ITALY LOWDOWN: All the key moments as Verstappen stars, McLaren issue team orders and Hamilton experiences the Tifosi

It was another exciting weekend of Formula 1 action at the Italian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen putting Red Bull back on top, McLaren making headlines via some late-race team orders and Lewis Hamilton experiencing his first Monza event as a Ferrari driver.

With all of these topics and much more to think about before F1 returns in Azerbaijan a fortnight from now, here is F1.com’s round up of everything that happened at the Temple of Speed...

Verstappen breaks more F1 records

McLaren arrived into the Monza weekend with the momentum that they have carried for much of the season, having claimed five consecutive victories between Austria and the Netherlands.

However, it was Verstappen – who had not won a Grand Prix since Imola – that put in an especially remarkable performance come Qualifying, the Dutchman surging to pole position with a time of 1m 18.792s.

The lap set a new track record at the historic circuit and marked Verstappen’s 45th career pole for Verstappen. Despite this, the World Champion still had to face the challenge of having the papaya cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind him as the field lined up for Sunday’s race.

While he briefly gave up the lead at the start after skipping the chicane, Verstappen soon returned to P1 and remained there in a commanding drive around Monza.

The 27-year-old ultimately crossed the line with a sizeable margin of 19.207s from second-placed Norris, in a race that proved to be the fastest World Championship Grand Prix in F1 history. It was a weekend that Verstappen summed up as “unbelievable”.

Second best (and more team orders) for McLaren

Few would perhaps have betted against McLaren adding to their aforementioned winning streak as the F1 paddock headed to Monza, with Norris topping the timesheets in second and third practice.

The team had to settle for second and third in Qualifying, however, leading Piastri to admit that their pace had “not been quite as comfortable” as during other weekends. Despite this, the Australian stated that he was still feeling confident for race day.

Norris looked to be in fighting mode as the Grand Prix got underway, the Briton duelling with Verstappen off the line. With the Red Bull skipping the chicane during the battle, Verstappen then handed the position back to Norris.

It did not take long, though, for the Dutch driver to retake the lead – and with his gap at the front quickly stretching out, McLaren opted to keep their drivers out on track until the latter stages in the hope of a Safety Car occurring.

When the team did eventually bring their drivers in, drama occurred when Norris suffered a slow stop, dropping him behind Piastri on track. The squad subsequently chose to swap the pair around, putting Norris back into P2 ahead of Piastri in P3.

“It’s what we decided as a team beforehand,” Norris said of the call afterwards, while Piastri conceded: “There were clearly valid reasons for swapping back. Lando qualified ahead and was ahead for the whole race, so I get that. There’s just some things we need to discuss.”

Hamilton’s first Monza race with Ferrari

After he made a race-ending error last time out in Zandvoort, a weekend of support from the ever-passionate Tifosi was exactly what the doctor ordered for Hamilton.

The 40-year-old has experienced the incomparable energy of the fans that flock to Monza many times over his career, but this was his first as a Ferrari driver. From their relentless cheers to gigantic banners, it’s fair to say that the fans at this circuit are like no other – something that Hamilton could truly soak up over the weekend.

A five-place grid penalty might have been enough to bring his optimism down a notch, but that was made impossible by the crowd’s support, and the Briton bounced back in style as he charged through the field on the opening lap.

He ultimately crossed the line in sixth place, marking his first appearance in the points in the last three races. This rounded off a successful weekend for Ferrari – they may not have reached the podium, but a strong P4 for Leclerc is definitely something to celebrate, especially after the devastating double DNF in Zandvoort.

The Monegasque said that he was “disappointed but not surprised” after he claimed fourth place in Qualifying, but after the magic of his victory here last season, anything but the top spot would be a let-down.

Mercedes struggle to make an impression

What the Italian Grand Prix failed to offer Mercedes in terms of performance will surely be made up for in lessons to take into the remaining rounds. From an unwanted tyre choice in Qualifying to a time penalty for Kimi Antonelli, there’s plenty for the Brackley-based outfit to reflect on.

The first segment of Qualifying promised much for Russell as he edged out those around him to set the fastest time, with the main difference being that he was on medium tyres compared to his competitors’ soft compound. But he was given the red-walled tyres for his final Q3 lap, leaving him to claim that they “definitely underperformed” as he took fifth place.

In the Grand Prix itself, little changed – the Briton started in P5 and finished in P5, with an unsuccessful attempt to pass Leclerc early in the race. He repeatedly closed up to the Ferrari ahead before losing time on the straights, resulting in him gradually dropping further and further back.

It was a continuation of Mercedes’ usual struggles to keep up with the main front-running teams across different tracks, which leaves them with some frustrations as well as a decent points haul, with Antonelli securing ninth place.

Monza represented his second home event of the season, and he went into it with the hope that it would go more smoothly than the first – in Imola, the teenager missed out on Q3 and was later forced to retire from the race due to a technical issue.

He recovered from a spin in FP2 to take seventh place, ending Qualifying less than a tenth behind his team mate. However, he didn’t get the best launch at the beginning of the race and ended up at the tail end of the top 10 battling Yuki Tsunoda.

More points would have been on offer had he not picked up a five-second penalty for "driver erratically" in his battle with Alex Albon, which dropped him behind fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in the final order.

Monza maintains its magical feeling

The Tifosi were out in huge numbers across the Monza weekend, bedecked in their usual dazzling array of Ferrari garb. With the Scuderia running a special livery to celebrate 50 years since Niki Lauda won the Drivers’ Championship in the Ferrari 312T, there were plenty of retro outfits in the stands as well in homage to the team at their home race.

That wasn’t the only special thing about the weekend though, with Jean Alesi driving the 1995 412 T2 around the track as the supporters watched on, the last Ferrari to be powered by a V12 engine.

Jacky Ickx also ran his Ferrari 312B for the fans under sunny blue skies, the crowds treated to three generations of Ferrari cars across the weekend. Sadly they did not see a Ferrari driver on the podium this time around, but they still witnessed a fantastic race.

And when the crowd were unleashed to stream down the main straight to stand under the podium, one of the most special atmospheres in F1 came to life. The Monza rostrum is one that every driver wants to stand on at least once – and from the scenes on Sunday, it is clear to see why.