September 01, (THEWILL) – Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, delighting Ferrari fans at Monza. The Monegasque driver held off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to take his second victory of the season after his home race in Monaco.
Leclerc’s triumph came after a thrilling race in which he managed to stay ahead on a single set of hard tyres, despite his rivals making two pit stops. The win was particularly special as it came at Ferrari’s home race. The Ferrari driver was visibly emotional after the race, expressing his joy at winning at Monza for the second time.
Leclerc described the emotions of the last few laps as “special” and said that Monaco and Monza were the two races he wanted to win every year. Despite starting on pole, Lando Norris was unable to convert his advantage into a win, finishing third behind Piastri. However, he did manage to cut Max Verstappen’s championship lead to 62 points with eight races remaining.
Verstappen, who had been dominant earlier in the season, has now failed to win any of the last six races. His and Red Bull’s dominance of Formula One looks increasingly in question.
McLaren’s strong performance at Monza saw them close the gap to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. They are now only eight points behind the reigning champions, and look favourites to win the title for the first time since 1998.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
