Using a daring one-stop strategy to maintain the lead, Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix with a surprise victory. The Monegasque driver thrilled the Tifosi by taking P1 ahead of the McLarens.
Lando Norris started the race well from pole position and held P1 until later in the lap, Oscar Piastri passed him entering the second chicane. For the most of the race, the Australian maintained his lead after that.
Ferrari took a chance by trying a one-stop strategy for Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, even though the majority of the field had chosen to make two stops. As a result, the two finished at the front of the pack in the later parts of the race.
Due to his deteriorating tires, birthday boy Sainz was unable to hold on, and Piastri and Norris passed him to take second and third place, respectively. However, Leclerc persevered and crossed the finish line 2.6 seconds ahead of Piastri to win an emotional race at Ferrari's home track.
In addition to finishing third, Norris earned an additional point for turning the best lap, which partly brightened a day on which the British driver may have expected more to support his championship hopes. Lewis Hamilton, racing in his final Monza race before moving to Ferrari the following year, finished fifth for Mercedes, while Sainz was forced to settle for fourth.
Max Verstappen finished sixth, moving up one spot from his starting grid position. In seventh place, Red Bull was able to hold off Mercedes' George Russell, and in eighth place, Red Bull gained three more points thanks to Sergio Perez.
Because of this, Norris decided to pit again on Lap 33, coming out in sixth position with new hard tires. The Briton's stop was slow, and Russell's subsequent visit to the pits and subsequent return to the lead in P12 confirmed this.
Verstappen was quickly asking himself whether to protect or fight with the McLaren when Norris started to close the distance in their battle for P5. The answer was to "race him." When questioned about the potential for a one-stop, Piastri responded, "I don't think so, the front left is pretty dead."
On Lap 39, Piastri pitted from the lead with that. The 23-year-old had emerged ahead of the Verstappen and Norris collision despite a slightly delayed stop. While everything was going on, Russell had managed to pass Perez with P8 into Turn 1, despite being pressured by the Mexican.
With Leclerc and Sainz of Ferrari yet to make a second stop in P1 and P2, it was all hands on deck for Norris as he attempted to go past Verstappen for P4. On Lap 41, Norris was able to pass Verstappen entering the first corner after using the DRS on the main straight.
Shortly after, Verstappen returned to the pits and emerged in P6 on the medium rubber. Amidst all of this, an intriguing scenario was unfolding in front of us, as Ferrari's cars maintained a one-two configuration and it appeared like they were attempting to pull off a one-stop.
Leclerc was leading the race with ten laps to go, leading Sainz by eleven seconds. But Piastri was closing in on the Spaniard, and Norris was behind his teammate in P4 by a few seconds. Verstappen was closing the distance to Hamilton in fifth place behind them as well, cruising on his brand-new tires.
On Lap 45 of 53, Sainz made a valiant effort to defend on his deteriorating tires, but he was unable to prevent Piastri from passing him for P2. The Ferrari driver, who is now enjoying his 30th birthday, lost speed as Norris got closer and tried to grab third position.
It didn't take long for Norris to initiate action, as the British man was only three seconds behind Piastri. The lead was now seven seconds between the Australian and Leclerc, with the Tifosi noisily roaring each time the Monegasque passed them.
Verstappen was worried about the danger that Russell posed in the other area because the current world champion was still in P6. Verstappen remarked, "Even though it's a **** position, it's important."
Piastri's challenge to Leclerc's lead as the laps passed increased the Ferrari team's level of anxiety. Ultimately, though, Leclerc was able to cling on and secure an amazing victory in front of the Scuderia's devoted supporters since the margin was not closing quickly enough for the McLaren driver to catch up.
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