F1 Takeaways: Verstappen continues to rewrite record books with Italian GP win

It was a record-breaking performance for Max Verstappen during the Italian Grand Prix.

After matching the mark for consecutive wins set by Sebastian Vettel, Verstappen took sole possession with this 10th straight victory Sunday.

Sergio Perez finished second to make it a 1-2 finish for Red Bull at the Monza circuit. Pole-sitter Carlos Sainz crossed the line third for Ferrari at the team's home event.

Here's what you need to know from the Italian GP.

PERFECT 10 FOR VERSTAPPEN, 15 FOR RED BULL

Once Verstappen passed Sainz for the lead on Lap 15, it was off to the history books for his record 10th straight victory.

It was also Verstappen's 12th win of the 2023 campaign as he now looks to match the single-season record of 15 victories that he set a year ago.

That's not all as Red Bull became the first team to win 15 championship Grands Prix that stretches back to last season.

The only thing threatening Verstappen from the checkered flag was the so-called "Monza curse" that had struck down previous winners of the race during their defences in recent years. You might roll your eyes but Verstappen did experience an issue near the end. Regardless, the curse was late to the party as Verstappen was able to cross the finish line six seconds ahead of Perez.

Maybe the curse was passed along to AlphaTauri as Yuki Tsunoda's engine failed before the race even started on the formation lap. Curse or not, that might actually be some cause for concern for Red Bull as they use identical power unit parts as their sibling team. At this point, it's not like they have much else to worry about, right?

FERRARI UNLEASHED

With their fans out in full force, Ferrari didn't want to disappoint the dedicated Tifosi and provided their drivers with mint power units for the best opportunity to succeed.

Holding off Verstappen for the lead was going to be a tough task, but Sainz did his best to defend up until Lap 15 when he locked up his tires. Verstappen was just waiting for an opportunity and pounced like a shark sensing blood in the water.

Sainz also did his best to fend off Perez as long as possible, but it was always going to come down to himself and teammate Charles Leclerc fighting for the final podium position.

And fight they did as Sainz and Leclerc provided an intense battle with dicey moments down the stretch. Surely the Ferrari brass and their fans were nervous as the drivers locked up their tires and came close to taking each other out.

Crisis averted though as Ferrari came home with their best overall finish of the season. Sainz, who celebrated his 29th birthday Friday, earned a nice present in the form of his first podium finish this season.

Better yet, Ferrari finally surpassed Aston Martin for third place in the constructors' championship and could certainly challenge Mercedes for second.

ONE-MAN SHOW AT ASTON MARTIN

Aston Martin slipping into fourth shouldn't come as a surprise considering it's the Fernando Alonso Show. Alonso finished ninth at Monza while teammate Lance Stroll finished 16th after qualifying last. Don't give Stroll too much credit for moving up four spots since Tsunoda didn't start and Esteban Ocon retired, so the only two cars he actually passed were from the struggling Haas team.

Alonso is still third in the drivers' championship and accounts for 78.3 per cent of Aston Martin's points. Compare that to the two teams ahead where it's a closer 60-40 split at Mercedes and a nearly even 51-49 split at Ferrari. It's quite clear Aston Martin need Stroll to step up if they hope to get back into the fight as Alonso can't do it alone.

ALBON'S ALL RIGHT

Alex Albon was one to watch given how fast his Williams car has been on the straights and Monza is known as the "Temple of Speed" after all. Albon didn't disappoint delivering a seventh-place finish ahead of the likes of Alonso and McLaren's Lando Norris.

That also gave Albon points in back-to-back races for the first time since joining Williams last season. It's only a shame his teammate Logan Sargeant couldn't crack the top 10. Sargeant, who has yet to score points during his rookie campaign, was battling Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas for the final points-paying position until the two came into contact. That resulted in a penalty for Sargeant, who finished in unlucky 13th.

BAD BOYS

Both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, picked up time penalties although neither affected their final positions of fifth and sixth, respectively.

Russell incurred his while exiting the pits and cutting the first corner to pass Alpine's Esteban Ocon while Hamilton was handed his for making contact with McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Hamilton did accept responsibility and apologized to Piastri after the race.

MCLAREN PLATEAU?

Speaking of McLaren, they continue to level off following their surprise mid-season resurgence that saw back-to-back runner-up finishes for Norris. For the third straight race, Norris finished outside of the top five ending in eighth place at Monza.

Although Piastri led a Grand Prix for the first time (albeit when the leaders pitted early), the Australian rookie was denied the bonus point for setting the fast lap since he finished outside of the top 10 due to the aforementioned contact with Hamilton. It went from bad to worse as Piastri was also penalized later for leaving the track to gain an advantage resulting in a 12th-place finish.

The McLaren cars also tapped tires midway through the race and could have taken each other out.