding the lead but also second place to race-winner Leclerc.
On a day that Verstappen finished a measly sixth, Norris took just eight points out of the three-time champion’s lead.
A monumental missed opportunity for the Brit.
Dan Ripley - Deputy Chief Editor
Lots of talk about Mercedes drivers coming in and going out at Monza and it seems all of that will calm down now Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been confirmed as Lewis Hamilton's replacement for the future.
Or has he? Maybe, just maybe, he has in fact just replaced George Russell who while continuing to do a solid job on Saturday by consistently outqualifying Hamilton now seems to be developing a trend where he goes backwards during a grand prix - watching his British compatriot go past him at Monza.
Russell was the next big thing at Mercedes but now in his third season with the team, it's arguable his Ferrari-bound team-mate is still the No 1 driver at the Silver Arrows magnifying Russell's failure to turn the Mercedes focus on him.
Want a precedent for this? Think of Charles Leclerc rocking up at Ferrari as Kimi Raikkonen's replacement in 2019 only for it to be the trigger of Sebastian Vettel's downfall. Those Verstappen Mercedes links for 2026 won't be too comfortable for Russell that's for sure.
READ MORE: Ricciardo BACKS UP Red Bull F1 seat push with Monza heroics
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Red Bull chief fuming as SHOCK Verstappen transfer rumours discussed
- 1 hour ago
- 1
Singapore Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Marina Bay
- 2 hours ago
FIA expected to make HUGE F1 change at Singapore GP
- 2 hours ago
Horner gets DESPERATE with McLaren pay claim
- 3 hours ago
Red Bull chief reveals KEY upgrade timeline before dropping huge championship bombshell
- Today 11:57
Horner delivers ABSURD comparison following Newey loss
- Today 10:57
F1 Race Calendar 2024
-
GP JAPAN
5 - 7 Apr
Max Verstappen
-
GP CHINA
19 - 21 Apr
Max Verstappen
-
GP USA
3 - 5 May
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
17 - 19 May
Max Verstappen
-
GP MONACO
24 - 26 May
Charles Leclerc
-
GP CANADA
7 - 9 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP SPAIN
21 - 23 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRIA
28 - 30 Jun
George Russell
-
GP GREAT BRITAIN
5 - 7 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP HUNGARY
19 - 21 Jul
Oscar Piastri
-
GP BELGIUM
26 - 28 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP NETHERLANDS
23 - 25 Aug
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Charles Leclerc
-
GP AZERBAIJAN
13 - 15 Sep
Oscar Piastri
- GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep
- GP USA 18 - 20 Oct
- GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct
- GP BRAZIL 1 - 3 Nov
Related news
Norris BAFFLED by Verstappen snitching verdict
Verstappen open to SHOCK switch as champion reveals Newey respect
Aston Martin boss hints Verstappen may follow Newey in SHOCK switch
Verstappen issues outlandish sweary rant following crash scare
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Franco Alejandro Colapinto
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Oliver Bearman
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860