Max Verstappen happy to be “properly cheered” by the Tifosi after thrilling win at Monza

Max Verstappen has reacted to the cheers he received from the Tifosi following his win at the Italian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver witnessed the fans at the race sing his celebratory chant following the conclusion of the race.

The Red Bull Racing driver who dominated the race at the ‘Temple of Speed’ was greeted with the chants of 'du, du, du, du Max Verstappen' by the fans who were on the main straight to witness the podium celebrations. Quizzed about being cheered by the Tifosi, Verstappen, who appeared to be pleased with it, reacted:

'The entire straight was filled with people, this was the first time tifosi properly cheered for me! The last two times I won here, the competition was Ferrari, and they were a little less happy with it.''

Max Verstappen’s victory at the Italian Grand Prix marked his third of the 2025 season and first since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. The four-time world champion, who stormed to a record-setting lap during Saturday's qualifying session, also set the record for the fastest race in Formula 1 history, after completing the Grand Prix in a record time of 1:13:24.325, ahead of the 1:14:19.838 set by Michael Schumacher during the 2003 edition of the race.

Verstappen will now aim to build on his impressive outing when the F1 grid heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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Max Verstappen on the RB21 pace in Monza

Max Verstappen also weighed in on the pace of the RB21 challenger during the Italian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old stressed how the race pace was largely better than what he had anticipated in Monza.

Verstappen, who spoke to the media, also acknowledged the overall balance of the car being nice.

“I would say the race pace was even better than expected. The balance was just quite nice. For most of the first stint, we were looking good on the tyres. We did the right strategy. We pitted to the hards so I could push flat out to the end.”

Speaking on the strategy of the McLaren team during the Grand Prix, Max Verstappen continued:

“I understood the strategy of McLaren staying out, hoping for a Safety Car. But in the end, it was quite straightforward. That’s nice sometimes.

“Experimenting but at the same time trying to find solutions. Throughout this season we’ve been a bit all over the shop and I think now we’ve found a direction that suits the car, so I hope from now onwards it will be a little bit more consistent."

The race at the Monza circuit marks the final race on the European leg of the 2025 calendar. It also witnessed Max Verstappen clinch victory by the biggest winning margin he has recorded so far this season — 19 seconds.