The 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix delivered a weekend full of speed, tension, and drama at Monza’s legendary Temple of Speed. Max Verstappen produced a masterclass to overcome McLaren’s challenge, Ferrari thrilled the Tifosi in practice, and strategy battles defined Sunday’s race.
With team orders, penalties, and one flawless drive at the front, Monza once again reminded us why it remains one of Formula 1’s crown jewels.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Verstappen delivers Monza masterclass, hands back the lead early but storms clear to win by nearly 20 seconds.
- McLaren drama as team orders bite again, Norris retakes P2 from Piastri after slow stop flips the order.
- Leclerc denied home podium, Ferrari’s lead car settles for fourth despite flashes of pace in front of Tifosi, Hamilton recovers to P6.
- Rookie fortunes split, Antonelli penalised to P9 while Sauber’s Bortoleto capitalises for eighth on merit.
- Albon shines once more, clever one-stop carries Williams to seventh in their best Italian GP result since 2017.
- Hadjar claws into the points, gritty drive from pit lane to P10 showcases Racing Bulls’ sharp execution after last week’s podium.
Practice Pace: Ferrari’s Spark Meets McLaren’s Response at Monza
Three sessions at Monza painted a clear yet finely balanced picture. Ferrari thrilled the Tifosi early with a Hamilton – Leclerc 1-2 in FP1, only for McLaren to answer with Norris on top in FP2. By FP3, the two teams were separated by hundredths, with Red Bull and Mercedes lurking in the slipstream.
FP1: Ferrari Light the Fuse
Ferrari lit up Monza as Lewis Hamilton unleashed a 1:20.117s on soft tyres – narrowly outpacing team-mate Charles Leclerc by 0.169 s to secure an emotional 1-2 for the Tifosi in FP1. Carlos Sainz rounded out the top three in his Williams, nearly four-tenths behind.
Yet the session was far from serene. A red flag halted the flow when Isack Hadjar spewed gravel at Ascari, whipping /Monza’s stone carpet across the racing line and forcing cleanup crews into action.
Leclerc narrowly skirted trouble himself, passing under red even as banner flags waved, but the stewards waved him on – no penalty.
Rookie runs added a twist: Alex Dunne dropped into Piastri’s McLaren, ending P15, while Paul Aron subbed in for Colapinto at Alpine, tagging the barriers and trailing in last. McLaren’s Lando Norris limped into P6 off pace, and George Russell suffered a power failure that stranded his Mercedes in the run-off.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli showed promise in fourth and fifth, respectively, underlining that the Italian F1 GP 2025 weekend preview now has more layers than a pit-stop strategy — pace, pressure, and unpredictable storylines are all speeding at Monza.
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
FP2: Norris Drops the Hammer
Lando Norris struck back in style during Friday afternoon’s second practice at Monza, topping the timesheets with a 1:19.878s. The McLaren driver edged Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.083s, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz carried over his strong FP1 form to secure third.
The session was far from smooth. Barely nine minutes in, Andrea Kimi Antonelli lost the rear of his Mercedes at Lesmo 2 and slid into the gravel, bringing out a red flag. It ended his home-race Friday early and drew groans from the Monza grandstands.
Once the track went green, the order shuffled constantly. Max Verstappen led briefly on mediums before Sainz, then Leclerc, traded blows for the top spot. But when soft tyres came into play, Norris delivered the first sub-1:20s lap, establishing a benchmark no one else could beat. Leclerc recovered from an early complaint of “no grip at all” to secure second, though he later skimmed the Ascari gravel.
Behind the top three, Oscar Piastri finished fourth but faces a stewards’ review for a pit-lane infringement. Lewis Hamilton, fastest in FP1, ended fifth after a wide moment at Lesmo 2, with Verstappen settling for sixth in a Red Bull that still looked twitchy over bumps.
Alex Albon impressed with P7 for Williams, while Nico Hülkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell rounded out the top ten. Isack Hadjar led the midfield in 11th, while Aston Martin and Alpine endured another subdued session.
With Ferrari and McLaren showing speed, and Red Bull lurking, the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix looked set for a qualifying scrap decided by slipstreams and millimetres.
FP3: Hundredths in It
Lando Norris capped off final practice at Monza by setting the weekend’s quickest lap so far, a 1:19.331s on soft tyres. The McLaren driver edged Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just 0.021s, while Oscar Piastri slotted into third, underlining the tight margins heading into qualifying.
The session opened slowly, with most drivers using the early minutes for installation laps and data gathering. Yuki Tsunoda provided the first meaningful benchmark on hards, before Max Verstappen jumped to the top with a 1:19.688s on softs. Ferrari then joined the fray, Leclerc briefly trailing Verstappen despite wrestling oversteer at Curva Alboreto.
With 20 minutes left, McLaren seized control. Norris unleashed his best effort to dip under the 1:19.4s barrier, and Piastri followed soon after, trimming the gap to 0.165s. Ferrari, however, had the final word before qualifying. Leclerc strung together his strongest lap of the weekend, shaving the deficit to Norris down to two hundredths. The roar from the Tifosi made clear what that meant.
Behind the lead trio, Verstappen remained in touch, just 0.002s slower than Piastri, with George Russell placing Mercedes in the mix in fifth. Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a standout drive for Sauber, finishing sixth on merit, while Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari ended seventh after a wide moment at Lesmo 2. Isack Hadjar kept his strong form alive with P8, followed by a tidy recovery run from Andrea Kimi Antonelli in ninth. Alex Albon again impressed in tenth for Williams.
Qualifying: Records, Risk and the Tow
Q1: Russell’s Medium-Tyre Gambit
Qualifying at Monza began in earnest with attention focused firmly on the Italian GP 2025 goal—survive the early cut. As the clock struck 16:00, most drivers opted for soft tyres—except Mercedes’ Russell and Antonelli, who gambled on mediums.
Charles Leclerc set the first benchmark at 1:19.801s, igniting cheers from the Tifosi. Moments later, Norris and Piastri responded with papaya pace, though Williams paid the price after Sainz and Albon drew track-limit warnings.
Then, shock turned to strategy. George Russell, on the tougher tyre, vaulted to the top with a 1:19.414s, showing that alternate tactics still held mileage.
Drama unfolded down the order too. Alpine’s Gasly and Colapinto, plus Antonelli, Ocon, Lawson, and Hadjar, all teetered in the cut zone. Particularly brutal was Hadjar’s error exiting Lesmo 2—a frustrating moment that cost him dearly.
As chequered flags flew, Russell remained perched P1, just ahead of Verstappen, Norris, Tsunoda, Sainz, Alonso, Bortoleto, Bearman, Leclerc, and Piastri—busy track-limits talk notwithstanding.
Eliminated were Hadjar, Stroll, Colapinto, Gasly, and Lawson.
Photo Credit: Alpine F1 Team
Q2: Max Strikes as Norris Recovers
Qualifying intensified in Q2 as first attempts were waved off owing to lingering gravel issues on track. Carlos Sainz worsened matters by running deep at Ascari early, dragging debris back onto the asphalt. Amid the chaos, Max Verstappen seized the moment, blasting a 1:19.140s to claim provisional pole before it got even tighter.
Lando Norris then felt pressure mounting. A heavy lock-up into the first chicane rendered his opening run invalid, prompting the McLaren engineer to urge, “We need to box.”
He regrouped, however, and delivered on his final run to shake the leaderboard and edge into P5, ahead of the Q2 cut.
The knock-out line sat just under three-tenths behind Verstappen’s benchmark, highlighting how fierce the margin had become. Q3 qualifiers now read: Verstappen, Russell, Piastri, Antonelli, Norris, Leclerc, Bortoleto, Alonso, Hamilton, and Tsunoda.
Meanwhile, going no further were Bearman, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Albon, and Ocon—set-ups and track position implications now escalate ahead of the pole decider. Such fine margins highlighted the relentless competitiveness of the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix qualifying stages.
Q3: Lap-Record Pole and Grid Shake-Up
Q3 at Monza delivered a breathtaking climax to qualifying. Lando Norris initially lit up the times with a confident lap, only for Max Verstappen to respond with a blistering 1:18.792s, shattering the previous pole record and claiming the fastest qualifying lap in F1 history at approximately 264.7 km/h.
Oscar Piastri qualified third, followed by Charles Leclerc in fourth—Ferrari so close, yet just off the front row.
Strategic penalties further shuffled the grid. Although Lewis Hamilton posted fifth-best time, he will start tenth due to a carryover penalty from Zandvoort. George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli slot into the next row, with Gabriel Bortoleto, Fernando Alonso, and Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top ten who will line up ahead of Hamilton’s demotion.
Race: Strategy, Orders and a Statement Win
Launch & Early Shape
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris went wheel-to-wheel at launch, the Red Bull holding the inside and skipping the first chicane, then handing the place back a lap later to avoid a penalty. Order restored, Verstappen tucked into the tow and retook the lead on lap 4 with a clean move into Rettifilo.
From there he eased clear, nursing the mediums as the McLarens managed brake temps and wake. Behind them, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri traded blows through Roggia and the Lesmos before Piastri consolidated third. Further back, Alex Albon ran long and quick in clean air, while Mercedes split its pair early, priming George Russell for an undercut.
The only retirement in the opening phase came when Fernando Alonso peeled into the pits reporting a suspension issue, ending Aston Martin’s outside shot at points. With the field strung out and no safety car in sight, the first stint became a study in delta control: Verstappen metronomic, McLaren shadowing and waiting for the pit window, Ferrari hovering a few seconds back but short of the leaders’ rhythm.
Pit Windows and Pace Delta
Russell blinked first on lap 28 to force the undercut. Mercedes doubled down a lap later with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Ferrari kept Leclerc long before committing to hards. Verstappen answered on lap 37, swapping to hards and handing the lead back briefly before Norris’s stop. The race tilted on execution.
McLaren stacked its cars late: Piastri boxed first for a slick 1.9s service; Norris came next and lost time to a wheel-gun delay, rejoining behind his team-mate. On fresher hards, Verstappen reset the gap and controlled in clean air as McLaren weighed the cost of leaving the order inverted.
Behind, Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Haas’s Ollie Bearman tangled at Turn 4, both continuing but falling from the points fight. The midfield reshuffled as Albon’s long opener paid off and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto crept toward the top ten on tidy tyre life. With no safety car to compress the pack, track position hardened into outcome: Verstappen’s margin stabilised, McLaren debated the swap, and Ferrari ran a lonely fourth, unable to bridge.
Swap, Sanctions & Chequered Flag
McLaren made the call on lap 46. Citing precedent and fairness, the pit wall asked Piastri to return P2 after Norris dropped behind due to the slow stop. The swap was neat but left Verstappen untroubled up front. His Monza masterclass sealed the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix with a near-20s winning margin, underlining Red Bull’s pace.
Russell capped a solid day in fifth, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from his grid penalty to take sixth. Albon’s smart one-stop netted seventh; Bortoleto inherited eighth when Antonelli was handed five seconds for erratic driving. Isack Hadjar completed a gritty climb to P10 from a pit-lane start, nicking the final point and underscoring Racing Bulls’ execution.
Ferrari’s home podium never materialised, but Leclerc banked fourth with clean management and no late drama. At the front, Verstappen’s control — give back the lead, take it decisively, and never look back — sent a clear message as the flyaways loom: when Red Bull hit their window, the margin is still real.
What next?
After the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix, the paddock heads east for the high-speed streets of Baku. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix (September 19–21) promises slipstream battles, late-braking duels, and a chance for McLaren to respond to Verstappen’s Monza dominance. With walls waiting to punish the smallest error, the title fight could tighten even further.
Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool