In the home race of Ferrari, Monza, Italy, Charles Leclerc managed to hold on and win the Grand Prix, edging out a rampaging Oscar Piastri despite his tires being more and more worn out.
Piastri chose a two-stop strategy because he was concerned that his tires would deteriorate too quickly. Piastri had led the race for a significant portion of it after passing his McLaren teammate and polesitter Lando Norris on the first chicane. As the last circuits passed, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s two Ferraris maintained a comfortable lead when Norris also pitted.
Thousands of Italian “tifosi” crammed into the grandstands to support their de facto national team celebrated the win with delirious abandon. They unfurled a massive Ferrari banner as they ran to the podium to watch Leclerc shoot champagne from it while red smoke billowed above him.
“It’s an amazing sensation… In his post-race interview, Leclerc, who is now third in the driver standings, stated, “The emotions in the last laps were exactly the same as in 2019.” He continued, “Obviously, I want to win as many races as possible, but Monaco and Monza are the two events I want to win every year. However, I won both of these races, which makes it really special because they are the two biggest events of the season.
“Mamma mia, the tifosi, you were incredible,” he said, addressing the Italian supporters specifically. “My first year with Ferrari was a very memorable experience. For me, it was a dream. I had assumed that since this victory wasn’t very noteworthy, it wouldn’t be as memorable, but that isn’t the case—wins like this are usually noteworthy.
Norris struck a disgruntled figure as he celebrated his win, lamenting a string of errors that saw him fall from first to third on the first chicane and a race plan that condemned him to third place overall.
In the driver rankings, he did get closer to Max Verstappen and showed off the McLaren car’s speed when he passed the Red Bull driver, who ultimately placed sixth. With eight races left in the season, McLaren is closing the gap on Red Bull in the manufacturers’ title, despite Verstappen still having a sizable lead in the standings.
In his post-race interview, Piastri remarked that his second-place result had left him “hurting” as well.
It aches a great deal. Did a lot of things well today. Given the situation we were in and the way the tires looked, making the decision to make a single stop seemed dangerous at first, but it turned out to be the right one, he added. “Very pleased with the pace, but it hurts when you come in second.”
“Unfortunately, we made a few mistakes today, and I had a significant role in that. Charles could attempt something a little different because he was going to finish third anyhow, and we had everything to lose by leading the race. He made the correct decision today—yes, it hurts.
