Monza witnessed the rebirth of Red Bull and the ruthless brilliance of Max Verstappen. After nearly four months without a win, Verstappen silenced critics with a record-shattering weekend: the fastest lap in F1 history and the largest winning margin of the season.
The reigning champion not only snatched pole with a 164.466mph average lap – the fastest ever – but then obliterated the field with a 19-second demolition job on Sunday.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff summed it up perfectly:
“You can clearly see that there is only one guy that makes everybody look a bit stupid.”
Red Bull’s Stunning Turnaround
Red Bull came to Monza haunted by memories of 2024, when Verstappen called his car a “monster” after qualifying seventh and finishing sixth. The Temple of Speed had never truly been Red Bull’s track.
But in 2025, everything changed. A new approach, a fresh rear wing, and Verstappen’s uncompromising input transformed the RB21.
Team principal Laurent Mekies admitted:
“He really did some magic [in qualifying]… He pushed us into a rather unusual set-up direction, and it worked.”
Verstappen explained his hand in the breakthrough:
“Just experimenting at the same time but just trying to find solutions. Of course, throughout this season we have been a bit all over the shop and I think now we finally seem to find a direction that suits the car.”
By Sunday, the car was not just competitive – it was untouchable.
“The car was doing a little bit more what I liked… another step forward with the behaviour of the car and that also then shows in the race.”
Life After Horner
This was Red Bull’s 125th F1 victory – but their first without Christian Horner at the helm.
For Mekies, still only four races into his tenure, the message was humility.
“Absolutely not, there is no individual, it’s a fantastic team effort.”
But Verstappen’s praise was more direct:
“With Laurent having an engineering background, he’s asking the right questions… I definitely felt that in Zandvoort already we took a step, and then here another step which felt again a little bit better.”
Are Red Bull Truly Back?
Verstappen gained 10 points on championship leader Oscar Piastri, but still sits 94 points adrift. Title hopes are fantasy – but race wins? That’s different.
“Here you drive low downforce. It always seems like our car is a little bit more competitive when it’s low- to medium-downforce. So it’s not like suddenly now we are back. But the positive is that we seem to understand a little bit more what we need to do with the car.”
Monza may not have decided the championship – but it sent a warning shot. Max Verstappen is still here. And when the car works, he makes everyone else look stupid.
