Afterwards, Leclerc was left angry though, with the Grand Prix controversially finishing behind the safety car. The race could have been red-flagged after Daniel Ricciardo stopped on the track but race control decided to leave the safety car out, denying Leclerc the opportunity for a final dart at his rival.
It meats a fifth straight victory for Verstappen, and all but ended any lingering hopes Leclerc might have had of challenging for the world title. The gap between the pair is now 116 points, and it could even be all over following the next F1 race in Singapore on October 2.
It was Leclerc who last delivered Ferrari a win in Italy in 2019, which ended a nine year wait after Fernando Alonso’s triumph in 2010. And after qualifying last week, Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan suggested Mattia Binotto’s team had made sacrifices in other races so they could shine in Monza.
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