Max Verstappen has been unable to defend his title against the McLaren drivers and will almost likely finish third this year. However, the 2025 Italian Grand Prix will surely be one of the highlights of his career, as he not only won the Sunday race ("only" third victory this year), but Verstappen also set a new record for the fastest lap ever in Formula 1.
It was an eventful weekend for records, as Lando Norris broke the record for highest average speed at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, known as the Temple of Speed for its long straights: 264.423km/h. He had surpassed the previous record from Lewis Hamilton in 2020, 264.362km/h.
However, Verstappen later made it even faster at 264.681km/h (164.46mph). This meant that Verstappen made the fastest ever lap in Formula 1 history, 1 minute and 18.792 seconds.
"It was a great day for us. Of course Lap 1 was a bit unlucky, but after that we were flying and that was for me really enjoyable", said Verstappen, referring to giving up first position to Norris at the first of the race to avoid a penalty.
Verstappen win puts him at 230 points, increasing distance with George Russell (who finished fourth starting fifth) but still far from Lando Norris, 293 points, and Oscar Piastri, 325 points. The distance between the McLaren drivers was reduced a bit as McLaren asked Piastri to let Norris finish second, and that way both would reach the podium, due to a team error.
Now, Formula 1 rests for two weeks before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 19-21.