Verstappen gave motivational speech to De Vries: "It happens so fast"

Max Verstappen was on the same starting row as countryman Nyck de Vries at the start of the race in Monza. The reigning world champion thought it was special that De Vries was in Italy and gave some wise advice prior to the race, he told the FIA press conference.

De Vries drove for Aston Martin once in the first free practice session, after which it seemed that his job in Italy was done. Nothing was further from the truth, however, as Alexander Albon' s absence allowed De Vries to fill in for Williams.

After a good qualifying session, De Vries managed a steady race. Despite Guanyu Zhou trying to thwart De Vries at the end, the Dutchman held his ground and took ninth place. It gave Verstappen, who took the win, an excellent feeling.

"Told him not to think about it too much, or stress too much," Verstappen said. "It happens so quickly. If you tell yourself we'll see what happens rather than stressing that you need a good start. You shouldn't think about that. He handled things really well. We know each other well so it was just a bit of a motivation speech."