Speaking to the media after his third-place finish, Verstappen was honest about Red Bull's struggles with their deployment at circuits like Monza.
"I tried to battle but we were just too slow on the straight. We just lacked the same deployment, and that basically cost us a lot because at one point it's not defendable anymore.
"Once of course I had Kimi and George in front of me, I could just hang into the Overtake Mode. We just lack a bit of deployment on tracks like this, but for us to be on the podium is a very good result.
"Once I got into the lead it was very hard to defend and that was my problem throughout the whole race."
Because of his lack of pace on the straight, Verstappen admitted he had to find other ways to make overtakes.
"I was so slow on the straight that the only chance was just to try and brake late and try to get my positions back all the time, in the start, if we were battling, but it worked. So, of course, happy with that and happy to be on the podium."
Reflecting on the weekend as a whole, however, Verstappen could see a lot of positives and progress after the disappointment at his home Grand Prix, Zandvoort, last time out.
"For us to be on the podium after a very difficult weekend at Zandvoort, where the car wasn't to my liking. We managed to have a strong turnaround (from) Friday to Saturday, and the car was definitely in better condition but we still have a few areas that we know we need to be better."