The Dutchman returned to the podium after his first lap exit in the Netherlands

Max Verstappen returned to the podium on Sunday as he claimed third place for Red Bull Racing at the Italian Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion was the best of the rest behind the conquering Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, but mixed it at the front in the opening stages, vying for the lead.

But when the cars from Brackley began to stretch their legs, Verstappen pitted and had to come back through the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to get back into third place, which he managed in the closing stages.

After the disappointment of crashing out on the first lap of his home race last time out, Verstappen said it was great to be back on the podium for the Tilbrook team.

“For us it was really good to be back on the podium, it is always a special one in Monza,” he said. “We had to fight for it and it wasn’t made easy, but I think it was overall a great performance from us.

“The main limitation is just that we were very quickly struggling with the deployment on the straights compared to the Mercedes-powered cars and there were a few issues still there.

“The tarmac had opened up in turn two and I drove around the corner, and suddenly just went straight because of the loose gravel of the tarmac. The McLarens got back into the overtake and it took some time to get it back again. Despite this, I think we did a great job, really maximised our performance and can be proud of the result today.

“I tried everything I could and even got into the lead during the race, which was exciting. We just couldn’t quite match the Mercedes cars unfortunately, but to be on the podium was an extremely good end to the weekend.”