Max Verstappen arrives at the Italian Grand Prix with his previously unassailable presence waning, and the prospect of securing a fourth consecutive world championship appearing much less assured following Formula One's summer hiatus. The Dutch driver has not tasted victory since his triumph at the Spanish GP in June, marking a five-race winless streak that has stalled his title push and Red Bull's F1 supremacy. His failure to clinch a victory at the Dutch GP for the first time in four years last weekend further underscored the 26-year-old's diminishing hold on the championship. The way he trailed Lando Norris highlighted the issues with his vehicle, leading to a profanity-laden outburst during qualifying. Verstappen was nearly 23 seconds adrift of Norris, with McLaren demonstrating the superior setup on the grid and compelling the formerly invincible driver to endure a humbling loss after being overtaken on lap 18.
"There was nothing I could do, so once he passed, I just focused on my race, trying to finish in second," Verstappen remarked after the race. "The last few races haven't really been fantastic. So that, I think, was already a bit alarming. But we know we don't need to panic." McLaren's enhanced car is also a contender at Monza, where Verstappen has dominated, especially against the home team Ferrari, in the past two years. Despite this, Verstappen maintains a 70-point lead in the driver's championship, and his closest rival Norris dismissed the notion of overtaking him for the title as "stupid," given that the reigning champion has secured a podium finish in 10 of this season's 15 races, winning seven. Although he is no longer overwhelming his rivals, Verstappen managed to keep his composure during the race at Zandvoort, leveraging his driving skills to secure second place.
"You've got to drive with the championship in mind," said team principal Christian Horner. "There have been seven different race winners this year. So, if you can't win, then you've got to be scoring the points." Horner also referred to the constructors' championship, which is more competitive due to the ongoing challenges faced by Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, who is 156 points behind in seventh and whose position at Red Bull is frequently speculated upon. McLaren is just 30 points adrift of Red Bull, while Ferrari, 64 points behind in third, hopes to overcome recent disappointments at Monza, as the team has a remote chance of securing their first constructor's title since 2008. Ferrari has had a driver in pole position at each of the last two Monza GPs but lost out to Verstappen both times. Charles Leclerc, who finished second to Verstappen two years ago, engaged in a thrilling duel with Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri for third at Zandvoort. That finish, along with Carlos Sainz's comeback to fifth, provided some encouragement to the disheartened Ferrari ahead of their home GP, where they will receive similarly fervent support to what Verstappen enjoyed in the Netherlands.
Former Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso even suggested that the iconic Italian team will be the favorite at Monza and the subsequent Azerbaijan GP. "Ferrari will be the car to beat... I'd like to be in their condition," said Aston Martin driver Alonso to AS. "I think that Mercedes will be a bit more up and down, but McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari will be vying for the podium." Franco Colapinto will make history as the first Argentine F1 driver since Gaston Mazzacane 23 years ago after replacing Logan Sargeant on Tuesday. A debut at Monza is fitting for the 23-year-old, who has Italian roots and aims to bolster Williams' meager constructors' points tally of four.
