Edd Straw's 2025 Italian Grand Prix F1 Driver Rankings: Verstappen's Dominance at Monza

The 2025 Italian Grand Prix saw a remarkably clean race weekend, making driver performance rankings challenging. However, Max Verstappen's dominance was undeniable.

Verstappen's Unmatched Performance

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull): Demonstrated absolute supremacy, turning a unique setup tweak into a pole position and a comfortable race victory. He effortlessly re-established his lead after briefly ceding to Norris. Verdict: Outstanding.
• Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): Showed immense class, outperforming his struggling Aston Martin to reach Q3 and running strong for points before an unfortunate suspension failure. Verdict: Strongest of the rest before DNF.

Key Battles and Incidents

• McLaren: Lando Norris narrowly bested Oscar Piastri in a close internal battle. Norris forced Verstappen to cede the lead early, and later regained second from Piastri via team orders after an undercut.
• Ferrari: Charles Leclerc achieved the car's maximum with a solid fourth. Lewis Hamilton recovered to sixth from a grid penalty, showcasing one of his stronger Ferrari weekends despite a long first stint.
• Mercedes: George Russell delivered a consistent fifth, managing his race effectively against Hamilton.
• Midfield Drama: Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon had strong weekends, with Albon's long hard-tire stint crucial for seventh. Notable incidents included Ollie Bearman's clash with Carlos Sainz, costing both points, and Yuki Tsunoda's self-inflicted damage from contact with Liam Lawson. Isack Hadjar navigated a pitlane start to finish tenth.
• Struggles: Andrea Kimi Antonelli's mixed weekend with an FP2 crash and race penalty drew public criticism. Lance Stroll was hampered by a lengthy pitstop.