Leclerc wins in Monza after sensational strategy from Ferrari

The race at the Monza circuit not only witnessed the Italian team win in front of its home crowd, but the manner in which it won made it even more spectacular.

The lead-up to the race had been heralded by the dominance of the McLaren, and the team from Woking were quick to remind the F1 grid of the blistering pace the MCL38 challenger boasts.

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row during qualifying and appeared poised to pull away from the remainder of the field come race Sunday.

However, things would shape out far differently from what many would have envisaged come race day, with both McLaren battling things out in front and Leclerc taking advantage to make the jump on Norris. The Monegasque driver who started the race on medium tyres would expertly manage his tyres to perfection to keep himself within distance of race leader Piastri.

With the McLaren opting for an early stop to clear what was becoming an evident threat from the Ferrari, Leclerc jumped into the lead of the race. The 27-year-old on the call of the Ferrari team switched to the hard compound tyres on lap 16 of 52 and nursed the tyres till the end of the race, to win what was his first win at the temple of speed since 2019.

The win for Leclerc also marked Ferrari’s second win at the track since Fernando Alonso during the 2010 edition of the race.

The McLarens would have to settle for the final two podium places, with Carlos Sainz finishing the race in fourth place.

Hamilton will clinch fifth place, while the championship leader, Max Verstappen, had himself a race to forget as he could only muster up a sixth-place finish, with his weekend largely heralded by the already prevalent problem of the RB20 car. Then teammate Sergio Perez would also finish the race in eighth place behind George Russell.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur earlier highlighted his team’s aim for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. The 57-year-old stressed how the team was looking to hit the track and deliver an impressive showing after the outing at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Vasseur also detailed how the team would largely need to be flawless to achieve its aim in front of the cheering tifosi.