Charles Leclerc pulled off a masterful one-stop strategy to secure a thrilling victory for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix, outpacing the McLaren duo in front of a jubilant home crowd.
The race started with all top six drivers on Medium compounds, while Red Bull took a gamble with Hard tires. Lando Norris had a strong start, maintaining his lead as his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, covered George Russell, who was forced off the track. However, Piastri soon took the lead, squeezing past Norris into the Della Roggia chicane. This allowed Leclerc to capitalize, slicing past Norris at Lesmo 1 and demoting the pole-sitter to third.
Behind them, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were engaged in a tight battle. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg’s promising start was cut short as he ran off into the grass at Ascari, later damaging his front wing in a clash with Daniel Ricciardo, leading to penalties for both drivers.
As the race progressed, Piastri began to stretch his lead, putting Leclerc under pressure. Norris was instructed to pit on Lap 14, successfully undercutting Leclerc when the Ferrari emerged on fresh Hards. Piastri pitted on the next lap, with Sainz briefly taking the lead before making his stop on Lap 19.
Verstappen’s race was compromised by a slow pit stop, handing the lead to Sergio Perez, who rejoined in eighth after his own pit stop. As tire graining set in for Norris, Ferrari saw an opportunity for Leclerc to reclaim the position. Norris and Perez, along with Russell, made their second pit stops, with Russell overtaking Perez to gain the upper hand.
Despite Verstappen’s best efforts to hold off Norris, the McLaren driver surged past using DRS to regain fourth place. Piastri managed to overtake Sainz for second, while Norris soon followed suit to reclaim a podium spot.
Leclerc maintained his composure at the front, managing his tires to secure a 2.5-second victory over Piastri, marking his second win of the season and his second at Monza as a Ferrari driver. Norris took third but grabbed the fastest lap, while Verstappen finished sixth behind Sainz and Hamilton.
Russell finished a disappointing seventh, with Perez in eighth as McLaren continued to close in on the championship leaders. Alex Albon secured points for Williams, while Kevin Magnussen held off Fernando Alonso to claim the final point for Haas.
