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.



Italian Banned for 10 Matches for Racist Abuse of Wolves Striker Hwang

Wolverhampton Wanderers' South Korean striker #11 Hwang Hee-chan reacts during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on September 28, 2024. (AFP)
Wolverhampton Wanderers' South Korean striker #11 Hwang Hee-chan reacts during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on September 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Italian Banned for 10 Matches for Racist Abuse of Wolves Striker Hwang

Wolverhampton Wanderers' South Korean striker #11 Hwang Hee-chan reacts during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on September 28, 2024. (AFP)
Wolverhampton Wanderers' South Korean striker #11 Hwang Hee-chan reacts during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on September 28, 2024. (AFP)

Italian defender Marco Curto has been banned for 10 matches for racially abusing South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan while playing for Como against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly in July.

Curto, who is currently on loan from Como to Serie B club Cesena, will serve half of the punishment immediately with the other half suspended for two years.

"The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behavior and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension," a FIFA spokesperson said.

"The player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organization approved by FIFA."

Wolves said the club would file a complaint with UEFA after the incident in the Spanish resort of Marbella that sparked an angry response from Hwang's teammates and led to the dismissal of winger Daniel Podence for punching a Como player.

"We welcome FIFA's decision to sanction Marco Curto following the discriminatory incident during our pre-season friendly against Como 1907," the Premier League club's Director of Football Matt Wild said in a statement.

"The suspension issued to the player sends a clear message that racism and discriminatory behavior will not be tolerated in football or society.

"Wolves will always stand firmly against racism and discrimination in any form, and we remain fully committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected and included."

Como representatives were not immediately available for comment outside business hours.

In July, while condemning racism, Como said that Curto had referred to Hwang as "Jackie Chan" - the Hong Kong movie star - after hearing the Wolves players calling the forward by his nickname, "Channy".

"As far as our club is concerned our player did not say anything in a derogatory manner," the club said. "We are disappointed that the reaction of certain Wolves players has seen the incident blown out of proportion."

At the last FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May, President Gianni Infantino launched what he described as a "global stand against racism".

The governing body promised five areas of action, including mandatory sanctions for incidents of racism in or around matches.

"Racism is a scourge that exists in our society and is one also that is infiltrated in football," Infantino told the gathering of football officials from around the world.

"For too long we were not capable of dealing with it in an appropriate way. We need to stand up and fight racism and defeat racism all together."