The Monza Grand Prix, one of the most iconic races on the Formula 1 calendar, took place under northern Italy's hot and sunny skies.
Temperatures soared into the 30s, creating challenging conditions for the drivers on this high-speed circuit. For Ferrari, Monza is an exceptional venue, being the home race for the Italian team and its passionate Tifosi.
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Race Start
Lando Norris led the grid from pole position, making it a front-row lockout for McLaren alongside his teammate Oscar Piastri. George Russell started from third, hoping to challenge the McLaren duo. At the start, Norris got off the line well, but Russell also had a strong launch and was side by side with Piastri going into Turn 1. However, Russell was squeezed by Piastri, causing him to lock up and go straight on at the chicane. He took the runoff area and rejoined slowly, but not without significant damage to his front wing after hitting a bollard in the runoff.
Piastri, taking advantage of the chaos, overtook Norris into the chicane, seizing the lead. Benefiting from Russell's misfortune, Leclerc swiftly passed Norris into the first Lesmo, moving up to second place.
Russell's problems were compounded when Sergio Perez noted the damage on the Mercedes and suggested over the radio that Russell should pit for repairs. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg dropped back after an early incident with Daniel Ricciardo, who squeezed the German off the track, resulting in contact. The stewards handed Ricciardo a 5-second penalty while Hulkenberg had to pit for a new front wing and hard tyres.
Hulkenberg's day went from bad to worse as he got involved in another incident, this time with Ricciardo's teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. A late braking manoeuvre into Turn 1 saw Hulkenberg collide with Tsunoda, who has had terrible luck at Monza in previous years. This year was no different as Tsunoda was forced to retire due to significant damage, marking the first retirement in four races. Hulkenberg received a 10-second penalty for causing the collision.
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Mid-Race Battles
As the race settled in, Piastri pulled away from Leclerc, who could not keep up despite using DRS. Pierre Gasly was unhappy with his car's performance, voicing his concerns over the radio. Meanwhile, Russell, losing too much time with his damaged aero, finally pitted, rejoining the race in 16th.
Norris was called into the pits at the last moment, diving in at high speed and locking up, narrowly avoiding the bollard. After his stop, he rejoined behind Esteban Ocon and quickly overtook him. McLaren's pit stop prompted Ferrari to bring in Leclerc for hard tyres, setting up a strategic showdown between the two teams. The undercut worked for McLaren, with Norris emerging ahead of Leclerc after the stops, showing the effectiveness of their strategy.
Piastri continued to lead the race until he was called in for his stop, promoting Carlos Sainz, the birthday boy, to first place briefly. Sainz had been running a solid race, and Ferrari had pitted him at the perfect time to pull off a one-stop strategy on hard tyres. As Sainz pitted, he rejoined in sixth, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon.
Further back, Kevin Magnussen attempted an ambitious move on Pierre Gasly at Turn 4, locking up and using Gasly's Alpine to slow himself down. This earned Magnussen a 10-second penalty and 2 penalty points, bringing his total to 12 points, resulting in a one-race ban for the Dane.
Daniel Ricciardo was handed a 10-second time penalty after serving his earlier penalty incorrectly. A pit crew member had accidentally touched the car during his stop, compounding Ricciardo's woes.
Max Verstappen encountered a significant setback during his pit stop. Red Bull struggled to remove his right rear tyre, resulting in a lengthy 6.2-second stop. This costly delay was one that Verstappen and the Red Bull team would have desperately wanted to avoid, especially with the championship at risk.
Back at McLaren, the team gave Norris and Piastri the green light to race each other as long as they stayed within the team's parameters. Piastri's engineer remarked, "You are allowed to race, Oscar. Papaya rules." Norris received a similar message, setting up an exciting intra-team battle.
Gasly and Ricciardo, both having challenging races, found themselves in a battle for 14th. Gasly ran straight on at the chicane, allowing Ricciardo through. Having a steady race, Franco Colapinto also managed to get past Gasly and have some overtakes done in his first race.
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Strategy Play
Things started to change when Leclerc's engineer informed him, "Norris is starting to struggle. This is where Red Bull started to have graining, about lap 15 in the stint." True to form, Norris made a mistake into Turn 4, costing him 1.7 seconds to Piastri. This allowed Leclerc to close the gap and activate his DRS.
Piastri responded by pushing harder, setting the fastest lap of the race. McLaren called Norris in for a new set of hard tyres, but a slightly slow 3.3-second pit stop saw him rejoin in sixth. Mercedes then called Russell in for hard tyres after he dipped a wheel in the dust while trying to overtake Perez. However, Russell's stop was slow at 4.2 seconds, dropping him to ninth.
As the race entered its final stages, Norris complained over the radio, "I don't know why I'm killing my front left so much." Meanwhile, Alex Albon, who had been having a solid race, was trying to pass Magnussen but was reminded by his engineer of Magnussen's incoming 10-second penalty. Albon called out his team and urged them to be more decisive.
Verstappen's engineer gave him the green light to race Norris as he asked if he should defend or attack. On the other hand, Perez made a move on Albon into the first chicane, and Russell seized the opportunity to pass Albon as well. Perez squeezed Russell wide onto the grass, but Russell stayed ahead.
Hamilton pitted, and Piastri quickly followed. McLaren's pit stop was slower than expected, but Piastri still rejoined in third, just ahead of Verstappen, who was battling Norris. Leclerc, who had started in P4, was now leading the race in front of Ferrari's home crowd, with his teammate Sainz in second. However, Sainz's tyres began to wear out, and he reported over the radio, "Yeah, my front left is nearly gone, but I guess we try." Despite his best efforts, Sainz couldn't fend off Piastri, who overtook him on the outside into Ascari, moving up to second place. Norris also managed to overtake Sainz easily, advancing to third, with his teammate Piastri in second.
Piastri began hunting down Leclerc, lapping one second faster, but the gap wasn't closing as quickly as he needed. Norris, unable to close the gap to his teammate, was 3.9 seconds behind. Leclerc managed his tyres brilliantly, having only pitted once on lap 15, and crossed the finish line 2.6 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Norris a further 3.4 seconds back. Sainz finished fourth, ahead of Hamilton, Verstappen, Russell, and Perez. Albon secured ninth, and Magnussen rounded out the top 10.
Leclerc, who also won the Driver of the Day vote, celebrated his second victory at Monza, having first win there in 2019. The Tifosi erupted in cheers as their hero delivered another home win for Ferrari.
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Post Race Interviews
Reflecting on his victory, Leclerc said, "It's an incredible feeling, actually. I thought that the first time would feel like this and the second time wouldn't feel as special. But my god, the emotions in the last few laps! Monaco and Monza are the two races I want to win every year, and I've managed to win them this year. It is so, so special. The tifosi were incredible, mamma mia! I think our package was working well for Monza. Whether it works for the rest of the season, McLaren are still the favorites, but we have definitely moved a step closer. Grazie mille!"
Oscar Piastri, reflecting on his race, said, "Yeah, it hurts. Not going to lie, it hurts a lot. I did a lot of things right today. There were question marks on the strategy. Doing a one-stop looked like a risky call, and in the end, it was right. Happy with the race, the pace I achieved, but when you finish second, it hurts. Today, we unfortunately got it a bit wrong. We had everything to lose from being in the lead. Charles could try something different as he'd finish third either way. Painful."
Lando Norris, who secured the fastest last lap, acknowledged Ferrari's superior performance: "Of course [Piastri caught me by surprise] because he got past. But Ferrari drove a better race today, so hats off to them. We considered [a one-stop] the whole race, but it was impossible with our graining. Just disappointed. Ferrari did a better job, so hats off to them."
The 2024 Formula 1 season is shaping up to be exciting, with Monza marking the third different constructor to win in the last three races. The Monza curse continued as the pole sitter once again failed to win, making it five years in a row.
Norris's fastest lap allowed him to close the gap to Verstappen in the drivers' championship, now trailing by 62 points. As the season progresses, the battle between Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull intensifies, promising more thrilling races to come for the remainder of the season.
