Max Verstappen continued his charge towards a second world title with a victory from seventh on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix.
The win at Monza was Verstappen’s fifth straight victory in a row and means he could clinch the championship as early as the next round in Singapore.
His nearest rival in the standings, Charles Leclerc, finished second for Ferrari at the team’s home race, but was over 15 seconds off Verstappen before a Safety Car came out with five laps remaining and neutralised the race until the chequered flag.
Prior to that point, Verstappen had dominated the race on a one-stop strategy that was superior to Leclerc’s two-stop. The Ferrari driver had started from pole but a decision to pit out of sequence on lap 12 under a Virtual Safety Car, meant he was then committed to a two-stop strategy that ultimately proved the slower option.
-ESPN
