Charles Leclerc won at Monza for a second time in a strategic Italian Grand Prix; McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were both on podium but both thought victory was possible; Max Verstappen limits damage in sixth behind Lewis Hamilton
Sunday 1 September 2024 21:31, UK
Charles Leclerc took a stunning victory on Ferrari's home soil by holding off Oscar Piastri at the Italian Grand Prix, as Lando Norris finished third.
Leclerc used an alternative one-stop strategy to beat Piastri by 2.6 seconds to win for a second time this year.
McLaren were favourites for the race as they had a front row lock-out but Norris' race was hindered by Piastri overtaking him on the opening lap.
It left Norris playing catch up for the remainder of the Grand Prix but he couldn't get back into the lead battle, so settled for third which reduces his deficit to Max Verstappen to 62 points in the Drivers' Championship.
Carlos Sainz finished fourth ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen limiting the damage in sixth in front of George Russell.
Sergio Perez was eighth and Red Bull retain the lead in the Constructors' Championship but only by eight points from McLaren with eight events to go.
Willliams' Alex Albon was ninth, with Haas' Kevin Magnussen in 10th but banned for the next race in Baku due to going over the limit on penalty points over a 12-month period.
Leclerc started from fourth on the grid but found himself in second after the opening lap as Russell locked up into Turn One and Piastri surprisingly overtook Norris at the second chicane.
Norris didn't expect the move, so lost speed in the middle of the corner, and Leclerc took full advantage.
But, Norris undercut Leclerc so McLaren were back in a one-two position only for them to throw it away.
Both McLaren drivers pitted and Leclerc went for a one-stop strategy, doing 38 laps on the hard tyres, which paid off as he won in Monza for a second time in his career to the delight of the Tifosi.
"It is an incredible feeling. I thought the second time, if there was a second time, would not feel as special as the first, but the emotions over the last few laps were the same," said Leclerc.
"I want to win Monza and Monaco every year and I have managed to do to. It is so, so special."
Even though Norris and McLaren have made up ground in both championships, they could have gained more points on Verstappen and Red Bull.
Norris stated he and Piastri were "free to race" before the Grand Prix, but the British driver was not happy about the move from his team-mate at Turns Three and Four, which ultimately set him back.
"Oscar caught me by surprise as he got past," said Norris.
"I don't know what I could have done differently. If I brake a metre later, I probably would have crashed.
"It's something we will look at, but Ferrari drove a better race, particularly Charles."
Norris made a mistake on lap 31 as he cut the second chicane when trying to chase down Piastri, but lost time and decided to pit for a second time.
Race leader Piastri was asked if he wanted to pit for a new set hard tyres and came in on lap 39, so handed the lead to Leclerc, with Sainz now in second.
Both McLaren drivers overtook Sainz in the final 10 laps but Leclerc was too far up the road.
"It hurts. I'm not going to lie, it hurts a lot," said Piastri.
"I did a lot of things right today. There were a lot of question marks on the strategy going into the race.
"From the position we were in, with the tyres looking like they did, doing a one stop seemed like a very risky call, and in the end it was right.
"Very, very happy with the pace, with the race that I managed to achieve. Just when you finish second it hurts."
Verstappen started seventh and improved by one position, mostly thanks to Russell's lock up at Turn One on lap one and the Mercedes driver also suffering front wing damage.
The Dutchman started on the hards and put himself on a two-stop strategy by fitting the hards again, at one point battling with title rival Norris for a few laps.
He fitted the mediums for the last stint but couldn't catch Hamilton, who had a relatively quiet race on his way to fifth.
Perez and Russell had a great scrap throughout the race, with the British driver coming out on top.
Magnussen had crossed the finish line in ninth, but received a 10-second time penalty so dropped to 10th and also got two penalty points, so hit the limit of 12 points on his superlicence and is therefore banned for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Magnussen collided with Alpine's Pierre Gasly at the second chicane and the stewards stated Magnussen was "wholly to blame" for the incident.
He will keep his point for 10th place, but Haas will need to replace him for Baku in two weeks' time, with Britain's Oliver Bearman as an option to jump into Magnussen's car.
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