BREAKING: McLaren team orders controversy as Lando Norris benefits and Max Verstappen wins Italian GP

Max Verstappen won a Formula 1 race for the first time since May with a commanding performance at the Italian Grand Prix. But the bigger story was an almost disastrous late pit stop for Lando Norris and the McLaren team order which came after.

A dramatic start saw Norris go onto the grass on the run down to the first corner, but he still had enough grip in his tyres to make the apex. The same could not be said of Verstappen who cut the chicane, sparking an angry radio message from the McLaren driver.

Red Bull told Verstappen to give up the lead to Norris and he obliged, though he was not stuck behind for long. He was back in front on lap four and this time made it stick, quickly breaking out of DRS range and stamping his authority on the race.

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There was more swapping of positions behind them, with Piastri and Leclerc duelling for third place. The Ferrari driver got the better of the McLaren on the opening lap and put up a strong fight, but there was not quite enough pace in the red car to keep the Australian at bay for long.

But the Ferraris were performing well, evidenced by the early charge Hamilton was able to produce. He started 10th on the grid, dropping down five places from his qualifying position because of a penalty, but was quick to set about making up for it and was sixth within just a few laps.

Fernando Alonso was also going fairly well until the front suspension on his Aston Martin failed as he bounced over a rough kerb, ending his race. He became the second man to retire, after Nico Hulkenberg who did not even start after Sauber detected a hydraulics problem on the formation lap.

At the front, Verstappen continued to keep Norris at arm's length until lap 37 of 53, when he stopped to shed his blistering medium tyres for hards until the end of the race. McLaren kept their driver running in the hope that putting him on the softs a few laps later would give him the pace advantage to close the gap and get the overtake done.

But they would have been nervous to see Verstappen set a new fastest lap on the hard tyres and continue to show good pace. In the end, they were left to wait in the hope of a late safety car which did not come.

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