Charles Leclerc Takes Stunning Home Win at Italian Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc executed an incredible home victory for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Ferrari opted for a one-stop strategy for Leclerc, adapting during the race to move him ahead of the McLarens, who followed a conventional two-stop plan.
In the closing laps, Leclerc found himself fending off the rapidly approaching McLarens, managing to hold them off and winning by 2.6 seconds, thrilling the tifosi in the grandstands.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished in sixth place, while Norris reduced his championship deficit to Verstappen by eight points, now standing at 62, aided by earning the fastest lap just before the checkered flag.
McLaren is now only eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
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With both McLaren drivers locking out the front row of the grid, they seemed poised for a one-two finish for half the race, as Piastri initially led Norris after passing him around the outside of the second chicane on the first lap.
Piastri’s bold move relegated Norris to third place, allowing Leclerc to sneak into second as well.
After trailing Piastri and Leclerc during the first stint, Norris made his pit stop first, attempting an undercut against Leclerc, who quickly responded the following lap.
Ferrari pitted on the next lap, but McLaren’s strategy successfully placed Norris ahead of Leclerc, despite the latter’s complaints over the radio.
McLaren eventually pitted Piastri to maintain his lead, adhering to their team rules of fairness. The race now seemed a duel for victory between the two McLaren drivers.
However, Norris faced tire wear issues, falling back to a five-second deficit behind Piastri, necessitating a second pit stop on lap 32, with Piastri following him in six laps later.
This raised questions about whether McLaren, concerned about tire wear, should have risked staying out front instead of pitting.
Their decision allowed Leclerc to take the lead over teammate Carlos Sainz, who was trailing by just over 10 seconds, while Piastri pursued them both. Ferrari decided to take a chance with Leclerc, knowing a one-stop strategy would be tough, especially after such an early stop—but both drivers managed to pull it off.
While Sainz slipped to fourth behind the two McLarens, Leclerc maintained enough of a lead to clinch what turned out to be one of the year’s most unexpected victories.
The crowd erupted as he crossed the finish line, marking his second victory at Monza for Ferrari, with his first win there in 2019.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Leclerc expressed. “I thought the first win would feel like this, and if there was a second one, it wouldn’t feel as special. But my god, the emotions in the final laps—just like 2019. Incredible.”
“Monaco and Monza are the two races I dream of winning every year. Of course, I want to win as many races as possible and the world championship as soon as I can, but these two are the most special, and I’ve managed to win them this year. That is so, so special.”
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Piastri expressed disappointment over losing the win, stating it “hurts.” He remarked, “Given our position and how the tires looked, going for a one-stop strategy felt very risky, but it was the right call. I’m very happy with my race, but finishing second stings.”
In hindsight, Piastri admitted, “Yes, we should have gone for a one-stop. Everyone’s a legend after the flag. Today we made a mistake, and I played a big part in that, since we had everything to lose from the lead. Charles had the option to try something different while we leaned toward a safer approach.”
Norris, although disappointed with third place, gained valuable points against Verstappen and remains focused on the challenge of averaging just under eight points more per race than the Dutch driver to claim the title.
Following Sainz, Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, far ahead of Verstappen, who had a challenging race with Red Bull. Unlike the other top-10 finishers, both Red Bulls started on hard tires instead of mediums, a strategy some rival teams questioned.
Verstappen switched to hard tires at his first pit stop on lap 22, just six laps after Piastri’s first stop. This forced him to stop again to switch to mediums, further hampered by a slow six-second pit stop. With Red Bull losing pace in recent races, his challenges only compounded from there.
George Russell of Mercedes emerged victorious in a battle for seventh against Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez. Russell, who started third, fell to seventh at the first corner after misjudging his braking and clipping Piastri’s McLaren, damaging his front wing.
Taking the final points in ninth and tenth were Williams’ Alex Albon and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who faces a ban for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after causing a collision with Pierre Gasly, resulting in 12 penalty points.
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What are your thoughts on Leclerc’s unexpected victory at Monza?
