Monza - Race

The 53 rapid laps on the iconic Italian circuit were set to be incredibly tense, with Max Verstappen on pole,  the two McLarens right behind him, and Charles Leclerc in fourth, hoping to give the hungry Tifosi a home podium. So, after all was said and done, who ended up crossing the finish line first? 

18 drivers lined up on the grid to start the formation lap, with Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly opting for a pit lane start. Surprisingly enough, only 17 finished it. Nico Hulkenberg ended his day before it could even properly begin, after he was told to box to retire the car. 

After the lights went out, Verstappen managed to keep the lead despite Lando Norris' attacks. He did, however, do so by cutting the first corner, so, to avoid a penalty, he was told to give back the position. The unexpected switch didn't really hinder the Dutchman's race as he managed to reclaim the lead at the beginning of lap four. Behind the two cars fighting at the very front,  Leclerc moved past Oscar Piastri and into a podium-scoring position. The Italians roared, but their happiness didn't last long as the Australian overtook their beloved Ferrari only a few laps later. Their second contender, Lewis Hamilton, was doing slightly better as he managed to move from P10 all the way to P7. 

The Grand Prix saw quite a few penalties, and the first one came much earlier than anyone had expected. Before the drivers could settle into their pace, Haas's Esteban Ocon was noted for forcing Lance Stroll off the track. He was given a five-second penalty for the offence. It was the only punishment handed out in the first half of the race, but far from the last that would be seen before the day came to an end. 

As Verstappen began moving away from the McLarens, Gabriel Bortoleto and Fernando Alonso, both at the tail end of the point-scoring positions, engaged in a tense fight. They were never too far away from each other, and it seemed like either one could end up triumphing. By lap 20, Bortoleto was ahead of the Spaniard, and the two moved into the pits at the exact same time. However, as they came out, the order was swapped, putting the younger driver behind his rival. Alonso may have celebrated the off-road overtake for a while, but he didn't get to be happy for too long. On lap 25, he suddenly fell down the order as his Aston Martin experienced a suspension failure due to him going over one of the curbs. He managed to get to the pits without the involvement of the safety car, but became the second retirement of the day. 

With a little bit less than half the distance to go, the first out of the drivers fighting for a place in the top six dove towards the garages. George Russell, who had spent most of the Grand Prix chasing after Leclerc, wanted to undercut the Monegasque. His strategy did not work out as intended. When the Ferrari exited the pit lane a few laps later, it was still far ahead of the Mercedes. Verstappen pitted on lap 37 and Hamilton did so a lap later. This meant that the only 'top drivers' left without a stop were the two McLarens. 

The further the Norris and Piastri drove, the clearer it became that they were hoping for a safety car that would allow them to make up the difference that had managed to build up between them and Verstappen. They almost got their wish on lap 41 when Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman made contact. Both cars spun on the track, but were ultimately able to continue the race. Bearman received a ten-second penalty for causing the incident. This wasn't the last punishment given out in the race. Later down the line, Antonelli saw five seconds added to his time after he forced Alex Albon off track. 

With only a handful of laps left, the McLarens had no choice but to change their tires. Piastri was called into the pits on lap 46, and Norris followed suit a lap later. He had a big advantage over his teammate and would have easily come out of the pit lane before him, had it not been for how incredibly slow his stop ended up being. The 5.9s he spent by his garage was enough to let Piastri move in front of him. Just when it seemed like a heated fight might make the last laps even more interesting, the Australian was told to give back the position. He did so without much fuss. 

After all was said and done, for the second time this season, Max Verstappen won on Italian soil. While this was not the result the Tifosi might have hoped for, they still preferred it over seeing one of the McLarens add another win to their tally. Norris finished the race second with Piastri right behind him. The Ferraris were fourth and sixth, with the Mercedes of George Russell sandwiched between them. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Charles Leclerc

5. George Russell

6. Lewis Hamilton

7. Alex Albon

8. Gabriel Bortoleto

9. Kimi Antonelli

10. Isack Hadjar

11. Carlos Sainz

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Yuki Tsunoda

14. Liam Lawson

15. Esteban Ocon

16. Pierre Gasly

17. Franco Colapinto

18. Lance Stroll

DNF: Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg