2025 F1: Verstappen breaks Schumacher’s record with Italian GP win

Max Verstappen stormed to victory at the Italian GP, setting the record for the fastest race in F1 history with an average speed of 250.706kph and a total race time of 1 hour 13mins and 24.325sec. He beat Michael Schumacher’s previous record (1 hour 14mins 19.838sec, with an average speed of 247.585kph) set back in 2003.

Plenty of drama unfolded behind him as a slow pit stop dropped Lando Norris behind his teammate, Oscar Piastri. McLaren acted quickly and asked Piastri to swap positions, referencing last year’s Hungarian GP when Norris moved over for him. Despite initially questioning the order, Piastri agreed and let Norris through.

1. Verstappen wins, 19.207sec from Norris
2. Piastri completes podium
3. Leclerc P4, Hamilton P6 for Ferrari

Verstappen wins Italian GP

Sets record for fastest race in F1 history

Pole-sitter Verstappen and Norris went wheel-to-wheel at the start. However, Verstappen had to relinquish the lead after skipping the first chicane. The reigning world champion quickly caught back up to Norris and used the slipstream at the start of Lap 4 to re-take the lead around the outside of the first chicane.

From there on, it was smooth sailing for Verstappen, and he went on to take victory 19.207sec clear of the two McLarens. It was a truly dominant weekend for the Red Bull driver, who set two new records for the fastest lap and fastest race in F1 history. “It’s been a fantastic weekend, and to win again has been incredible, it’s been a while!” said Verstappen.

“It is really rewarding to see the steps we are making in understanding the car. We brought an upgrade here, which really worked and took a step forward with the setup of the car. In general, the car goes better in low to medium downforce tracks, and we just need to keep pushing and keep trying to improve, as we have been.”

Papaya rules: Norris P2 after McLaren team orders

Piastri calls the McLaren swap order a “fair decision”

Despite dominating all season long, McLaren was left fighting for P2 and P3. Norris held P2 for the majority of the race; however, McLaren opted to pit Piastri first. The undercut isn’t as strong at Monza, so this shouldn’t have disturbed the racer order. But Norris then suffered a slow pit stop and dropped behind his teammate.

McLaren swiftly asked Piastri to swap places with Norris, adding that the two were free to race after that. This prompted the current championship leader to reply with “we said a slow pit stop was part of racing.” But he decided to play the team game and moved over for Norris, reducing his championship lead from 34 points to 31.

When asked about the team orders in the post-race press conference, Piastri called it a “fair request.” He added, “Lando qualified ahead, was ahead the whole race, and lost that spot through no fault of his own. I said what I had to say on the radio. And once I got the second request, then I’m not going to go against the team. I think there are a lot of people to protect and a culture to protect outside of just Lando and I. Ultimately, that’s a very important thing going forward.”

Ferrari couldn’t make it to the podium on home ground, but it did secure a strong haul of points. Charles Leclerc ended up P4, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from his five-place grid penalty to finish P6. Mercedes’ George Russell split the two in fifth place.

Williams’ Alex Albon went from P14 to P7, followed by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. After starting from the pit lane, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar pulled off an impressive recovery drive to finish P10 and score the final point.

2025 F1 championship standings

Piastri’s championship lead has been reduced to 31 points over his teammate Norris. Verstappen remains third overall, but his latest win has helped him pull a 36-point gap over fourth-placed Russell.

F1 will now head to Baku for the Azerbaijan GP on September 19-21.

2025 Italian GP results