Max Verstappen started from seventh after a grid penalty but was up to second after just five laps; Charles Leclerc was on pole but was unable to match Verstappen's pace; the Dutchman's fifth straight victory tightens his grip on the world championship
Max Verstappen produced a dominant performance at the Italian Grand Prix to deny Charles Leclerc victory in Monza and secure a fifth successive win.
Verstappen started from seventh after a grid penalty, but was up to second after just five laps and clearly held a pace advantage over pole-sitter Leclerc.
Ferrari, seeking a win at its home race, pitted Leclerc after 11 laps under a Virtual Safety Car as the Italian team sought to find any sort of advantage over Verstappen, but the move was in vain as the medium tyres fitted to the Monegasque's car failed to provide the durability or speed to mount a challenge.
Verstappen's first victory at Monza stretches his world championship lead over Leclerc to 116 points with six races remaining and means he could secure a second successive title when the season's final stretch begins in Singapore in three weeks' time.
60.146 SRY