Analysis of the Italian Grand Prix, brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit
There is a reason why Monza is known as The Temple of Speed. It’s by some distance the fastest circuit on the calendar.
The 2025 edition really did show that, as the weekend witnessed the fastest ever lap in F1 and the quickest ever F1 race duration.
The dominant car, however, did come as some surprise based on recent form.
Ahead of the race weekend, Lando Norris was desperate to make up for his engine failure and claw back some of the 34-point gap between him and Oscar Piastri.
As for Ferrari, it was their home race and the passionate local fans were expecting great things from Hamilton’s first appearance in Monza.
Whilst last weekend was a race to forget for both drivers, Ferrari’s recent record shows that it’s a circuit that suits them relatively well.
Charles Leclerc won last year and Ferrari has been on the Monza podium for the last three races.
Qualifying showed that the field was incredibly tight, as there was less than a second covering the top 15.
It also showed that on such a fast circuit McLaren could be beaten. Verstappen pulled out another of his spectacular qualifying laps in the last few seconds of the session, to pip Lando Norris by less than 0.1 seconds.
In fact, Verstappen managed to set a new lap record, and therefore set the fastest lap in F1 history, with an average speed of 164,32 miles per hour.
Piastri had to settle for third, whilst the Ferraris were fourth and fifth. Hamilton, however, received a five second grid penalty, so would start tenth.
The two Mercedes followed, followed by another impressive performance from Bortoleto in the Sauber who started eighth.
Historically, race strategy at Monza has always been a bit varied. Last year, Leclerc won with a one-stop strategy, with the McLarens on a two stop, breathing down his neck towards the end.
Back then, the surface was brand new and fairly abrasive.
A year on, it was a less abrasive surface now that it has had time to bed in, and, coupled with longer-lasting Pirelli tyres, a one-stop looked a more likely scenario.
Norris got off to a great start to the race and initially took the lead. Verstappen came back but went off the track so had to give the place back.
Meanwhile, Piastri was taken by Leclerc much to the delight of the local crowd.
Just a couple of laps later, DRS aided Verstappen, who took Norris under a simple move on lap four.
Piastri then took his place back ahead of Leclerc on lap six, yet again showing the power of DRS overtaking on a circuit that would otherwise be challenging.
Further back, Hamilton was working through the field and had gone from tenth to sixth by lap eight.
Form would have suggested that Verstappen’s race pace, even with his driving talent, would struggle to match that of McLaren, however by lap 15 he had built a 3.5-second gap, with the Red Bull posting every lap faster than Norris.
That lead had increased to six seconds by lap 30, with Piastri a further six seconds back and Leclerc the same distance behind him.
Lap 30 would normally have been the later part of the one stop pit window, however the frontrunners were all looking to stay out longer on tyres that were lasting better than expected, to then go for a shorter second stint.
Leclerc was the first of the top five to stop on lap 34 for a final stint on hard tyres. Verstappen followed on lap 38 for the same compound and Hamilton the lap after.
McLaren had to do something different, so held out to lap 46 and put on soft tyres, with the hope of chasing down Verstappen for the final six laps.
Norris, however, had an issue with his stop, meaning he came out behind his teammate. Piastri was ordered to let Norris back through, which he reluctantly did.
Ultimately, however, McLaren’s efforts to do something different to Verstappen proved futile, as the Dutchman was never even close to being threatened. His margin of victory of 19 seconds was a testament to that.
Norris’s second place closed the gap in the championship by three points, as Piastri finished third. It was a small dent in what remains a 31-point gap.
Further back in the race, Leclerc finished fourth, where he had been for much of the time, followed by Russell and Hamilton.
The Williams of Albon was seventh, with Bortoleto picking up more points for Sauber in eighth. Antonelli and Hadjar completed the top ten.
Despite the Red Bull win, McLaren have grown their lead in the Constructors’ championship to 337 points.
If they can extend that lead to 346 points after the next race in Baku – a first and second would achieve that – they will be crowned champions again.
* Laurence Jones is senior manager, Marketing and Communications, Bahrain International Circuit
l.jones@bic.com.bh
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