Max Verstappen proved he’s the smartest driver in F1 with genius Monza call that Red Bull doubted

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Max Verstappen looked like his former self at the Italian Grand Prix, as he dominated on his way to a third victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Although he’s no longer in contention for the drivers’ championship, he can yet add a lot of silverware to his trophy cabinet before the end of the season. Red Bull appear to have made some progress with the RB21, and he should be in a good position to reap the rewards of it.

Verstappen might even have a shot at disrupting the McLaren duo as they fight for their maiden title. The more winning he can do now, the more positive momentum he is helping his team build heading into the 2026 F1 regulations.

After a difficult few months, Laurent Mekies will love how Verstappen is feeling about his car, now that a few tweaks have been made. After the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen earned an ‘international applause’ for his performance, which left even the media surprised.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen boosted by Red Bull technical ‘gamble’ that Ferrari ‘lost’ at the Italian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen proved he’s Formula 1’s smartest driver with Monza setup call Red Bull doubted

Martin Brundle has spotted an ‘important’ difference in Verstappen and can see that it appears he is growing more content with his situation as time moves on. Changing team boss mid-season was a risky move, but Laurent Mekies has settled in well.

On an even better note, Red Bull’s ‘extreme’ weakness is fixed, which will relieve some of the pressure on them and help make them more competitive for the rest of the year. One bold call Verstappen made at Monza did show exactly why he’s the cleverest driver on the grid and helped him to win by a big margin.

According to The Race, the Dutchman trialled a late setup in FP3 on Saturday, which made his car trickier to drive. However, he campaigned for them to run it, and it went on to be an inspired decision.

“Also, with a Monza-specific wing package in place, much faster on the straights. Red Bull’s downforce levels were pushed even more in final practice, as Verstappen tried an ultra-trimmed out rear wing late on,” they reported in a YouTube video.

“The more extreme solution didn’t make the car easier to drive, especially as it made the balance tricky in the corners, but it definitely delivered a top speed boost.

“Red Bull had been unsure if the approach would work, though, but Verstappen was adamant that it should stick with it, despite it being a bit more of a challenge to drive. That call proved to be a genius move.”

READ MORE: Damon Hill reacts to Max Verstappen breaking Lewis Hamilton’s all-time F1 lap record at Monza

Why Red Bull needed to prove to Max Verstappen that they can still win in 2025

Red Bull’s trajectory has been headed in a negative direction for around 18 months now. Upgrades have failed to take effect, and departures have left holes in their operation.

Turning that tide and showing signs of life was critical for them, particularly if they want to keep hold of their superstar driver.

Verstappen is benefiting from a ‘common sense’ change at his team, and it’s a welcome one at that. While they’re running an effective one-car operation, they were always going to have to be clever with their resources.

With a teammate change on the horizon for next year, Verstappen has noticed something ‘very important’ about his new partner, and it could help drive the team forward even more.