Italian Grand Prix: Leclerc-Ferrari steal it from McLaren, Monza goes wild
F1 NewsSunday, 01 September 2024 at 20:18
Charles Leclerc won an intriguing 2024 Italian Grand Prix, stealing victory from the pre-race favourites, McLaren, who stumbled and denied themselves what seemed like a sure win on Sunday.
Instead, Monza erupted in Red celebration as Ferrari's Leclerc claimed an unlikely victory after executing a smart and brave one-stop strategy. There was always a chance that any of the top three teams—McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes—could win today, but Red Bull was never in the mix this weekend, much like last year in Singapore.
At the front, Leclerc did everything he needed to do. He stalked Piastri after getting ahead of Norris on the opening lap, and when it became clear that a one-stop strategy might work, Ferrari took the gamble. They caught McLaren off guard, who opted to pit their drivers twice, handing the lead to Ferrari.
When they did so, Piastri was well ahead in the race, but McLaren, despite having a winning car, still has a long way to go to find a winning formula. Ferrari, in front of their ecstatic Tifosi, accomplished what seemed impossible this weekend. Leclerc's victory is one of his great ones, won on merit, strategy, and teamwork.
This race offers a myriad of lessons for McLaren as they learn how to approach Grand Prix weekends with a winning package and actually win, not mess up all by themselves. This was their Grand Prix to lose, and they did. It was their Grand Prix to win easily, and they didn't.
Leclerc: It is an incredible feeling
Ferrari, the sport's greatest team at arguably one of the greatest circuits on the planet, and one of the great drivers of this era—Leclerc—delivered the result that Formula 1 dreams are made of. Ferrari winning at home is tantamount to winning the world championship, as Piero Lardi Ferrari has stated in the past.
To a delighted crowd, Leclerc declared, "It is an incredible feeling. I thought the second time, if there was a second time, would not feel as special as the first, but the emotions over the last few laps were the same. I want to win Monza and Monaco every year, and I have managed to do so. It is so, so special."
Indeed, Melbourne and Monaco seem a long way away, but another victory at Monza ahead of Piastri, whose McLaren team threw it away, shows Ferrari's strength. Leclerc won the race and the praise of Italy.
In the other corner, defeated, deflated McLaren drivers tried to explain how their team threw away a sure victory, a one-two even as the McLaren was in another class at Monza, despite the result.
Piastri could not hide his disappointment: "I did a lot of things right today. There were a lot of question marks on the strategy going into the race. From the position we were in with the tires looking like they did, doing a one-stop seemed like a very risky call, and in the end it was right. Very, very happy with the pace, with the race that I managed to achieve. Just when you finish second, it hurts."
Norris: Oscar caught me by surprise as he got past
After making a great start Norris was ambushed by his teammate into the second Variante, was never in it to win it thereafter but did well to make his way back to P3, dispatching Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz in the process. But scant reward from a race he should've won.
Norris said in parc ferme: "Oscar caught me by surprise as he got past. I don't know what I could have done differently. If I had braked a meter later, I probably would have crashed. It's something we will look at, but Ferrari drove a better race, particularly Charles."
Carlos Sainz took P4 to make it a solid day for Ferrari in terms of F1 2024 Constructors' points, and their biggest points haul since Monaco.
Mercedes's fortunes were the opposite today to Saturday. Lewis Hamilton turned a poor showing (by his own admission) on Saturday, P6 on the grid became P5 this afternoon. In the other car, George Russell turned P6 to P7 after a first-lap altercation, lost places and broke the front wing of his car. What followed was a race playing catch-up. All in all an underwhelming weekend for Mercedes at Monza.
Max Verstappen split the Mercedes duo on the final results sheet, the Red Bull triple F1 World Champion P6 on another well below par Grand Prix weekend where they never featured at the sharp end.
Sergio Perez was also lost in the other Red Bull, finishing P8 nearly 20-seconds behind his teammate in the #1 car. Unexpected as the RB20 is a seven-time GP winner this year. Where did the performance go?
Report in progress...
2024 Italian Grand Prix Provisional Result
2024 Italian Grand Prix as it happened
Red Bull's two only drivers in top 14 on Hards as well as Ocon, Tsunoda, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas, rest on Mediums.
Great start by Norris, and Piastri as well. Russell got pushed wide and had to go straight and weaving past the bollards before rejoining P7 from P3. McLaren's one-two towards the second Variante, when the younger McLaren driver made one of the moves of the season to snatch the lead with an audacious around-the-outside overtake, Lando fumbled briefly and Leclerc also nipped past.
Lap 3. Piastri leads with Leclerc in his DRS, followed by Norris, Sainz and Hamilton with Verstappen in tow. Russell down to P7 ahead of Perez. Albon P9 and Alonso P10. The top eight covered by eight seconds.
Lap 6. Hulkenberg in the wars with both VCARBs, clashing with Tsunoda.
Lap 8. The gap at the front pegged to about a second. Behind Piastri and Leclerc a couple of seconds behind was Norris in P3. Tsunoda parks for a DNF due to damage sustained in the abovementioned incident.
Lap 10. Standings:
Lap 11. Perez passes Russell. A lap later Mercedes pit their driver for a front wing change. His opening lap excursion was costly. He emerges P16.
Lap 14. Piastri leads by three seconds over Leclerc who is now in DRS range of Norris behind him. Verstappen and Perez are P6 and P7 thanks to Russell's mishaps.
Lap 15. Norris gets called to pit for an undercut attempt on Leclerc, he rushes into the pitlane with smoking brakes. Piastri responds with the fastest lap at that point.
Lap 16. Ferrari respond and bring in Leclerc to cover Norris. Hamilton also pits. On the time screens, Piastri leads Sainz and Verstappen.
Lap 17. Norris is ahead of Leclerc. Undercut worked for McLaren. Piastri pits, emerging ahead of his teammate and de facto leader of the race by 2.3s. However, yet to pit Sainz was in P1, with the Hard-shod Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez, P2 and P3.
P20. Sainz pits from the lead. Verstappen leads from Perez, yet to stop, with Piastri on fresh rubber 9.7s behind the Red Bulls.
Lap 20. Standings:
Lap 23. Pit stop takes six seconds for Verstappen due to a stubborn right rear
Lap 24. Perez leads. pits from the lead.
Lap 25. Piastri leads Norris by 1.9s and closing. Leclerc is P3 a further 3.6s back. Sainz in P4, 11.2s down on his teammate. Chasing the Ferrari duo, 1.3s adrift, Hamilton was P5 with Verstappen 7.5s down on the Mercedes. Perez is P7. P8 Russell. Ocon slips to P10, still to stop, and is overtaken with ease by Alonso who takes P9. Only Ocon and Bottas yet to stop for the second set of tyres.
P29. Norris sets the fastest lap of the race at this point. Still 2.3s down on Piastri in P1. Leclerc hanging in 1.7s off the second McLaren. The gap to Sainz grows.
Lap 30. Standings:
Lap 31. Russell passes Perez into Turn 1, but has to go off track and cedes the position to the Red Bull
Lap 32. Norris loses a chunk of time after a mistake, Leclerc in his mirrors and Piastri's gap up about two seconds.
Lap 33. Stops for a second set of Hards, emerges P6 behind title rival Verstappen.
Lap 34. Russell makes a second pit stop, 4.2s does not help his cause.
Lap 35. Piastri leads Leclerc by 5.7s. Sainz is P3, 11 seconds behind his teammate, with Hamilton 1.6s adrift in P4. Verstappen is next, 8.1s down on the #44 Mercedes. Norris in his mirrors in P6. The McLaren driver 28.0s down on his teammate in the lead.
Lap 36. Perez pits again.
Lap 37. Verstappen in P4 told to give chasing Norris a hard time.
Lap 38. Russell pounces into Turn 1 to take P8 from Perez. Piastri pits from the lead leaving Ferrari one-two. Piastri emerges P3 ahead of Verstappen and Norris but 18.0s behind Leclerc in P1 who could be on a one stop.
Lap 40. Standings:
Lap 41. Norris overtakes Verstappen for P4 into Turn 1. Verstappen gets the call to pit for a second time, and emerges P6.
Lap 42. McLaren believe Ferrari are going for a one-stopper. The race is evenly poised at this stage. McLaren or Ferrari to shock them?
Lap 45. Sainz defending from feisty attacks from Piastri who takes P2 under the bridge. Leclerc leads by 11.7s.
Lap 47. Norris stalking Sainz for P3. The McLaren takes P3 a lap later.
Preview Italian Grand Prix: Time for McLaren-Norris to inflict Max damage
McLaren have a big day ahead as they tackle the 75th edition of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza today. Starting from the front row with a car that is the pick of the bunch, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are going to be hard to beat.
[The Italian Grand Prix Race report will replace this preview. Please refresh this page for the latest version. Enjoy!]
As Zak Brown builds his dream McLaren team and that dream becomes a reality, he faces a critical decision. Norris is a title contender; Piastri is not. Norris has matured and is in the best form of his life, while Piastri is still developing. It’s clear that the mantra Brown likes to espouse, namely, that they’re "free to race," would be unwise at the Italian Grand Prix today if they have their eye on the bigger picture.
For the first time, Red Bull is showing real and serious vulnerability, something we never expected to happen. I, for one, am amazed that such utter dominance—as displayed when Max won seven races—could unravel so quickly, leading to what is now a crisis of performance.
Forget Adrian Newey’s slow departure and Jonathan Wheatley’s last season with the team. How can such a dominant car—the Red Bull RB20—become so uncompetitive almost overnight?
So much so that Max Verstappen is consistently unhappy with the balance of the RB20. He could only qualify P7 on Saturday and will have his work cut out to limit the damage if Norris secures a maximum points haul at Monza today, potentially jeopardizing Max's fourth title aspirations.
Will McLaren favour Norris for the title bid?
It’s a given that McLaren will be sensible and favour Norris, especially in this contest at Monza, where they owe him a victory. After all, he held back when he could have attacked Daniel Ricciardo at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. At the behest of his team, Lando held fire and allowed the Aussie to win that day (after title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen took each other out).
The ideal McLaren script for today: Norris to bolt ahead, provided he gets a good start, with Oscar Piastri ideally chasing him and playing wingman. Behind them, expect an intense Ferrari vs. Mercedes battle, with a determined (and possibly angry) Verstappen working hard to navigate through what will likely be a very tight battle for a podium position.
Among those Max will need to overcome are a fired-up Ferrari duo who might have been on the second row had George Russell not put in a hot lap that placed him P3 on the grid with an eye on the big prize.
Ferrari to win at home and send Tifosi into seventh heaven?
Ferrari, on home soil, will feel the pressure of expectation on Charles Leclerc and birthday boy (30 today) Carlos Sainz. The Tifosi arrived at Monza today allowed to hope for a Ferrari win. If McLaren’s plan goes awry, Leclerc’s third place in Zandvoort, achieved against the odds, will inspire them. A win at Monza today—by a red car—would blow the roof off the place.
Adding to the mix is five-time Monza winner Lewis Hamilton, in his last Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes before he joins Ferrari. What a send-off it would be if Sir Lewis won this race today. Imagine that. But he needs to turn around a poor Qualifying.
Even when Verstappen has a bad day, he’s still faster than Sergio Perez. But one could argue that if Max can’t make the 'thing' go fast, how can Checo? The Mexican could do with a podium, but is he capable anymore?
Beyond that, it’s hard to see any other driver (barring force majeure) even featuring near the podium. The gap between the Big Four and the chasing pack is smaller than ever before, but still enough to segregate the field into two divisions.
In the 'Second Division,' Williams driver Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg's Haas line up on the fifth row. Expect the Haas to go backward, maybe even the Williams with Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin lurking.
2024 Italian Grand Prix: Other interesting sideshows to watch:
- Welcome to Formula 1, Argentinian Franco Colapinto, who becomes the 777th driver to start a Grand Prix! Good luck, Rookie.
- How bad will the Alpines be when it comes to race distance?
- Daniel Ricciardo vs Yuki Tusnoda is always interesting...
- Is the Sauber Stake F1 Team now officially the worst team in F1?
- Love the Tifosi!
Italian Grand Prix Formula 1 Facts & Stats by Reuters
- 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza
- Round 16 of the 24-race 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship
- Lap distance: 5.793km. Total distance: 306.720km (53 laps)
- 2023 pole position: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Ferrari one minute 20.294 seconds
- 2023 race winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull
- Race lap record: One minute 21.046 seconds, Rubens Barrichello (Brazil), Ferrari 2004.
- Start time: 1300GMT (1500 local)
- The race will be the 75th Italian Grand Prix since the championship started in 1950, and 74th at Monza.
- Built in 1922, Monza's 'Temple of Speed' has long straights and 11 corners with 76% of lap time at full throttle and top speeds of more than 350kph.
- The track has been completely resurfaced for the first time since 1922, with new kerbs installed. The race can be one of the shortest of the year in total time, due to the high speeds.
- Seven-times world champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record of five wins each at Monza.
- Other past winners are Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly.
- Hamilton has started on pole seven times at Monza and set Formula One's fastest ever lap in 2020 qualifying at an average speed of 264.362kph.
- The Italian and British Grands Prix are the only ones to have been on the calendar in every year since 1950. In 1980 the Italian round was held at Imola.
- Ferrari have won 19 times at Monza, more than anyone else.
- 2024 F1 World Champioonship Standings after 15 Rounds:
- Verstappen leads McLaren's Lando Norris by 70 points after 15 races.
- Red Bull are 30 ahead of McLaren in the constructors' championship.
Wins, Podiums & Pole Position
- Seven times world champion Hamilton has a record 105 career victories from 347 starts, Verstappen has 61 from 200.
- Four teams - Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes - have won this season, the most since 2021 when Red Bull, Mercedes, Alpine and McLaren won.
- Seven different drivers have triumphed, the most in a single season since 2012 when there were eight.
- Red Bull have gone five races without a win -- Verstappen's longest losing streak since 2020.
- Mercedes and McLaren have both won three times.
- Verstappen has won seven of 15, with Ferrari's Sainz triumphant in Melbourne, Norris in Miami and the Netherlands, Leclerc in Monaco, Mercedes's George Russell in Spain, Hamilton in Britain and Belgium and McLaren's Oscar Piastri in Hungary.
- Red Bull have won 120 races and are fourth in the all-time list. Ferrari lead with 245, McLaren have 186 and Mercedes 128.
- Hamilton has a record 104 career poles, his most recent in Hungary in July 2023.
- Verstappen has had eight poles so far this year. That includes the first seven of the season, equalling Alain Prost's 1993 record, and eight in a row including the last race of 2023 -- equalling Ayrton Senna's 1988-89 record.
- Lando Norris is on pole for the 2024 race.
- Verstappen was last on pole in Austria in June.
- Leclerc took pole in Monaco and Belgium, Russell was fastest in Canada and Britain. Norris took the top spot in Spain, Hungary and the Netherlands.
- Verstappen has 108 career podiums, Hamilton a record 201.
- Verstappen has been on the podium 10 times this season, Norris nine, Leclerc seven and Sainz five.
Milestones
- The Dutch Grand Prix last weekend was the first time Norris had won from pole position.
- Ferrari's Sainz turns 30 on race day.
- Argentina, with Franco Colapinto making his race debut at Williams, will have a driver on the starting grid for the first time since Gaston Mazzacane in 2001.
- Italian 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli will make his F1 race weekend debut in first Friday practice with Mercedes.
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