Formula One headed to the temple of speed of the Monza circuit, which was appropriate as one of the fastest cars in F1 history continued their dominance and Max Verstappen created a new record for consecutive wins. But to go deeper than just the race result our summary covers the 2023 Italian Grand Prix Result for the big event and so much more.
This 2023 Italian Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
READ MORE:
2023 Latest Grand Prix Driver Ratings
2023 Dutch Grand Prix Preview
Our 2023 F1 Calendar & Results
Five Ways To Save Formula 1
Five Great F1 Comebacks
2023 Dutch Grand Prix Result Main Race Summary
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Well here are the top laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – So it’s not Max Verstappen or a Red Bull on pole position. It’s Carlos Sainz 1st with Max Verstappen second and Charles Leclerc third. Ferrari look to have plugged everything in, and made sure everything is working this weekend. It’s a big weekend after all in front of their excitable fans. Will they stop Red Bull setting a new record for most race wins in a row?
Most notable non top three effort comes from Alex Albon in the Williams, who qualifies sixth. Liam Lawson too does a fine job in his first proper race weekend by qualifying in 12th, just one place behind Yuki Tsunoda.
Sunday is not great for Yuki Tsunoda who retires on the formation lap. He parks the car on the side of the track which delays the start. First with another formation lap, then the cars come to a full stop. Is the race fully red flagged? The cars have stopped so need to be restarted. Which means all the mechanics need to rush back onto the pit straight again. But in true F1 style, the gate to allow the mechanics onto the track was closed meaning nothing happened for a few minutes. 20 minutes later the race starts again.
At least the race will be quick once it gets going. it barely takes an hour and a quarter under normal circumstances.
GRID (Starting Order) – SAI VER LEC RUS PER ALB PIA HAM NOR ALO
Lap 1 – Pole sitter Carlos Sainz gets away well and keeps Max Verstappen in second, Charles Leclerc keeps third but is under pressure from George Russell who is under pressure from Sergio Perez. All the drivers do their best work in surviving the first corner. Not much change in order with Oscar Piastri moving ahead of Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris swapping positions. Nico Hulkenberg is up to 10th from 13th.
ORDER – SAI VER LEC RUS PER PIA ALB NOR HAM HUL
Lap 2 – Alex Albon takes his sixth place back from Oscar Piastri into the second chicane.
Lap 4 – Max Verstappen sets a fastest lap just as DRS is allowed. Something will be needed as the field stretches out on a track that isn’t known for overtaking being too easy. No car is more than two second behind the car in front at this point.
Lap 6 – Verstappen tries around the outside of Carlos Sainz going into the first chicane. Sainz has none of it and closes the door a little not very politely but is fair. Max complains a little on radio. Classic Max and pot kettle given some of his defending of positions in the past.
ORDER – SAI VER LEC RUS PER ALB PIA NOR HAM HUL
Lap 10 – Max Verstappen, not used to losing, is on the blub on team radio about the top end speed of the Ferraris. He probably needs to be patient, as it appears that the Ferraris are eating up their tyres.
Lap 11 – Pierre Gasly makes the first pitstop for tyres. It is delayed a little with equipment not working. He rejoins last. Bad race for Alpine as both cars were cut in Q1. Guanyu Zhou is next in an rejoins second last. That is the extent of the action right now, reporting on a pitstop.
Lap 14 – Sergio Perez gets past George Russell into the first chicane, but had to cut the chicane so then hands the place back before the second chicane. Looking at the replay, George Russell also cut the first chicane but not as badly as Perez.
Lap 15 – Max Verstappen gets past Carlos Sainz for the lead into the second chicane after an epic side by side battle for a third of a lap. Verstppen is one and a half seconds ahead after a lap and a half.
Lap 16 – Decent period for Red Bull as Sergio Perez makes a clean pass on George Russell into the first chicane. Further back Alex Albon pits from 6th and Lando Norris is complaining to his team his team mate being slower than him ahead.
ORDER – VER SAI LEC PER RUS PIA NOR HAM ALO BOT
Lap 20 – Carlos Sainz finally dumps his rubbish tyres for new boots. George Russell pits too. Both drivers come out behind Vallteri Bottas in 19th. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc pit next lap. The two Ferrari drivers almost touch at the first chicane, Max Verstappen returns in 6th.
Lap 22 – Sergio Perez pits from the temporary lead an returns behind the Ferraris again. X
Lap 23 – The McLarens pit on consecutive laps with the order reversed to Norris’ advantage. Replays actually show a small collision between the McLaren drivers in the first chicane as Piastri rejoins. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen overtakes Lewis Hamilton for the lead, which effectively means race is over. Lewis Hamilton has yet to pit.
ORDER – VER HAM SAI LEC PER RUS ALB NOR PIA ALO
Lap 28 – Lewis Hamilton pits and rejoins behind Fernando Alonso in 10th. Hamilton takes Fernando Alonso for 9th.
Lap 30 – Just for fun Max Verstappen sets a fastest lap. And has a six second lead. Well that part of the race is over. Luckily the battle for second is a three-way fight between the two Ferraris and Sergio Perez is interesting. On lap 31 Perez and Leclerc almost touch. Perez is for sure faster, but just can’t get past.
Lap 32 – What would we know. Sergio Perez cruises past Charles Leclerc into the first chicane.
Lap 35 – There really isn’t much happening. It’s not that the cars aren’t close, but they look so unlikely to overtake, so we’ll add some filler with an order instead..
ORDER – VER SAI PER LEC RUS ALB NOR RIC HAM ALO
Lap 38 – Lando Norris finally gets past Alex Albon at the first chicane, but cuts the chicane and gives the place back. Norris and Piastri keep hounding Albon to no result for a few laps. Lewis Hamilton is catching the McLarens now on his newer rubber.
Lap 40 – Max Verstappen is nine second in front of Carlos Sainz. Sergio Perez is right on Carlos Sainz’s tail are pressuring him, but the Ferrari holding on desperately. Leclerc is just behind waiting for scraps.
Lap 41 – Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri collide going into the second chicane. They were side by side from the first chicane. Hamilton appeared to cut across Piastri under braking, to which Piastri agreed over radio. The McLaren driver was the big losers, as his front wing was now broken and had to pit for a new one. He drops to 14th. The stewards agree too, Hamilton gets a five second penalty.
ORDER – VER SAI PER LEC RUS ALB NOR HAM ALO BOT
Lap 44 – Sainz v Perez rages on. Norris v Alobn rages on.
Lap 45 – Perez looks to have overtaken Sainz for sure this time into the first chicane…..but no. The Red Bull cuts the chicane and has to hand back second place again. He’s getting pretty grumpy on the radio. Lewis Hamilton overtakes Lando Norris a lap after finding out about his five second penalty. He overtakes Albon on Lap 47 for sixth and has four laps left or so to make up the five second penalty.
Lap 46 – Sergio Perez finally overtakes Sainz for second. He immediately clears Sainz by a second a lap.
Lap 47 – Charles Leclerc gets past Carlos Sainz for third into the first chicane. Sainz fights back and re-takes his third place as both Ferraris nearly touch and both cut the second chicane. They continue to squabble over the final podium position to the end.
Final Lap – Charles Leclerc outbrakes himself going into the first chicane and with tyres smoking and squealing he almost rams up the back of his team mate, which would have embarrassing for the drivers, and potentially dangerous leaving the circuit from the fans. Meanwhile Max Verstappen does it easy at the front and wins a record tenth race in a row. All this on a circuit where they were meant to be a little more vulnerable.
FINAL ORDER – VER PER SAI LEC RUS HAM ALB NOR ALO BOT
| Pos | Driver | Time |
| 1 | Max VERSTAPPEN | 51 Laps |
| 2 | Sergio PEREZ | +7.686 behind |
| 3 | Carlos SAINZ | +11.674 behind |
| 4 | Charles LECLERC | +12.119 behind |
| 5 | George RUSSELL | +23.925 behind |
| 6 | Lewis HAMILTON | +44.111 behind |
| 7 | Alexander Albon | +45.198 behind |
| 8 | Lando NORRIS | +45.549 behind |
| 9 | Fernando ALONSO | +46.424 behind |
| 10 | Valtteri BOTTAS | +1:05.950 behind |
| 11 | Oscar Piastri | +1:12.240 behind |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | +1:13.268 behind |
| 13 | Logan Sargeant | +1:16.398 behind |
| 14 | Lance STROLL | +1:21.658 behind |
| 15 | Guanyu Zhou | +1:21.913 behind |
| 16 | Pierre GASLY | +1:22.236 behind |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | +1 lap |
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | +1 lap |
| R | Esteban OCON | DNF Lap 38 |
| R | Yuki TSUNODA | DNF Lap 0 |
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. Five points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – ALEX ALBON
Max Verstappen wins everything, but not today. We give our driver of the race to the man who came 7th – Alex Albon. He keeps overachieving in the Williams, qualifying much higher than one would expect, and doesn’t fade away too badly in the races against much better cars. His defensive drive against Lando Norris was as good as Carlos Sainz who got Driver of the Day from the fans.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
CARLOS SAINZ – Sensational pole position and a heroically defensive drive to keep the final podium position.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Had to be more patient than usual, and not on pole position, but the end result was another win, and a record setting tenth in a row.
LIAM LAWSON – Another solid outing for the stand-in Alpha Tauri driver.
THE GRAPE-EST – YUKI TSUNODA
When your car retires before the race start on the formation lap it doesn’t get much worse.
DIS-HONOURABLE MENTIONS
OSCAR PIASTRI – A decent result ruined after contact with Lewis Hamilton.
CHARLES LECLERC – Possibly harsh, but second best to Carlos Sainz for Qualifying and the race. Would have taken Grape-est for the race if he ran into his team mate on the last lap like he nearly did.
Was it a good race, loads of action, tense, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest.
We rate the big race itself so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 5 / 10
More of historic importance than this season as Max Verstappen takes a tenth straight win, setting a new record. Sergio Perez’s second place might see off anyone challenging for second place in the Championship.
ON TRACK ACTION – 9/10
Loads of battles raged throughout the race. A few clashes, a few penalties handed out, and a few overtakes within those battles.
ENDING 7 / 10
Good battles in the last few laps for third between the Ferrari drivers that almost ended in tears, and Lewis Hamilton was on a bit of a mission in the finals laps. For good and bad.
OVERALL RATING 21 / 30
Decent race with enough action to just keep you awake. Luckily it is the quickest race of the season.
2023 SEASON RATINGS SO FAR
Want to know what we thought of previous races? Or which ones to to back and watch?
R1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – 15/30
R2 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – 10/30
R3 – Australian Grand Prix – 23/30
R4 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – 8/30
R5 – Miami Grand Prix – 20/30
R6 – Monaco Grand Prix – 23/30
R7 – Spanish Grand Prix – 15/30
R8 – Canadian Grand Prix – 12/30
R9 – Austrian Grand Prix – 18/30
R10 – British Grand Prix – 15/30
R11 – Hungarian Grand Prix – 15/30
R12 – Belgian Grand Prix – 14/30
R13 – Dutch Grand Prix – 19/30
2023 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated and will be ready on Monday.
Who not check out last season: Our 2022 F1 Season Driver Ratings
