To counter the two McLarens, the Ferrari team came up with a winning strategy: finish the race with just one tire change, switching from medium to hard tires. This tactic paid off for Charles Leclerc, just as it did at the end of July in Spa with George Russell, who was later disqualified because his Mercedes was found to be underweight. After McLaren called Oscar Piastri into the pits for his second stop, putting Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the lead, the Spaniard found himself about ten seconds behind his teammate.
At that point, Ferrari decided to try to maintain the lead by avoiding a second pit stop. Both drivers agreed to the plan, but Sainz was more vulnerable to the McLarens' comeback and was indeed overtaken first by Piastri and then by Norris. Leclerc, although running a second per lap slower than Piastri, had a 12-second lead with 8-9 laps to go. By driving flawlessly, Leclerc managed to hold onto the lead, finishing the race on tires that had been used for 38 laps (34 for Sainz), while Piastri closed the gap to just 2.6 seconds.
This was Leclerc's second win of the season, following his victory in Monte Carlo, and Ferrari's third triumph, having also won in Australia with Sainz. After a slump following the Monaco GP, Ferrari's SF24 returned to competitiveness at Monza, thanks to aerodynamic improvements and fresh engines, keeping pace with the Mercedes-powered McLarens.
At the start of the race, George Russell unintentionally helped Leclerc. Starting third, the Englishman went wide on the first corner, slightly damaging his front wing and making contact with Piastri, effectively taking himself out of the podium fight. Shortly after, at the Roggia chicane, Piastri made an aggressive move on Norris, nearly making contact. Leclerc took advantage of this, passing Norris and finding himself in second place in less than a lap, ready to put pressure on Piastri.
It's surprising that McLaren didn't issue team orders, considering Norris is still in the hunt for the championship, and Monza represented a great opportunity due to Red Bull's struggles, with Max Verstappen starting seventh and finishing only sixth. This decision may indicate McLaren's focus on the Constructors' Championship rather than the Drivers' Championship. Norris stated that he didn't expect Piastri's attack, saying he would have braked later if he had known.
Sainz, on the other hand, couldn't match Leclerc's pace in the final stages, giving way to the McLarens and finishing fourth. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth with the Mercedes, unable to get close enough to challenge Sainz throughout the race. Verstappen came in sixth, continuing Red Bull's losing streak, which has now lasted six Grands Prix. A less-than-perfect pit stop also affected the Dutchman's performance, leaving him visibly frustrated. Russell finished seventh, while Sergio Perez took eighth, 16 seconds behind his teammate.
Alexander Albon secured two important points for Williams-Mercedes, battling Kevin Magnussen's Haas-Ferrari to the very last meter. Magnussen received a penalty for a collision with Pierre Gasly, costing him ninth place. Nico Hulkenberg also received a penalty for hitting Yuki Tsunoda, who was forced to retire. The German had already been slowed down by a collision with Daniel Ricciardo on the first lap, resulting in a penalty for Ricciardo, who finished 13th.
Aston Martin-Mercedes didn't score any points: Fernando Alonso finished 11th, battling Albon and Magnussen to the finish line, while Lance Stroll ended up 19th, a lap down. Noteworthy was the promising debut of Franco Colapinto, who finished 12th, just 14 seconds behind Albon, despite a small mistake in qualifying. It was a quiet race for the Alpine-Renaults of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who finished 14th and 15th, respectively. It was also a tough day for the Sauber-Ferraris, which saw the debut of former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, now involved in the Audi project.
© Cavalieri Garage & Co.
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