Max Verstappen “felt sorry” for Italian Grand Prix pole-sitter Carlos Sainz

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen took his 10th consecutive victory in the Italian GP after battling pole-sitter Carlos Sainz. Unlike his recent victories, the win at Monza was a hard-fought one as Ferrari boasted a better top speed.

Starting in pole position for the Italian GP, Sainz valiantly defended the faster Red Bull of Verstappen to keep the lead. Despite having an edge in top speed, Ferrari's Achilles heel once again troubled them as tire issues hampered the Spanaird's effort.

The rear tires of the SF-23 were degrading quickly as the drivers began to struggle in the corners. This was noted by Max Verstappen early in the race, as he reported Carlos Sainz sliding on the track early in the first stint. While he overtook the Ferrari driver after a few attempts, Verstappen admitted that he felt sorry for Sainz.

The former teammates were heard discussing their battle post-race:

Verstappen: "I feel sorry for you. You were sliding around a lot."

Sainz: "You see that."

Verstappen: "Your top speed saved you."

Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen in the Italian GP

While Sainz held his fort defending the much quicker RB19, much to the dismay of the Tifosi, Verstappen took the lead on Lap 15. The Dutchman spoke about his battle with the Ferrari driver as he said:

"It was so hard to get close and get a move into Turn 1, I had to force [Sainz] into a mistake. I tried to stay patient, it's a long race, and I could see they were struggling...."

Sainz, who had to settle for third position at the end of the race admitted that it was tough to keep the Red Bulls behind him.

"Very tough. It can't get any tougher than it was today. Pushing very hard to keep the Red Bulls behind me. I was pushing hard, and in the end it make me use a lot more of my rear tyres. But I was pushing hard today."

The Spaniard earned his first podium of the season, after fending off his teammate Charles Leclerc in a late race tussle for the third position.

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Max Verstappen reflects on his 10th consecutive victory after a hard-fought win at Monza

The two-time F1 champion continued his record-breaking spell, breaking former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel's record of nine consecutive victories, in the Italian GP.

After his historic 10th consecutive win, Max Verstappen admitted that he had never believed achieving such a milestone was possible.

"I mean I never would have believed [10] was possible but we had to work for it today, so that made it a lot more fun. We had good pace and good on the tyres, but they had strong top speed," he said post race.

With Max Verstappen's latest victory, Red Bull also secured their 15th consecutive victory as they are one step closer to a clean sweep of the 2023 F1 season.