Red Bull Surprised by Dominant Monza Victory Over McLaren

Red Bull secured their third victory of the F1 season at the Italian Grand Prix, a result that surprised team principal Laurent Mekies, who expected a much closer contest from McLaren.

Why it matters

Max Verstappen's commanding win at Monza, converting pole position into a dominant victory, demonstrated Red Bull's strong race pace. This performance defied pre-race predictions and the team's own data, which had suggested McLaren would pose a significant threat, especially over a race distance. The unexpected ease of their win highlights Red Bull's continued ability to perform at the highest level.

The Big Picture

Verstappen crossed the finish line with a lead of over 19 seconds over Lando Norris in second place, marking the largest winning margin seen so far this year. This dominance was particularly unexpected given McLaren's often strong race performance throughout the season, where they have shown the ability to challenge Red Bull over long stints.

Mekies' Reaction

• "We did not expect that," Mekies told media, including RacingNews365, regarding the lack of challenge from McLaren.
• He noted that qualifying had been extremely close, with Red Bull just under a tenth of a second ahead of McLaren.
• Pre-race analysis indicated McLaren would typically have a greater advantage in race pace compared to their qualifying performance.
• Consequently, Red Bull was anticipating a "defence race" and had prepared scenarios to fend off McLaren. However, they ultimately found themselves with a clear "pace advantage."

Verstappen's "Amazing Job"

This victory was Red Bull's first since round seven at Imola and their first since Mekies took over the team principal role. Mekies praised the entire Red Bull team for their hard work in improving the car amid a challenging season, while also commending Verstappen's exceptional driving abilities.

"Certainly, Max has done an amazing job, and it's a good sign after all the hard work put into the race pace when every weekend you get a difficult result on the race pace compared to your qualifying pace," Mekies said. "It's a lot of hard work from everyone in the factory. It seemed like we had an advantage compared to them, which is great."