Max Verstappen Wins Italian GP for Record 10th Straight F1 Victory

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Italian Formula One Grand Prix race at Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit, in Monza on September 3, 2023. (AFP)
Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Italian Formula One Grand Prix race at Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit, in Monza on September 3, 2023. (AFP)
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Max Verstappen Wins Italian GP for Record 10th Straight F1 Victory

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Italian Formula One Grand Prix race at Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit, in Monza on September 3, 2023. (AFP)
Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Italian Formula One Grand Prix race at Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit, in Monza on September 3, 2023. (AFP)

Runaway Formula One leader Max Verstappen secured a record 10th straight win with victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, with a Red Bull one-two on Ferrari's home track.

Another flawless performance from the two-time defending champion saw Verstappen beat teammate Sergio Pérez by 6.802 seconds. Carlos Sainz Jr. was third, 11.082 behind Verstappen and just ahead of Charles Leclerc as the two Ferrari drivers battled for the final spot on Monza's iconic podium.

Verstappen had started second, behind Sainz, but eventually got past him at the start of lap 15 and from then on — just like the rest of the season — no one could match the Red Bull pace.

The record became all but a foregone conclusion as Verstappen began to pull away, swiftly building an advantage of more than five seconds five laps later.

The victory also saw Verstappen increase his huge championship lead to 145 points in a crushingly dominant season for the 25-year-old Dutchman.

Verstappen has won 12 of the 14 races for unbeaten Red Bull and matched Sebastian Vettel’s F1 record of nine straight victories last weekend at the Dutch GP. Pérez has the other two victories.

It was a second straight victory for Verstappen at Monza. Before last year he had never finished the Italian GP higher than fifth.



Liverpool Defender Alexander-Arnold to Return 'Soon'

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Aston Villa - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - November 9, 2024 Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold receives medical attention after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Molly Darlington
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Aston Villa - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - November 9, 2024 Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold receives medical attention after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Molly Darlington
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Liverpool Defender Alexander-Arnold to Return 'Soon'

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Aston Villa - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - November 9, 2024 Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold receives medical attention after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Molly Darlington
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Aston Villa - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - November 9, 2024 Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold receives medical attention after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn't returned to team training yet after of a hamstring injury and could miss next week's Champions League game against Real Madrid, manager Arne Slot said Friday.
The England international was ruled out for Sunday's Premier League match at last-place Southampton. He was substituted off in the 25th minute of Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Nov. 9.
Liverpool, which sits atop the standings in both competitions, expects to be without goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Diogo Jota at least through the Madrid game Wednesday at Anfield.
At a news conference, Slot was asked about the trio's availability for both midweek and next Sunday's showdown with title rival Manchester City, The Associated Press reported.
“The last few days of recovery are always the ones that are the most tricky because then they have to go from isolated training sessions to where it's a group training session, and that is always the most difficult one,” Slot said. “It's difficult to judge now and to tell you now it's going to be one, two, three days or a bit longer. The only thing I can say is that with Alisson and with Jota, I don't expect them to be available for that game. With Trent, it's going to be in between.”
Alexander-Arnold will be training with the full team “soon,” the manager said.
Alisson has a hamstring injury. Liverpool hasn't specified Jota's problem but the Portugal forward hasn't played since Oct. 20 when he left in the 30th minute of a 2-1 win over Chelsea. That was after a collision with a Chelsea defender.
Slot confirmed that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is “completely OK.” The center back returned from international duty with the Netherlands after playing in a 4-0 win over Hungary that clinched a Nations League quarterfinals spot. The Dutch played Bosnia and Herzegovina a few days later.