
Wayne Lumbasi
Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix was won by Max Verstappen, giving him 11 victories for the 2022 Formula One season. While maintaining his strong dominance in the sport, the Dutchman easily dispatched the cars in front of him at the start of the Italian Grand Prix despite starting seventh in the grid.
In the history of Formula One, he joins legends like Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, and Alberto Ascari as the ninth different driver to win five straight races. Verstappen now leads Leclerc by 116 points with six races left as Ferrari fans booed the anti-climactic finish. When the season’s final stretch begins in Singapore in three weeks, he might win a second consecutive title.
Verstappen’s closest competitor, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, finished second after starting on pole but losing the lead twice in the pits. George Russell, who started second, continued his remarkably consistent debut season for Mercedes by finishing third. Carlos Sainz of Spain drove from third last to fourth place to offer Ferrari supporters something to cheer about at Monza, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth for Mercedes, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished sixth, handicapped by a grid penalty and braking troubles following a stop.