Formula 1 News: Can Verstappen really win Monza with RB21 dog?

Max Verstappen unexpectedly shattered McLaren’s aura of dominance at Monza by storming to pole position with the fastest lap in Formula 1 history despite driving the Red Bull RB21 dog.

The quadruple world champion clocked an average speed of 264.682kph, eclipsing Lewis Hamilton’s five-year-old record.

His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, was 7/10th of a second slower in the identical RB21, making it once again obvious Verstappen is carrying the car on his back.

“Max Verstappen , as always . Unbelievable,” enthused Sky Sport F1 expert Timo Glock about the Dutchman’s performance.

“Max gives his engineer very precise instructions on where and how to squeeze out even hundredths and thousandths of a second. He then executes them flawlessly. Ultimately, only a driving genius like him can do that,” Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko praised his protégé.

Verstappen admitted he is unsure if pole will translate to victory. “The race is usually our sticking point. I think McLaren will be fast. They always are in the race – they’re always better in the race than in qualifying.”

But Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko was more upbeat, even though pole rarely converts to victory at Monza in the modern era.

“If Max can stay in front, he can manage his laptimes and tire management,” he told Sky Deutschland. “The long run on Friday was great. So I’m optimistic that this statistic won’t come into play.”

So why does McLaren suddenly appear vulnerable? “Our car is very competitive in the corners,” admitted team boss Andrea Stella. “Even here, we’re the fastest in almost every corner.

“But the corners are relatively short. Overall, we can’t be as dominant as on some other tracks.”

Championship leader Oscar Piastri, only third on the grid behind Lando Norris, agreed. “We’re vulnerable on certain tracks. When the competition gets closer to us, it’s usually Max. The only surprise is how much Red Bull has improved compared to last year.”

Marko suggested the difference is Verstappen himself. “Only a driving genius like him can do that,” he said, though he also revealed Red Bull has changed its approach post-Horner, especially with setup and Friday programs.

Verstappen downplayed that. “Yes and no,” he said. “The car is still sensitive, but I think we understand a bit better where we need to be with the car setup-wise.

“That won’t help much with the setup for next year, but it will with certain things in the long run.”