A Record-Breaking Weekend at Monza

Formula 1’s fastest-ever lap and fastest-ever race win came in the same weekend as Max Verstappen stormed to victory at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. Red Bull returned to winning ways in style at Monza, ending a four-month drought and silencing doubts about their competitiveness.

The reigning world champion delivered one of the most unexpected triumphs of the season, defeating McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in front of a packed Italian crowd.

Max Verstappen’s Record-Breaking Feats

Max Verstappen’s dominance wasn’t just about victory—it was about speed records that will stand in Formula 1 history.

• Fastest-ever F1 lap by average speed: 164.466 mph

• Fastest-ever race by average speed: 155.791 mph

• Fastest-ever race time: 1h 13m 24.325s

• Most Red Bull pole positions: 45

After beating McLaren to pole on Saturday, Max Verstappen controlled Sunday’s race, defeating Norris in the early laps before pulling away to win by 19 seconds—the largest winning margin of 2025 so far.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff summed it up bluntly:
“You can clearly see that there is only one guy that makes everybody look a bit stupid.”

Red Bull’s Monza Turnaround

Historically, Monza has not been a Red Bull stronghold. Their previous wins at the Italian GP were limited to 2011 and 2013 with Sebastian Vettel, plus Verstappen’s back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023 during dominant title-winning campaigns.

Last year, the team struggled badly— Max Verstappen could only qualify seventh and finished sixth, over 30 seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. But in 2025, things were different.

With the RB21 showing improved balance and Max Verstappen experimenting with bold set-up directions, Red Bull finally looked competitive again. After the race, Verstappen called his car a “monster” in a positive sens

The Mekies Effect at Red Bull

This was Red Bull’s 125th victory—but the first without Christian Horner at the helm. New team principal Laurent Mekies, formerly a Ferrari and AlphaTauri engineer, has taken charge since mid-season.

While Mekies downplayed his role, Max Verstappen credited him with bringing fresh clarity and asking the “right engineering questions.” The team has since found a more consistent set-up direction, which Max Verstappen says has boosted confidence.

What It Means for the 2025 Season

Despite this victory, Verstappen remains well behind in the championship—94 points adrift of leader Oscar Piastri with eight rounds to go.

The Dutchman acknowledged Red Bull’s revival is track-dependent, with the RB21 performing better on low- to medium-downforce circuits like Monza. Still, this breakthrough hints that Red Bull may yet challenge McLaren at select races in the remaining calendar.

As Verstappen put it: “It’s not like suddenly now we are back. But we seem to understand more what we need to do to be competitive. That’s a big positive.”

Key Takeaways

• Verstappen set F1’s fastest-ever lap and fastest-ever race at Monza 2025.

• Red Bull secured their first GP win in four months.

• Laurent Mekies’ leadership and set-up direction appear to be paying off.

• Verstappen remains outside title contention but could win more races this season.

READ MORE: F1 Italian GP 2025: Max Verstappen Strikes Back, McLaren Stumble – Sportskila

Looking Ahead: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Next up is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, September 19-21. With Red Bull finding form again, all eyes will be on whether Verstappen can continue his resurgence against McLaren’s dominant pairing of Norris and Piastri.