Max Verstappen produced a resilient drive to recover from fifth on the grid to claim a hard-fought podium at the Italian Grand Prix. But beneath the surface of that solid result lay a recurring issue that the Dutchman was quick to acknowledge: Red Bull’s lack of raw pace on the straights, which he described as “not our friend” in the battle against Mercedes.
Starting from P5, Max Verstappen wasted no time in making progress. He sliced past Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly in the opening laps to move into contention, even leading briefly after overtaking George Russell before the Mercedes driver struck back.
The real threat came from Kimi Antonelli, who had started 19th but carved through the field with alarming ease. When he swept past Verstappen, the two Mercedes cars were gone, leaving the Red Bull man to fight his own race.
A timely pit stop under a mid-race Virtual Safety Car proved decisive. Verstappen switched to fresh hard tyres and, from seventh place, methodically picked off rivals to cross the line in third. It was a positive outcome, but it also laid bare the limitations of the RB21 on Monza’s high-speed layout.
“There were some good battles out there,” Verstappen said. “I had to send it many times around the outside because we were just struggling a lot with deployment from turns two to four compared to our competitors. In general top speed wasn’t our friend today so just tried to hang in there but they were just a bit too fast.”
He admitted that after losing the overtaking battle, he settled into his own rhythm. “Happy with P3 and to be on the podium here,” he concluded.
The defeat to Mercedes once again highlighted the aerodynamic and power unit deficiencies that leave Red Bull vulnerable on circuits that reward straight-line speed. While Verstappen remains a consistent contender, rivals like Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli have shown they hold a significant edge in pure pace—a concern the team must address as the season progresses.
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