Charles Leclerc handed Ferrari a home victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, beating McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at Monza. (More Sports News)
Leclerc started from fourth but quickly found himself battling the McLarens for the lead after Mercedes' George Russell locked up on the opening lap, and the Monegasque sent the home fans into raptures by passing Norris at the second chicane
Charles Leclerc handed Ferrari a home victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, beating McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at Monza. (More Sports News)
Looking to cut the gap to drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen, Norris entered the race as favourite after qualifying fastest, only to be overtaken by team-mate Piastri on the opening lap.
Leclerc started from fourth but quickly found himself battling the McLarens for the lead after Mercedes' George Russell locked up on the opening lap, and the Monegasque sent the home fans into raptures by passing Norris at the second chicane.
Norris later undertook Leclerc to once more give McLaren hope of a one-two, with team engineers encouraging the two team-mates to race one another cleanly for victory.
However, Leclerc's one-stop strategy paid off as the McLaren drivers pitted for a second time, and he held off a late push from Piastri to triumph by 2.6 seconds.
It is Leclerc's second victory at the Italian Grand Prix, which he also won in 2019, and team-mate Carlos Sainz held off future Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton to finish fourth.
There was yet more disappointment for Verstappen, who saw his lead in the standings cut to 62 points as he finished sixth, ahead of Russell and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
Data Debrief: Tifosi celebrate landmark triumph
Leclerc's victory was Ferrari's 20th at the Italian Grand Prix, just the second instance of a team reaching that figure at a single venue in Formula One.
The Scuderia previously achieved that feat themselves in Germany, where they have won 21 times.
Leclerc now holds a 20-point lead over Piastri in the drivers' standings, sitting third behind title contenders Verstappen and Norris.
Top 10
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)