It felt like this year’s race at Monza was picked straight from Formula 1’s 2023 highlights reel. Those who followed F1, whether long-time dyed-in-the-wool fans or newcomers surfing the wave of the championship’s popularity, had to get used to the weekly exhibitions of dominance from Max Verstappen – the races deviating off-script in just three of the 22 grands prix.
Back then, Verstappen’s wins mainly followed a formula. More often than not, he would get pole, then eke out enough of a lead to get through the pitstops without being leapfrogged by another contender. And, as much as Verstappen moaned about the general lack of feeling he’d got from the hard tyres, he was always excellent in that phase of the race. With that final-stint flourish he’d drop the hammer, building a winning margin north of 10 seconds.
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