F1: Leclerc wins Italian Grand Prix ahead of Piastri, Norris

Monza (Italy), Sep 1 (IANS) Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix with a one-stop strategy and finished ahead of two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris here at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on Sunday.
Norris made a solid start from the pole position, initially maintaining P1 before Piastri overtook him at the second chicane later in the lap. From that point on, the Australian led for most of the race.
While most teams opted for a two-stop strategy, Ferrari took a gamble with a one-stop approach for Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, putting them at the front of the field in the later stages of the race.
However, as Sainz struggled with worn tyres, both Piastri and Norris overtook him to claim second and third positions. Leclerc, meanwhile, managed to hold on for an emotional victory on Ferrari’s home turf, finishing 2.6 seconds ahead of Piastri.
Norris secured an extra point for setting the fastest lap, ending the day in third – a result that offered some consolation for the Briton, who had hoped for a stronger finish to boost his championship bid. Sainz settled for fourth while Lewis Hamilton in his final Monza race before joining Ferrari next year, finished fifth for Mercedes.
Max Verstappen moved up one spot from his original grid position to finish sixth, keeping ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, who took seventh. Sergio Perez added three points to Red Bull’s tally by finishing eighth.
It was a good day for Williams, with Alex Albon securing two valuable points in the ninth and Kevin Magnussen finishing tenth for Haas despite both team drivers receiving time penalties for separate incidents.
Fernando Alonso narrowly missed the top ten, finishing 11th for Aston Martin while Franco Colapinto finished 12th in his F1 debut for Williams. Daniel Ricciardo finished 13th for Red Bull despite receiving two penalties early in the race.
Esteban Ocon led Alpine in 14th, ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly in 15th with Valtteri Bottas following in 16th for Kick Sauber.
Nico Hulkenberg ended the race in 17th for Haas, Zhou Guanyu was 18th for Kick Sauber and Lance Stroll was the last classified runner, finishing 19th for Aston Martin. Yuki Tsunoda was the race’s sole retiree after his RB was involved in a collision with Hulkenberg.
–IANS
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