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The technical issue experienced in Zandvoort risks becoming a decisive turning point in Lando Norris’ season. From a motivational standpoint, the Brit doesn’t seem to have taken a hit, but the standings after the Dutch Grand Prix are harsh: he now trails Oscar Piastri by 34 points. Nonetheless, Norris believes a comeback against his teammate is still possible—and he’s already counting on some interference from other drivers:
"It’s frustrating to have lost so many points for reasons outside of my control. But if it had been my own mistake, I’d probably still be feeling pretty down. That’s life, what can I do? It’s surprisingly easy for me to put it all behind me and look ahead to this weekend. That’s something I’ve worked hard on away from the track. I’ve improved - not that I don’t get annoyed or frustrated, but I think I handle it better now, without letting it affect me. It’s just bad luck, no one did anything wrong. Andrea and Zak apologized because they felt it was their duty, but it wasn’t their fault. And even if it was, I’d still try to take it philosophically. I can only look ahead to the next races and try to give more than I’ve ever given: if I lose the championship because of those points, all I can do is hold my head high and try again next year. I can still win the title even without anything bad happening to Oscar - and that’s how I want to do it. It would definitely make my life easier if there were a few drivers between us from time to time. The fact that we’re so dominant actually makes things harder for me. That’s the most frustrating part, but the principle remains: may the best driver win. If in the end he does a better job, I’ll applaud him. That’s just who I am".
Norris feels he's improved in managing difficult moments but points out the areas where he still needs to grow:
"I need to be at my best in more qualifying sessions. I need to focus a bit more and be sharper on different strategic aspects during races. I’m quite happy with many of my performances - it's just little things that make a big difference. I just want to find that final detail".
Despite his 34-point advantage and the widespread belief that he’s the favorite to win both the Italian Grand Prix and the World Championship, Oscar Piastri remains as cool and composed as ever. The Australian driver doesn’t seem fazed by his current momentum:
"Past experiences? I don’t think about them too much - I’ve already had my share of experience in other championships. In the past, I’ve had much bigger leads than this one, and I saw them vanish almost entirely before the final round, so I know from personal experience that this isn’t a reassuring gap. It’s still too early to start doing the math or to settle for anything less than first place. My approach stays the same, and it won’t change unless the gap gets significantly bigger or the number of races gets much smaller".
Regarding his on-track battles with Norris going forward, Piastri doesn't expect any shift in how they’ll race each other:
"Not much will change with Lando - he’s definitely not out of the fight. I think we’ll keep racing each other the same way, and the risk level will be the same. We’ll both be pushing to drive as fast as possible. My way of thinking and approaching races comes from my past experience in other championships, but also from who I am as a person. It’s just the way I’ve always tried to race: I try to seize opportunities when they arise and not take unnecessary risks".
For Ferrari, the Italian Grand Prix is always special, but for Charles Leclerc, this race holds an even deeper meaning. It was here in 2019 that he solidified his bond with the Ferrari fans with an unforgettable victory - and the shocking repeat win in 2024 reaffirmed that connection. Speaking on media day, Leclerc admitted that this year’s race weekend feels quite similar to last year’s:
"I remember well how I felt a year ago, and if I forget what happened on Sunday, I’d say the feeling was very similar—we knew it would be a very tough weekend against McLaren, who had an extra gear. But now I know how that Sunday turned out: we managed to pull off something we didn’t think was possible. So this year, at least we know that a win is still within reach, even if on paper we’re at a disadvantage. I can’t wait to put the car on track and see where we stand compared to them".
During the press conference, Leclerc paid tribute to Niki Lauda and Giorgio Armani, and he pointed to Monza as one of the few tracks where - despite McLaren’s clear advantage - surprises could still happen:
"Realistically, there isn’t a track where we believe we’re stronger than McLaren, but there are a few where we’ll be closer. I hope Baku in qualifying - it’s always been one of my favorite circuits. Monza is another race where surprises can happen. Then there’s Singapore and Las Vegas: Vegas is so unique that sometimes something unexpected can happen. In Singapore, qualifying matters a lot".
Leclerc also didn’t hide his frustration at seeing how easily Norris and Piastri are able to fight for wins with their McLaren:
"Knowing you can’t beat them - except in special circumstances - is frustrating. Unfortunately, I’ve been feeling that way for a while, because I haven’t yet had a car - aside from maybe early 2022 - that can regularly fight for wins. But that doesn’t change my motivation. If anything, the frustration becomes motivation - you want to do something extraordinary, even if it doesn’t seem realistic on paper. But if you succeed, like we did here last year, the joy is even greater".
Lewis Hamilton is set to experience his first Italian Grand Prix at Monza as a Ferrari driver - he’s won there five times, most recently in 2018. However, that emotion is slightly dulled by a penalty stemming from the Dutch Grand Prix: Hamilton will serve a five-place grid penalty for failing to respect a double yellow flag before the start at Zandvoort. The Brit was critical of how the situation was handled:
"It’s frustrating to get a penalty at Monza for something that happened before the Zandvoort GP. It’s not ideal to start my first Monza race as a Ferrari driver like this, but I’ll fight and try to climb back. Honoring Niki at Ferrari after all the victories with Mercedes is a beautiful thing - it’s a legacy that continues".
Hamilton is also ready to support Charles Leclerc if a slipstream could make the difference in Q3 qualifying:
"A tow for Leclerc? Ferrari did that before with Raikkonen and Massa. It’s a risk for me, but if we have the pace for pole, I’ll happily do it".
he said at the press conference. Ferrari arrives in Monza with memories of the Dutch GP but also a strong desire to give their passionate fans something to cheer for. Speaking to journalists at Monza, team principal Frédéric Vasseur expressed hope that the characteristics of the circuit would play in Ferrari’s favor:
"Different track, different temperatures, different tire compounds? Hopefully the result is different too".
He joked at the start of the press conference:
"Is Monza better suited to our car than Zandvoort? I hope so. We weren’t very optimistic about Zandvoort. But I think it was mostly that tough Friday that led to the final result. On Friday in FP1 and FP2 we were 1.6 to 1.7 seconds off the pace. Then you tune the car, the drivers adjust their approach, and so on—but it’s still very hard to close those final gaps. And starting behind Russell made things even tougher. That’s why here, we need to get everything right from the very beginning of the weekend, starting tomorrow. Last year we weren’t brilliant in qualifying, but we had strong race pace. Monza is also different from Zandvoort because you can actually overtake here".
The Grand Prix, however, will necessarily begin with some difficulties for Lewis Hamilton. On this matter, Frédéric Vasseur avoids controversy and explains why the Maranello team chose not to appeal the stewards' decision:
"Giving advice to Hamilton for his first Italian GP with Ferrari? I think he has enough experience to manage this kind of situation. Of course, a grid penalty is not the best way to start the weekend. I’d prefer a plus five over a minus five, but that’s how it went. We decided not to appeal or request a review because I think the best approach for Monza is to fully focus on performance. Besides, five places at Monza are probably a lighter penalty than five places at Monaco or Zandvoort. I really want the whole team to concentrate on this weekend—on performance, on doing their job - not on protesting something else".
In 2024, at Monza, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was officially announced as Mercedes' full-time driver for 2025 - a season that has already brought him his first podium but is also proving to be a challenging one. Now, a year later, the young Italian reflects on the importance of avoiding too many off-track activities to properly focus on his first Italian F1 race weekend:
"At Imola, there was too much going on off-track. I wasn’t 100% focused in the car and was already tired by Saturday. This time, I want to manage everything better. Compared to Imola, I now know how to handle the weekend and be at my best. It’s a shame about the contact with Leclerc - I had just one chance to pass. But it’s good that Monza comes right after. The incident between Lawson and Sainz? I didn’t see it. I was already focused on what happened with me. I think Sprint weekends are fun. Shorter races? I don’t think they’d work - most races are already one-stop events. But I enjoy the Sprints; it would be nice to have more of them. They can be a disadvantage for rookies, but if you’re fast from the start and trust the car, it’s not a problem. It’s easy to lose yourself thinking too much about the final result. I just focus on driving and putting everything together. I have bittersweet memories here - it’ll be a special weekend. It’s hard to predict what we can do; we’re all close. The old suspension helped us, and I hope it will again this weekend".
On Thursday, September 4, 2025 - All teams and drivers are now at Monza, but the Dutch Grand Prix is still a hot topic. What was supposed to be a transitional race turned into a dramatic one with major shake-ups in the standings and several controversial incidents. One of the most talked-about moments was the overtake by Charles Leclerc on George Russell at the chicane. Though it was an exhilarating move, later footage revealed that Leclerc was fully off track during the pass. The stewards deemed it legal at the time, and Mercedes did not protest - likely because Leclerc later retired after contact with Antonelli. Still, Russell, criticized by some for leaving the door too open, stood by his view that the move was not legal:
"Given how things played out, I didn’t want to push the issue since he retired anyway. I was fairly sure he went off track, but there wasn’t clear evidence at the time, so I understood the stewards’ position. But the photos that came out after made it clear he was off. Often, evidence emerges later. From a spectacle standpoint, yes - it looked like a great move. If you’re neutral, that’s what you think. But he was probably half a meter off track. Had I known that was allowed, I might’ve done the same and forced him wide, because I had the right to do that. People assume that with all the tech we have, decisions are easy - but it’s not. There’s pressure on the stewards to make quick calls with so many incidents. We’ll probably never get everything perfectly right, and there always seems to be a new angle that changes everything. We need quick decisions - not just for drivers but also for fans. I remember after the Canadian GP, I was in New York and didn’t even know if I had won or not. That shouldn’t happen".
In general, Russell believes having permanent stewards throughout the season would help bring consistency:
"I think there are about 25 different stewards across the season. If you asked all 20 drivers about a questionable incident, we’d all have slightly different opinions. That’s why I believe fixed stewards would help us understand their perspective and interpretation over time. Sainz’s penalty probably wasn’t deserved—and maybe with different stewards, the decision would’ve been different".
A potential move to Ferrari is not ruled out by Max Verstappen, though he makes it clear that such a decision would not be based on emotion but on pure competitiveness. The 2026 rule changes will be key to determining whether such a future is realistic. On the eve of the Italian GP, the World Champion discussed Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari and much more:
"I don’t know exactly what’s going on in the team or how he’s handling it personally. The thing is, he joined a team that already had a very strong driver - Charles. So it was never going to be easy to come in and beat a teammate who’s well integrated and speaks Italian. With these cars, it can be quite difficult to understand why you’re fast or not".
Verstappen acknowledges Ferrari’s legendary status - but also insists that emotional appeal isn’t enough:
"Ferrari is a huge brand. Every driver dreams of driving a Ferrari - but that’s also where the mistake lies. I wouldn’t drive for them just for the name. If you want to race for Ferrari, you want to win. I’d only go there if I saw a real opportunity to win - and winning with Ferrari would make it even better".
The Dutch driver doesn’t rule out joining Ferrari in the future - if he believes in the team’s potential. The 2026 regulation reset will be crucial:
"You shouldn’t be guided purely by emotion or passion for a brand. You have to go where you feel it’s the right place. Is Ferrari that place? Who knows. We’ll see next year with the new regulations - they could shake up the entire grid".
So far, Verstappen confirms there has been no contact with Ferrari:
"They already have two drivers under contract for next year, so there wouldn’t be any discussion anyway. That said, is there a chance? Yes - life is full of possibilities when it comes to any kind of decision. Right now, nothing is on the horizon for me. I don’t even know how long I’ll stay in F1 - there are still a lot of unknowns".
Although Verstappen is not in title contention for the first time in five years, he remains motivated:
"Of course I’d prefer to be fighting for the title - but that’s life. When we were competitive, I always knew there would come a time when things would be different. You have to be ready for that, and I am. I can’t force things. It’s important to work together, identify weaknesses, and rebuild from there. Coming to a race knowing it’ll be hard to win is not ideal - but many drivers are in that position. I’m not the only one. I’ve been lucky enough to win a lot already, so it’s easier to keep things in perspective".
Even in tough times, Verstappen remains focused on the long term:
"There are definitely some things we can carry into next year. We’re trying to better understand everything and make the car more competitive. Looking at the current gap to McLaren, we’ll need some luck to win more races this year - but that’s how it is. I think many teams are in a similar situation".
Looking ahead to 2026, when Red Bull will debut its in-house power unit developed with Ford, Verstappen remains cautiously optimistic:
"It’s definitely a big question mark. I don’t think anyone can say for sure whether they’ll be competitive. There are no guarantees. Of course, I’m aware that building our own engine is a massive challenge - but it’s also exciting, because it gives us the best chance to be competitive without relying on another manufacturer. The rules are so complex that the engine will be hugely important - but we still have to build a great chassis too. I think the first races will be challenging for everyone, trying to integrate everything from the power unit to the car".
Looking even further ahead, Verstappen is clear about what he wants for the post-2026 regulations:
"If it were up to me, the most important thing would be to have smaller and lighter cars. That could only be done by slightly changing the engine regulations. Right now, they’re extremely efficient - but also big and heavy, which makes the cars longer and bulkier, requiring more cooling. If we could go back to something more like the 2010 era - or earlier - it would be great. I think it would help racing".
Lastly, Verstappen had some encouraging words for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, in whom he sees a reflection of his younger self:
"What he’s going through is normal. The problem is that some people are making too big a deal out of it. What I like is that he doesn’t hold back - he always gives everything. He reminds me of myself. Could things be going better? Of course. But I know how much talent he has - I can see it. He just needs some time. It’s not easy to debut in a top team, especially when you’re not fighting for wins. If he were in a winning car, he’d probably feel more comfortable. He’ll be fine - he just needs a bit of patience".
On Friday, September 5, 2025, the opening one-hour session takes place under bright blue skies, with some different names on the timing screens as Alex Dunne and Paul Aron are behind the wheel of Oscar Piastri's McLaren and Franco Colapinto's Alpine respectively. Both have already made appearances this season, Dunne with McLaren at the Red Bull Ring and Aron for Kick Sauber at Silverstone and Hungaroring, with all full-time drivers required to make way for a rookie - viewed as someone who has started no more than two Grands Prix - in two practice sessions across the 2025 season. Lando Norris becomes the first driver to take to the run-off at the opening corner, the McLaren man rejoining unharmed and keen to hit the ground running after losing a big haul of points last weekend in the Dutch GP. Both Leclerc and Nico Hulkenberg also take to the run-off area at the opening chicane as drivers struggle with a tailwind into the heavy braking zone and on a green Monza Circuit. Norris becomes the first driver to set a sub 1'22"0 time - a 1'21"513 - before Alex Albon lowers the benchmark down to a 1'21"479 inside the opening 10 minutes. Max Verstappen launches himself to the top with the Pirelli medium tyre, posting a 1'21"166, with the Red Bull driver reporting over the radio that his tyres are starting to slide a little bit more, as Albon continues his impressive run on the hard rubber, posting a 1'21"073. As the track conditions continue to improve, so do the lap times, Verstappen setting a 1'20"751 on the same set of medium tyres, as Aron suffers a spin into the second chicane having touched the grass on entry before rejoining at the 20-minute mark. Dunne becomes the first driver to bolt on a set of soft tyres, posting a time only good enough for P15 at the halfway point, while Verstappen's first run on the red-wall tyre lowers the benchmark by less than one-tenth but reports of no grip, I just slide a lot. Isack Hadjar suffers a high-speed off through Ascari before rejoining, spewing gravel across the circuit which necessitates a brief red flag after 25 minutes to clear, the deployment of which causes problems for Leclerc. The Ferrari driver is on a flying lap and overtakes a Kick Sauber approaching the second chicane just as the red flags are displayed, with the incident initially noted by the stewards before no further action is taken. The 2024 Italian GP winner then moves to the top of the times as running resumes, posting a 1'20”286 as teammate Hamilton makes it a Ferrari 1-2 by registering a 1'20"117 in the final five minutes, which would remain the best of the session. Best of the rest is Carlos Sainz's Williams from Verstappen and the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, with title challenger Norris only able to finish sixth and nearly one second off the leading pace, followed by Albon. George Russell is eighth but the Briton's session comes to an early end after his Mercedes stops out on track in the final minute, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. The top 10 is completed by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Hadjar (Racing Bulls).
After Lewis Hamilton leads a Ferrari 1-2 in first practice, to the delight of the passionate Tifosi packing Monza’s grandstands and grass banks, drivers and teams return to the track for another hour of running on Friday afternoon - FP2 getting under way at 5:00 p.m. local time. All 20 cars are quick to emerge from their garages when the green light switches on at the end of the pit lane, with Oscar Piastri reclaiming his McLaren from F2 racer Alex Dunne and Franco Colapinto taking his Alpine back from reserve Paul Aron following their FP1 outings. Despite a cracked mirror, Piastri posts the fastest time of the opening minutes with a 1'21"212, before teammate Norris (who has coincidentally lost one of his mirrors altogether) lowers the benchmark to a 1'21"012 - both drivers initially running medium tyres. Drama then ensues when Alpine driver Pierre Gasly goes too deep entering the Ascari chicane, runs through the gravel and litters stones over the track, before Antonelli loses control of his Mercedes through Lesmo 2, beaches it at the exit and causes a red flag. A brief stoppage follows as marshals clear Antonelli’s car, allowing McLaren to carry out some mirror repairs on Piastri and Norris’ cars, with 45 minutes still remaining on the FP2 clock when Race Control declares that the circuit is clear once more. Further runs on Pirelli’s medium and hard compound tyres duly trigger a flurry of changes at the top of the times - Leclerc clocking a 1'20"937, Max Verstappen producing a 1'20"710 and Sainz getting down to a 1'20"583. Elsewhere, Piastri and Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto are shown clattering the kerbs at the exit of Lesmo 2, while Albon just about holds onto his Williams after a dramatic mid-corner snap through Lesmo 1 - the latter two asking for checks to be carried out on their floors. Around halfway into the session, drivers begin to make the switch to the soft tyres, bringing a new pace-setting effort of 1'19"878 from Norris, despite the Briton being forced to abandon his first lap on the red-marked rubber via a moment exiting the Roggia chicane. Leclerc and Verstappen experience troubles of their own on the soft rubber; Leclerc running wide exiting Lesmo 2 and reporting no grip at all - like zero; and Verstappen reporting that his car is becoming really jumpy and really nervous on every little bump. When the final soft-shod laps come in, before drivers switch their focus to longer runs, Leclerc makes a significant improvement to go second to Norris by 0.083s, before another off at the Ascari chicane, while Sainz backs up his early-session pace to slot into third. Piastri winds up in fourth position, ahead of a trip to the stewards for allegedly entering the fast lane of the pit lane before the session restart, followed closely by Hamilton - who has a late trip through the gravel at the exit of Lesmo 2 - and Verstappen. Albon underlines Williams’ strong start to the weekend in seventh, despite his earlier dramas, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber, Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull and George Russell’s Mercedes, which returns to the track for the start of FP2 after his early-day hydraulic issues. Lewis Hamilton’s first time at Monza in a Ferrari suit starts on the best possible note: in FP1, the British driver sets the fastest time, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in a 1-2 that surely excites the Maranello team’s fans. However, reality set in during the afternoon session, which Hamilton still ended in a more than respectable fifth place, considering the circumstances with which the English driver arrived at this weekend:
"The whole experience so far has been incredible. From Wednesday in Milan with the fans, it was special, and today it was amazing to leave the garage with the red car, even better than I imagined. FP1 was a good session, while in FP2, we made some changes to the car and the situation got a little worse. But it’s better to have these difficulties now so we can react. There are a lot of positive things we can take away from today, but we’ll work overnight and hopefully improve even more. The McLarens are obviously very fast, but in the top 10, we are all quite close".
Hamilton then commented on the grid penalty he will have to serve on Sunday: the English driver says it's better to have this penalty this year rather than in 2026:
"Overtaking here isn’t easy, and the grid penalty I’ll have to serve is definitely going to be a problem, but it’s better to have it this year than next".
Second in the morning, second in the afternoon: this is how Charles Leclerc’s weekend begins, as he dreams of securing his third win in the Italian Grand Prix at the wheel of a Ferrari, following victories in 2019 and 2024. The McLarens are, of course, the cars to beat, but the mere 0.083s deficit to Lando Norris at the end of FP2 suggests that the SF-25s might not be that far off the English team’s cars on the home track:
"It’s always special to be on track in front of the fans. The passion and energy here in Monza are really unique. The car felt pretty good this afternoon, and it was encouraging to finish FP1 at the top".
The Monegasque agrees with his teammate, who highlighted the worsened feeling between FP1 and FP2:
"We made some changes between the sessions that we’ll analyze carefully because we’re not sure they’ve taken us in the right direction. But there’s time to fix things ahead of tomorrow. Our pace on the lap seemed competitive, and we gathered valuable information on all the tire compounds: the priority will be to understand how to keep improving race pace. I’m confident the team can make good progress overnight, and we’ll work to be ready and have a good qualifying session".
Overall, it was a day that satisfied Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur:
"Compared to last week, we’ve made a nice step forward. This morning went very well, and this afternoon was a bit more difficult, but we know why, and we shouldn’t draw conclusions from Friday because at Monza, a lot depends on the engine mapping and fuel, so we need to focus on ourselves to find the right setup for tomorrow. So far, everything is good".
An aggressive approach to the first sessions in the Temple of Speed, on a track with different characteristics from Zandvoort:
"Monza is a bit extreme in terms of aerodynamic load. We’re coming from Zandvoort, where we ran with the opposite setup in terms of downforce, almost the biggest load of the season. This means you have to adapt to the extremely high speed with very low downforce, and the braking point is very tricky to find. It’s part of the game; Fridays are always like this, then we’ll work overnight and be fine tomorrow. We’ve been a bit aggressive overall, more so this afternoon. Maybe we overdid it, but we’ll have time to analyze every aspect. In terms of pure performance, we didn’t make a big step on the wing compared to others. It’s more of a matter of the drivers needing to find the limit to make the car easier to drive. It’s not the right word, but it’s true that at Monza, it’s easy to make mistakes; it’s an old-school track, and even a small mistake can end up in the gravel, so you need to be able to drive the car without making mistakes, and that’s a key aspect for performance and confidence. The fact that the curbs are much lower than in the past has completely changed the track, but we need to find the right balance to make the car easier to drive, avoid mistakes, and boost the drivers' confidence, but we’re not far off".
The stands at the Autodromo di Monza are filled with fans, many of whom support Lewis Hamilton, who is having a first season with Ferrari below expectations:
"I feel that Lewis’ attitude has changed. I think he managed to reset everything and arrived at Zandvoort with a more aggressive mindset, which didn’t pay off in the end because of the incident, but the pace was there. In the end, it was a tough weekend for us, but I think it gave him confidence. He is very sensitive to the fans' affection. In Milan, they were very kind to him, and they made him arrive in Monza on Thursday morning with great enthusiasm and a clear mind. Up to now, he’s been doing a perfect job. The road is still long, but so far, everything is positive".
Vasseur also commented on the new technical regulations that will come into force in Formula 1 in 2026:
"It's undoubtedly hard to understand: there will be more energy, more drivability, turbo lag, and many other things. But the fans want to see the fight on track. The most important thing is that car performance is close, whether that comes from the combustion engine or other factors doesn’t matter as much. We’ll take the time to explain the different features of the car, but we have to remember, as I said in the press conference, that we’ve always been afraid of change. Do you remember 2014? There were engines we had never had in F1, and the gaps were enormous, but now we’re all at more or less the same level. Even in 2022, when we brought the new chassis, everyone was skeptical, and in Budapest, we saw five teams within a tenth. We shouldn’t be afraid of change. I hope we’ll do well next year, but that’s another story".
Max Verstappen can be seen smiling after FP2 of the Italian Grand Prix. On one of the tracks that had seen him struggle the most last year, the reigning World Champion felt quite positive about his RB21, finishing the afternoon session in sixth place. Sure, nothing that suggests he could challenge McLaren for the win, but even Yuki Tsunoda’s ninth position makes it clear that the Milton Keynes cars could fight for victory at the Temple of Speed:
"It went quite well, it seems like we’re more competitive, and I’m fairly satisfied with the car. Today’s sessions were tough, with some drivers going off track and bringing gravel onto it, but overall, it was a decent Friday".
Over the radio, Verstappen didn’t fail to point out some of the car’s limitations, complaining about excessive bouncing. The impression is that the Dutchman will be competing with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari for the role of first of the rest behind McLaren in Qualifying. Mercedes, on the other hand, seems to be a lesser threat to the Anglo-Austrian team’s cars. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is unable to avoid mistakes. After his error in FP1 at Zandvoort and his race incident with Charles Leclerc, the Italian driver made another mistake at Monza, running wide at the second Lesmo and cutting his working day short. This further setback wasn’t ideal for the driver’s confidence or the lack of track mileage, an aspect that likely contributed to his failure to qualify for Q3 at the Dutch Grand Prix. Antonelli, however, remains confident:
"I pushed a little too hard for the grip available at that moment. It’s a shame because things seemed to be going well: both in FP1 and at the start of the second session, it seemed we were fast. Confidence is still high: tomorrow I’ll have a slightly different plan, but I’ll be ready for anything. I had a lot of confidence; we were heading in the right direction with the setup. Of course, it’s disappointing to lose laps, but I’ll try to be ready and deliver a perfect job tomorrow. Qualifying will be very tight, as always; there will be ten cars within four-tenths. The pace was good today, and we’ll try to start as far ahead as possible. The atmosphere is incredible, and it gives me a great boost; it would be amazing to do well tomorrow".
Despite it being the final hour of practice before the crucial Qualifying session later today, it takes nearly 10 minutes for the majority of drivers to hit the circuit, with most initially just performing installation laps for tyre scrubbing. Those who do decide to set timed laps do so on the hard Pirelli rubber, with focus already turning towards the second half of the session where track conditions are at their optimal for Qualifying simulations. Lewis Hamilton, who carries a five-place grid penalty from last weekend into Qualifying, runs wide into the run-off area at the first chicane, as do many others including Lando Norris, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Carlos Sainz, with the Williams driver complaining of a tailwind. Isack Hadjar becomes the first driver to run a set of soft tyres approaching the 15-minute mark, but the Racing Bulls driver can only go second, nearly three-tenths slower than Yuki Tsunoda, who posts a 1'20"775 on the hard compound. After 20 minutes, Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen launches himself to the top of the times with the soft tyre, a 1'20"040 leaving him several tenths clear of the field before Leclerc slots in behind by just 0.014s. The Ferrari driver goes again on the medium compound but catches a huge oversteer moment through the Parabolica, while Verstappen improves, down to a 1'19"688 with the red-walled tyre, but is left frustrated by Esteban Ocon after going wheel-to-wheel with the Haas driver on preparation laps through the opening corners. Hamilton jumps up to second with 25 minutes remaining, the Briton using the medium tyre to post a time just over two-tenths slower than Verstappen's benchmark, with Alex Albon slotting into third just fractions slower on the softs. As expected, a flurry of Qualifying runs comes approaching the final 15 minutes with Norris jumping to the top on a 1'19"331, as teammate Piastri proves to be 0.247s slower and back in third as Verstappen jumps fractionally ahead. While Norris fails to improve with his second effort, Piastri closes the gap to just 0.165s as the Ferrari pair go out on softs for the first time. But Leclerc suffers another close call after dipping his left-rear in the gravel on the exit of Lesmo 2, while Hamilton can only jump to sixth and asks for some more speed. Leclerc sets the fastest opening sector with his following attempt, the lap proving good enough for P2 and just 0.021s behind Norris, less than two-tenths covering Piastri, Verstappen and George Russell behind. Bortoleto finishes an impressive sixth from Hamilton, Hadjar and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, with Albon (Williams) completing the top 10.
After three practice sessions around Monza - one topped by home favourites Ferrari and two by McLaren - attention turns to the all-important Qualifying hour, which gets under way in front of a passionate capacity crowd at 4:00 p.m. local time. When the green light switches on at the end of the pit lane, there is a slight divergence in tyre strategy, with the majority of the field opting for Pirelli’s soft compound tyres from the outset, but Mercedes pair Antonelli and Russell initially run mediums. While McLaren, Racing Bulls, and Williams driver Albon bide their time in the pit lane, Leclerc brings the first cheers from the Tifosi by clocking an early benchmark of 1'19"801, before Hamilton slots into second by lapping just over a tenth slower. McLaren make their first move a few minutes later - Norris goes quickest on a 1'19"611 and Piastri makes it a papaya 1-2 - while there is trouble for Williams as both Sainz (exiting Lesmo 2) and Albon (at the first chicane) lose track times for exceeding track limits. As the McLarens head to the pits for a reset, a host of drivers get second runs on the board - medium-shod Russell moves to the top with a 1'19"414, Sainz bounces back to go third for Williams, and Alonso, Bortoleto, and Leclerc all get ahead of Piastri. At the other end of the order, the Alpines of Gasly and Colapinto, Antonelli, the Haas of Ocon and the Racing Bulls of Lawson are all in the drop zone.
"The balance is okay, I just have no grip".
Reports Antonelli after that first sequence on mediums.
"Guys, I’m alone in front, exactly what we said we shouldn’t do".
Sighs Ocon as he leads the field back out for the decisive final runs, the Frenchman having to punch a hole in the air ahead while drivers behind position themselves for distant tows. With green and purple sector times being pumped in, there are changes all over the timing screen through to the chequered flag and beyond - just over four-tenths of a second ultimately separate pace-setter Russell and the Q2 cut-off. Hadjar is the driver who narrowly misses out after an out-lap tussle with Sainz and a moment exiting Lesmo 2, which yields a hugely frustrated radio message, while Stroll, Colapinto, Gasly and Lawson (who runs wide at Lesmo 1 and loses a lap time) also drop out. Russell remains in the pits and in P1 as the opening phase draws to a close, ahead of Verstappen, Norris, Tsunoda, and Sainz, with Alonso, Bortoleto, Bearman, Leclerc and Piastri completing the top 10. Antonelli and Hamilton make it through in P11 and P12 respectively. There is a slightly longer break than usual between segments as marshals clear away gravel from various sections of the track - only for Albon to run too deep at the Ascari chicane on his first Q2 effort and flick more stones onto the tarmac, heavily compromising that lap. Drama follows for Norris when he locks up heavily into the first chicane, takes to the run-off area and abandons his lap. His race engineer comments over the radio:
"We need to box".
While Verstappen moves into P1 on a 1'19"140 from Russell and Piastri. Bortoleto holds an impressive fourth following his Q2 opener, from Leclerc, Tsunoda, Antonelli and Hamilton, with Sainz and Bearman occupying the final top 10 positions. That means Alonso, Ocon, Albon (via his own lock-up into Turn 1), Hulkenberg and Norris are the drivers in danger. Norris unsurprisingly rejoins the action as quickly as he can to get a banker on the board, but a 1'19"451 only puts him seventh. After falling into the drop zone and raising heart rates on the McLaren pit wall, the out-of-sync Norris produces a lap when it matters to shoot up to fifth, behind Russell, teammate Piastri, a much-improved Antonelli and Verstappen, whose low 1m 19s time remains the benchmark. With just under three-tenths this time covering that P1 lap to the Q3 cut-off, Leclerc, Bortoleto, Alonso, Hamilton and Tsunoda are the final drivers to make it through to the pole position shootout, denying both Haas cars, Hulkenberg and both Williams drivers. A few minutes later, it is time for the Q3 segment everyone has been waiting for, and the opening runs bring a vintage Monza experience - Piastri initially leads the way for McLaren, Leclerc takes over for Ferrari and Verstappen then storms to P1 in his Red Bull. Norris endures another tricky start to the phase, only going seventh with his first effort, behind the other Ferrari of Hamilton, the lead Mercedes of Russell and Bortoleto’s Sauber, as Antonelli, Tsunoda and Alonso provisionally round out the order.
Following a pause in the pit lane, the 10 cars fire back into life and give fans another treat across the final runs to the flag - Norris puts those aforementioned dramas behind him to take P1 away from Verstappen on a 1'18"869. All eyes then turn to Verstappen, who brilliantly gets down to a new lap record time of 1'18"792 and brings pole position back into his hands, leaving Norris to settle for second over Piastri and the two Ferraris. Hamilton is just over a tenth slower than teammate Leclerc in fifth but will take a five-place grid penalty on race day, promoting Russell (who requests medium tyres for his last lap but is given softs), Antonelli, Bortoleto, Alonso and Tsunoda. In Monza, the RB21 sets a new track record, a standout performance likely to last for quite some time, considering the technical changes the category will undergo starting in 2026. For now, though, it's enough to put a smile on Max Verstappen’s face:
"It’s been a good weekend for us. It started off quite well; the car wasn’t too far from the top right from the beginning, and session after session, we kept improving. I hope it’ll be enough for tomorrow, even though McLaren usually shifts into another gear on Sundays. Last year was a disaster, a nightmare for us. I knew this year would be better, but we still had some question marks going into the weekend. So far, everything has worked really well. Hopefully, we’ll be in front in the race too - we’ll see".
Things never go entirely smoothly for Lando Norris. In a weekend where he finally outqualifies Oscar Piastri, the Brit is unexpectedly pipped by Max Verstappen, who takes pole position for the Italian Grand Prix. Still, Norris manages a smile. His qualifying almost ended in Q2:
"I’m happy. The gaps were tiny - seven hundredths from pole isn’t much - but I don’t think I really gave myself the chance to fight for pole today. I made too many mistakes in Q2, and that left me going into Q3 with the wrong mindset in terms of confidence. Then in Q3, I had to exit the pit lane first [ahead of Piastri, editor’s note], and I knew I was screwed before even leaving the garage. So it all came down to the final lap of Q3. From that point of view, I’m happy I managed to put in a good lap. That was a nice surprise for me".
After his DNF in the Dutch GP, losing more points would mean letting go of any title dreams:
"I know I can win tomorrow, even if the advantage we usually have isn’t the same this weekend. Max has been quick all weekend, and we knew he’d be a threat in qualifying. Tomorrow will be a tough race, but there’s definitely a chance to win because races usually suit us more than qualifying".
Before the post-qualifying press conference begins, Oscar Piastri is seen laughing and joking with Lando Norris. Understandably so — the result is decent for the Australian, who stays close to his teammate and has a car capable of challenging for the win. By team order, Piastri also gave Norris a tow at the end of Q2, saving the Brit from a shock elimination. A further demonstration of the composure of the World Championship contender, who could’ve gotten frustrated or even refused to help his title rival:
"It went well. Q1 was a bit tricky, but in Q2 and Q3 I felt pretty comfortable. It was a solid lap - nothing amazing - but I think it was clear that this weekend, the competition was much tighter, even with some unexpected teams and cars. I think I managed things quite well, even though I was missing something in the end. There are a couple of corners I’d like to redo, but overall I’m fairly satisfied. I think it’s possible to win even from third, but Max is really fast. It certainly won’t be a guaranteed one-two like on some other tracks".
Piastri wasn’t so surprised by Verstappen’s pole as he was by Ferrari’s absence from the pole fight:
"The battle was much tighter here, and in such cases, Max is always the one who gets closest. I thought maybe Ferrari would be up there, based on last year. Looking ahead to tomorrow, I’m reasonably confident. Our race pace is generally one of our strengths, but yesterday it didn’t seem massively better than others’. We’ll see, because Monza is a track where slipstreaming makes a big difference, and the start can be quite chaotic, so there will be other factors in play besides pure pace".
Charles Leclerc had hoped for the front row. After his first Q3 run, he was second only to Verstappen. But in the final attempt, he couldn’t improve, slipping from second to fourth. He’ll start from the second row - the same position as last year, when he went on to win. After qualifying, Leclerc highlights how good his first Q3 lap was, and partly contradicts his team principal. In his final attempt, Leclerc didn’t get a tow from Lewis Hamilton, despite the Brit knowing he had a five-place grid penalty and wasn't fighting for pole. Team boss Fred Vasseur said the choice not to tow Leclerc was made together with him. But Leclerc had a different take:
"The tow situation could’ve been managed differently. But that’s how it went".
Not exactly the words of someone who agreed with the engineers’ plan:
"My first lap was one of those that flies under the radar because it only got me P4 in the end, but it was actually a really strong lap. I was very happy with it. Fourth place was the best we could achieve".
However, last year’s precedent leaves room for hope:
"Last year I said it wasn’t realistic to think about winning, and then we ended up winning. I hope we can repeat that tomorrow. On paper, McLaren and Red Bull are very strong this weekend, but I’ll give it everything - winning at Monza is something special. We’ve got slightly different setups on our two cars. I went more aggressive, and I think that helped in qualifying. We’re fast on the straights. Now we’ll see if that gamble works in the race too".
As mentioned, Leclerc didn’t benefit from Hamilton’s slipstream, despite Hamilton’s stated willingness to help his teammate. Hamilton qualified fifth but will start tenth due to his five-place grid penalty. While Leclerc said the tow could’ve been managed better, Ferrari boss Vasseur explained the team’s logic:
"Giving Charles a tow was an option, but I think focusing on the out-lap to best prepare the tyres was the right call. Anyway, looking at the gap, I don’t think it would’ve made the difference for pole. On this kind of track, everyone ends up with some regrets - Norris almost got knocked out in Q2, for example".
In the race, Ferrari will still aim for the win, although their low-downforce setup may lead to higher tyre degradation:
"We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. Our race pace was good, and there’s a long run to the first braking zone at the start. On this track, starting from the second row can actually be an advantage".
Lewis Hamilton didn’t lack pace in his first qualifying session as a Ferrari driver at Monza. The Brit was fifth in Q3, just under a tenth slower than Leclerc:
"I always hope to do better, but I think we did the best we could today. Tomorrow I’ll try to get back into the top five, but I think it’ll be really difficult, because the cars in front are very fast. Especially the Mercedes - they’re strong, and I’ll have to pass them, which won’t be easy".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh in Q3, but will move up to sixth due to Hamilton’s penalty, placing him on the third row alongside teammate George Russell:
"Lately, I seem to enjoy making life difficult for myself. The mistake in FP2 was really unnecessary, and it meant I had to follow a slightly different program in FP3 - never ideal heading into qualifying. On the final lap, we tried something different with tyre temperatures, but in the first two sectors I had a lot of rear-end snaps. Still, P6 is good. We’ll see tomorrow".
Consistency in performance still needs to be found. Kimi is particularly focused on this point, stating that the crash in FP2 cost him 0.2s in terms of performance:
"Confidence came with the first lap in Q2, but it was a tough qualifying session because I was tense. Most of all, I went off immediately in FP2 yesterday and lost a bit of rhythm—this morning it felt like starting from scratch. It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy with how I progressed. The last lap wasn’t great, I made a few mistakes and I knew there was more potential. Still, I was quite satisfied with the session, and it felt good to have a strong qualifying after a difficult period. That FP2 off definitely cost me a couple of tenths in terms of confidence. When you have a clean weekend where you can build up the rhythm session by session, you go into qualifying with a different kind of confidence. That off didn’t help, but I’m happy with the step forward I made. Handling the pressure? It went much better. Imola was a great experience and a really good lesson - I felt much more at ease this weekend".
The two Mercedes drivers will occupy the third row of the grid in the GP, separated by just 0.043s. Almost identical lap performance, but achieved in different ways:
"George and I have very different driving styles. I ask more from the car, especially on corner entry, so I need a rear end that stays quite stable. In terms of setup, we’re similar but still different, because we each need different things from the car".
George Russell was fastest in Q1 on Medium tyres and wanted to use them again in Q3:
"There must’ve been a communication issue. I was pretty sure I told the team I wanted Mediums for the final Q3 run, because I didn’t like the Softs in Q2. We need to figure out why that wasn’t understood. Leclerc is very fast on the straights, so I’ll have to try to pass him on the first lap. Honestly, to get on the podium something has to happen to the guys ahead".
After a thrilling Qualifying session around the historic Temple of Speed, which sees Verstappen brilliantly pull a lap out of the bag to pip McLaren pair Norris and Piastri, drivers and teams reconvene for Sunday’s main event: the Italian Grand Prix. Two changes to the grid are confirmed in the hours before the race, with both Hadjar (who qualifies 16th) and Gasly (in 19th) being sent to the pit lane for taking on a host of new power unit elements beyond their respective allocations for the season. As such, Stroll, Colapinto and Lawson all gain spots towards the back of the pack, while further up, Hamilton’s pre-event five-place grid penalty means he falls from fifth to 10th and promotes Russell, Antonelli, Bortoleto, Alonso and Tsunoda. With the race start approaching, attention turns to tyre choices for what Pirelli expect to be a straightforward one-stop race. As blankets come off, it is revealed that the majority of the field opt for medium rubber, while Albon, Ocon, Stroll, Hadjar and Gasly take hards and Lawson goes aggressive on softs. When the lights go out, with Hulkenberg absent after being told to pit and retire his car, Norris jumps off the line to immediately put pressure on Verstappen - the Red Bull man squeezes his McLaren rival onto the grass as they charge towards the first chicane. Under braking for Turn 1, Norris has a look up the inside of Verstappen’s car and the pair go wheel-to-wheel again, only for the reigning World Champion to skip the chicane and maintain the lead.
"What’s this idiot doing?"
Norris shouts over the radio.
"He puts me in the grass and cuts the corner".
There is more drama just behind when Piastri initially loses out to Leclerc, a move that prompts huge cheers from the Tifosi in the grandstands and on the grass banks, before the Australian fights back with a stunning pass around the outside of Lesmo 1. Heading onto Lap 2, Verstappen appears to back off down the start/finish straight to let Norris through and avoid a possible penalty, which allows Piastri to have a look at the Red Bull before getting caught in a Turn 1 bottleneck and being overtaken by Leclerc again. Verstappen maintains his composure and quickly returns to the rear of Norris’ McLaren, enjoying a smooth exit out of the Parabolica, tucking into the slipstream for the start of Lap 4 and then smartly passing Norris around the outside of the first chicane. As Verstappen sets about consolidating P1, Leclerc and Piastri continue to battle it out for third place.
"Leclerc is all over the place under braking; I have to avoid him".
Reports Piastri after a couple of close calls, before finally reclaiming the spot into Turn 1 on Lap 6. In fifth, Russell does well to maintain his starting position and keep Leclerc on his toes, while Hamilton already charges his way from 10th to sixth, moving past Bortoleto, Alonso, Tsunoda and Antonelli, who endures a difficult start. Elsewhere, Ocon is given a five-second penalty for forcing Stroll off track in a wheel-to-wheel moment at the Roggia chicane.
"There is no space".
Ocon argues in a message to the Haas pit wall, with his efforts to challenge for the points being dented. After his decisive early-race pass, Verstappen lights up the timing screens to post fastest lap after fastest lap and builds a comfortable advantage at the head of the pack - the gap between him and Norris reaches five seconds by Lap 18 (aided by the latter running wide at Lesmo 2). Bearman is the first man to pit for fresh rubber on Lap 19, triggering a flurry of midfield stops over the next couple of tours, with drivers either moving from mediums to hards or hards to mediums, apart from Lawson on his alternate soft-to-hard approach.
One of the highlights of this sequence is a head-to-head fight between Bortoleto and his manager Alonso, after the Kick Sauber enters the pit lane just ahead of the Aston Martin but leaves it just behind, thanks to some slick work from the Silverstone-based team. That hard work is undone just a few moments later, though, when Alonso’s car clatters the kerbs exiting the Ascari chicane and suffers an apparent suspension failure.
"This is unbelievable".
Laments the two-time World Champion while he limps back to the pits. As the race reaches its halfway mark, Russell becomes the first of the front-runners to pit from fifth, releasing Hamilton, Antonelli, Albon and Sainz - the Williams duo making progress and swapping places following some back-and-forth over the radio. McLaren, meanwhile, deliberate their options. Piastri is asked if he can go 15 laps longer than originally planned. Comes his response:
"I think so, yes".
Norris is then asked about extending and fitting a soft tyre towards the end. He says:
"We might as well continue".
A few drivers draw the attention of the stewards at this point; Sainz for failing to follow the Race Director’s escape road instructions at the Roggia chicane; Antonelli due to repeated track limits violations; and Lawson and Tsunoda for some midfield wheel-banging. On Lap 33, Verstappen finds himself leading Norris by six seconds, with the same margin separating the two McLarens, before Leclerc adds another front-running stop to the mix by pitting from fourth and seemingly protecting against an undercut from Russell. Emerging from the pits a few seconds ahead of Russell, Leclerc is not so sure, commenting over the radio:
"If we are not under threat, why do we stop now?"
He nonetheless makes good use of his fresh tyres and begins to pump in some rapid lap times. On Lap 37, race leader Verstappen decides that enough is enough and swaps his medium tyres for hards, releasing Norris and Piastri into the lead as McLaren bide their time – Norris repeating that he would be happy to go for softs to the finish. As the papaya cars continue to circulate, there are more fireworks in the midfield when Bearman and Sainz collide at the Roggia chicane. Reports the Haas rookie over the airwaves:
"He just turns in in front of me like I’m not there".
Then, on Lap 45, with just eight tours to go, McLaren finally decide to bring their cars in. Intriguingly, it is Piastri who stops first. Says Norris:
"As long as he doesn’t undercut. There will be no undercut”.
However, after Piastri’s smooth switch to softs, it is not such a pleasant experience for Norris on Lap 46, with a sticky tyre costing him valuable time. As he rejoins the track, Piastri surges ahead and moves into second place, giving McLaren a late-race headache. McLaren are quick to act and order a swap of positions - referencing last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where Norris belatedly gives back the lead to Piastri after gaining it in the pit lane. In return, the two cars are free to race to the finish.
After some questions over the radio, Piastri agrees and lets Norris through, but while the free to race message duly follows, he does not have enough pace in hand to retaliate, confirming the top three positions as they are ahead of those pit stops. While the F1 paddock digests Verstappen’s return to the top step and McLaren’s team orders, Leclerc crosses the line to take fourth for Ferrari, followed by Russell’s Mercedes and teammate Hamilton, who recovers well from his grid penalty. Albon, Bortoleto, Antonelli and Hadjar complete the points, with Antonelli given a five-second penalty for driving erratically and forcing Albon onto the grass, as Sainz and Bearman just miss out on a reward in the wake of their coming together. Third win of the season for Max Verstappen, the 66th of his career. The Red Bull Racing driver dominated the race, reclaiming the lead after giving up the position to Lando Norris due to a chicane-cutting incident. Only at the end was there a moment of tension due to a potential Safety Car following the contact at the Roggia chicane between Carlos Sainz Jr. and Oliver Bearman:
"I thought, oh no, is this really happening? Luckily, it turned out fine".
The Dutch driver was celebrated on the podium by the Tifosi, who once again chanted Du Du Du Du Max Verstappen, just like they had in Imola:
"This is the first time I’ve felt so much support. The other two times I won here, I had beaten the Ferraris, so I wasn’t exactly celebrated".
Lando Norris finished second in the Italian GP. The British driver can take some consolation in gaining three points in the championship, but there’s definitely a hint of regret for missing out on the victory. A particularly controversial moment came at the very start, when Verstappen and Norris seemed to reignite the rivalry that flared in 2024. When the lights went out, Norris had the better reaction, but Verstappen clearly pushed him onto the grass in an aggressive move. Norris then braked late, forcing Verstappen to cut across the first chicane. Red Bull quickly instructed Verstappen to give the position back to avoid a penalty. Max complied - but soon after, he regained the lead and never let it go until the chequered flag.
"The fight with Max was intense. In those situations, he knows the grass is there, and he can’t just push me onto it. If there had been a wall instead of grass, we’d both have ended up out of the race and likely caused a serious accident. In the end, though, it’s not up to me. I have my opinion on this and many other things, but it was a good race—as I expected. Fun and right on the limit. But that didn’t matter today. I managed to come out on top in the early laps, and I’m happy about that. But he won the race. We just weren’t fast enough today, and they deserved the win".
Oscar Piastri finished third, losing just three points to his teammate and main championship rival. In a race that, for Piastri, had few thrills aside from a nice early battle with Leclerc, it’s worth focusing on the final phase of the Grand Prix. Piastri pitted before Norris—mainly to cover off a possible undercut by Leclerc—but ended up undercutting Norris himself, taking second place thanks in part to a slow stop from Norris’ pit crew. However, the team soon issued an order to swap positions again, reinstating Norris in P2. A sensitive call, especially with a championship at stake, but one that Piastri followed without protest:
"Is team management one of our strengths? Yes, I think it is. Sometimes it works in your favour, sometimes it doesn’t. But I think today’s decision was fair. We’ll obviously review everything afterwards, but it’s true that Lando lost the position through no fault of his own. And when you’re in the same team, there are many people - not just the drivers - that you have to look out for. That’s very important to us. I believe today’s decision was right, and there’s no doubt we’ll talk it through".
McLaren’s decision to intervene in what was technically a normal race situation - a slow pit stop - to reverse positions between Norris and Piastri sparked debate. But it was a deliberate and firmly defended call by team principal Andrea Stella after the race:
"First, let me clarify that today’s decision has nothing to do with what happened in the Netherlands. It’s completely unrelated to Lando’s retirement, which was caused by the team. This is a totally separate situation, and we take things one race at a time. Today, when we began the pit stop sequence, we brought in Oscar first, but with a clear intention not to swap the positions. Unfortunately, we had a slow stop with Lando, and since Oscar had pitted earlier, we felt the right thing to do was to return to the pre-pit stop order. I’m sure Oscar agrees with that decision—he already did during the race. It shows once again the values and principles we uphold at McLaren. As for the reference to Hungary? Yes, there was Hungary (in 2024, when team orders allowed Piastri to claim his first career GP win), but we’ve had many conversations since then and have always been aligned on how we race. So I don’t think we need to look that far back. We just stick to our principles and approach, and that’s what defines us. So we’re happy with that".
Stella also commented on Verstappen’s win—an outcome that didn’t come as a surprise:
"Before arriving in Monza, I expected us to be less competitive, since there aren’t many corners here and we know we tend to lose time on the straights. Red Bull proved to be very strong and deserved the win, as they were faster in both qualifying and the race. So we have to accept that result and accept that when we run very low rear wing levels, we’re not the most aerodynamically efficient car. There are still a couple more races like this—Baku and Las Vegas—so we’ll see if we can improve. But here, Red Bull was simply better".
Charles Leclerc, as always, put his heart into it, but the Ferrari SF-25 didn't have the potential to make it onto the podium. The Monegasque driver had to settle for fourth place. Leclerc even held third position in the early stages of the race, but the low-downforce setup led to obvious handling difficulties with a full fuel load, to the point that even fourth place seemed in danger at one point under pressure from George Russell. The Ferrari driver commented on a Grand Prix in which he nevertheless got the most out of the situation:
"The first few laps were very complicated. The rear tires were sliding, leading to overheating issues that cost us a lot in lap time. The on-track battles? Piastri did a good job overtaking me on the outside at the first Lesmo, then the rest were normal duels. We got the most out of it—we couldn’t have done more. Compared to last year, Red Bull has prepared a package for low-downforce circuits that worked well, and McLaren confirmed they’re ahead of us".
Although sixth place isn't a particularly exciting result, Hamilton is satisfied with his first race at Monza with Ferrari:
"Yes, I'm very happy with the race and very happy with the progress we're making. I think we've just come off a very positive weekend in terms of overall performance. Slowly, I'm managing to understand this car a bit more and more. I don't know if I'll ever be 100% comfortable, but I believe next year's car will allow me to contribute more to the team's results right from the start of the weekend. In any case, if it hadn't been for that penalty, I think I could have done a lot more today. But I'm sure we'll have other opportunities".
The British driver concluded by speaking about the emotions of his first Italian Grand Prix with the Maranello team:
"It was fun. I think the energy from the fans was electrifying. I'd seen it before, in past years, but I had never been the one receiving it. Clearly, it's a whole different story to race here for Ferrari - being here and experiencing it firsthand is something I will carry in my heart forever. That’s why I’m truly very, very grateful to all the people who came and for all the support that kept pushing us throughout the weekend".
After the race, Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur commented on what happened at the Italian Grand Prix, analyzing what he believes were the issues that prevented the SF-25 from achieving a better result:
"We were battling with Piastri at the start, but we probably wore the tires too much in the opening laps, and then we struggled a bit. Later the pace came back, and we even managed to extend the stint, but we likely paid the price for that early fight. The track improved a lot during the race, but as you saw, there was no tire degradation. Tire wear was almost zero and was offset by the track evolution. Everyone was more or less in the same performance window - we’re talking about margins of just a few hundredths".
In hindsight, according to the French manager, the real deciding factor of this Grand Prix was human. The big difference, in fact, was made by Max Verstappen:
"Tomorrow we’ll reanalyze the whole weekend and see whether we could have done anything better or not. If you talk to McLaren, this was one of their best weekends of the season. We finished 5-6 seconds behind them. What was exceptional was Max with the Red Bull. In fact, especially Max, because the other Red Bull was much further back. Lewis? He did well, made a strong comeback. It’s not easy to recover like that starting from tenth in Monza".
It was not a happy race for Mercedes. The Anglo-German team finished the Italian Grand Prix far from the podium and was clearly beaten even by Ferrari. George Russell crossed the finish line in fifth place, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli came ninth (also due to a 5-second penalty) after starting sixth. Analyzing the race, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was not lenient with his drivers - or the team in general. However, what stands out the most are the Austrian manager’s words of praise for the race winner, Max Verstappen, who remains a constant dream signing for Wolff. While Wolff never directly names the Dutch driver, his comments are particularly telling.
"There’s only one guy out there today who’s doing well - he makes everyone else look silly. For us, it was not a great weekend. Not great for George and not great for Kimi. There were too many small mistakes, too many ups and downs in lap times. The car wasn’t at the level of Montreal, and a fifth and ninth place bring me no satisfaction".