Formula 1

Monza 2025: Verstappen triumphs, McLaren pushes on, Ferrari still dry

At Monza the needle of the scales is Verstappen. His is the Pirelli Grand Prix of Italy 2025, the third in his career. Very important result to re-establish the balance in the world classification

7 September 2025

Il pilota olandese della Red Bull Racing Max Verstappen (R) festeggia sul podio dopo aver vinto il Gran Premio d'Italia di Formula 1, secondo il britannico Lando Norris. Monza, 7 settembre 2025. ANSA/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

6' min read

At Monza the needle of the scales is Verstappen. His is the Pirelli Grand Prix of Italy 2025, the third in his career. Very important result to restore the balance in the world classification.

Verstappen won this race well and for the first time starting from pole after five editions in which this privilege at the Brianza track had been denied by the facts. It was a significant victory, already the second for Red Bull Racing after the forced departure of Chris Horner: a great achievement for Laurent Mekies, who has grown professionally in particular within the ranks of Toro Rosso. An opportunity for reflection and humility for McLaren, which seemed to have become accustomed to a dualism of its two standard bearers that was too predictable: if, as it seems, Red Bull has figured out how to get back to the top, from now on the fight for the 2025 World Championship will be made more lively and, in any case, from third place down there is still plenty of history to be written.

McLaren was indeed highly anticipated, no less than Ferrari was desired at least on the podium, given that at Monza, which is home, it has not been unusual in performing 'miracles' even in the darkest years of the last three decades. But Max's grit and the experience of his team allowed him to deliver a majestic performance, very important for his and Red Bull's pride and prestige, especially after a Dutch race below expectations.

Formula Uno F1 - Gran Premio d'Italia - Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italia - 7 settembre 2025 Max Verstappen della Red Bull si porta alla prima curva all'inizio della gara davanti a Lando Norris della McLaren e Oscar Piastri della McLaren REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki TPX IMMAGINI DEL GIORNO

At Monza the fight was fierce even though it cannot be said to have been one of the crispest races of the year. The bulk of the action was seen mainly in the first half-hour of the Italian Grand Prix, which was very heated: Lando Norris took the lead by overtaking Max Verstappen, who, however, retook the lead after cutting the first chicane. Charles Leclerc also had an aggressive start, overtaking Oscar Piastri, who then regained his position.

Over the next few minutes, Verstappen took off, setting repeated fast laps and creating a significant gap over Norris, who in turn distanced teammate Piastri. Leclerc struggled to keep up with the leading group, losing the Drs on Piastri and coming under pressure from George Russell. There was also no shortage of small incidents and penalties, with no serious consequences and, in fact, no red flags were shown: it has not been since 2003 that such a short race has been run, with no safety car and ideal weather conditions.

Alonso's retirement due to suspension failure is regrettable: a fairly anomalous occurrence given the increased reliability of this type of component. But the Asturian, respected for his qualities and competitiveness despite being forty-four years of age, is not blameless: a 'slip-up' with half the single-seater off the track was enough to do a lot of damage. With last year's major restorations, in fact, stones at the trackside are feared by both drivers and teams, due to the risk of damage and the difficulty and slowness to remedy them, as already widely seen since the first practice sessions on Friday.

For the Italians, Charles' absence from the podium was felt. Indeed, at times it seemed that third position was within his grasp. The pace was there at times, but the McLarens remained distant, despite some errors on the race wall.

The podium with Norris ahead of Piastri after a team order compensating for a slow pit stop by Lando is nevertheless something exceptional and extremely democratic, which does not aim to favour the Australian despite his advantage in the general classification. With this move, without losing any team points, McLaren will make the internal fight even more intense until the last race of the year.

If the Ferrari didn't trouble the McLarens, Russell's fifth stops all things considered at the starting position while Hamilton, sixth, considering he started tenth because of the penalty he suffered last Sunday, was fairly effective even if unable to take advantage of the Drs windows like his three-pointed star compatriot. Antonelli, sixth in qualifying, finished ninth behind Albon and Bortoleto, disappointing the expectations of his fans also due to a team tyre change that favoured Russell.

It went better for the young Brazilian, who climbed up mainly thanks to the one-stop strategy. Hadjar had also performed well in practice, so his tenth place finish is more attributable to the car's shortcomings than to his potential, perhaps the highest of the three rookies.

Record attendance at the National

We are at plus 9.8 per cent compared to 2022 with the 370,000 official attendance of the 2025 edition. But this is not the first time this year: Formula 1 has recently been shattering past records at so many tracks, even if Ferrari is not exactly giving its all. For Monza, the curiosity of the facility already renovated last year, plus without a doubt the engagement of Hamilton and the good weather, much better than a year ago already in the forecasts: important factors that have helped to raise the numbers compared to the past, especially thanks to a Friday day full of activities and already full of fans of all nationalities.

Formula Uno F1 - Gran Premio d'Italia - Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italia - 7 settembre 2025 Una bandiera Ferrari gigante viene esposta sugli spettatori dopo il Gran Premio d'Italia REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki

A weekend to remember: Lauda and Regazzoni and Alesi for anniversaries to remember

Ferrari at Monza has often written unforgettable pages. Four successes for Schumacher, two for Ascari, Hill and Regazzoni, the last one with Leclerc last year. But there are round anniversaries, in particular for the late Clay Regazzoni who, in his first time, was the protagonist after 28 changes of leader in the 1970 edition, while in 1975 the driver from Ticino won again at Monza with a great domination, contributing to Niki Lauda's simultaneous world championship victory in red. This is why the Maranello marque put blue T-shirts and caps into circulation, the same colour that the mechanics of fifty years ago had on their uniforms. But that's not all, the 312 T, celebrated by the single-seaters with livery, wheel covers and dedicated overalls of the drivers as well, ran around the track on the mornings of the weekend for the benefit of the public, as well as the 412T with which Jean Alesi won in Formula 1 on 11 June 1995, driven again in front of the Italian public.

The last time in Italy for the technical cycle started in 2022

The Monza racetrack is a time for meetings and taking stock: Dallara's technical director Aldo Costa was not absent. As for 2025, he 'foresees few developments at the end of the season because all the teams are focused on next year's car. 2026, on the other hand, will be a huge challenge, with a total regulatory change including aerodynamics, power units, tyres and control systems'. Surprises and reshuffles in the ranking are expected, while the current championship appears to be stabilised, with the first constructors' position relatively secure. Regarding the eleventh team, 'there is a structural collaboration of Dallara with General Motors and an openness to work with Cadillac, within regulatory constraints and without conflict with areas developed for others. Despite the complexity of managing several programmes in parallel and two additional cars on the grid, the internal organisation is solid and prepared'.

"Bosco dei Piloti" unites engines and environment

Last Friday at the Nazionale the ACI inaugurated the 'Bosco dei Piloti' (Drivers' Wood): twenty trees and a clone of the famous St Francis Cypress, a symbol of how motorsport can support the green transition. The initiative, part of the national A Tree for the Future project (already more than 50,000 plants planted in schools and cities), was supported by Stefano Domenicali and the ACI leadership. In addition to offsetting the impact of racing, it aims to spread environmental culture and bring new fans to racing.

Lux Vide first in the creative sector to obtain the FIA rating

A bit of Made in Italy celebrated in Monza for road safety. The Roman company Lux Vide was recognised as the first audiovisual production company to obtain the three stars of the FIA Road Safety Index, the tool that measures the impact of companies on road safety. With the support of the ACI, the company introduced safe driving courses for staff and procedures to reduce the risks associated with the movement of crews and vehicles. The award highlights how even non-automotive sectors can contribute to safe mobility, in a country that claims more than 3,000 victims a year on the roads.