Italian Grand Prix 2025 F1 Race Highlights: Verstappen Dominates With Win, McLaren Swap Sparks Drama

We’re back with another live blog and it’s race time at Monza.
Italian Grand Prix 2025 F1 Main Race LIVE Updates, stay tuned for all the action as the title fight intensifies and the home crowd cheers Ferrari’s hopes.

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Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly have changed their power units, breaking parc fermé regulations. As a result, both will start the Italian GP from the pit lane. Hadjar and Gasly were eliminated in Q1, originally qualifying 16th and 19th respectively.

The pit lane has opened, giving teams and drivers a 40-minute window before lights out at the Italian Grand Prix. All eyes now turn to Monza as preparations ramp up for the race.

As expected, the Tifosi erupted in cheers as Ferrari cars rolled out of the garages and headed toward the grid. Last year, Charles Leclerc pulled off a stunning win starting from fourth place. Can he repeat the magic this afternoon and deliver another home triumph at Monza?

Pole-sitter Max Verstappen, speaking to Rachel Brookes from Sky Sports, said: “Friday was alright. I know of course McLaren normally steps it up in the race compared to qualifying so that will be a tough battle. “We need to focus on ourselves. Try to do the best we can, keep the tyres alive and we will see where we end up. “We always want to win. Today that is our target but let’s see how realistic that is.”

As expected, all the front-runners will start the race on medium tyres. Haas’ Esteban Ocon in 15th and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 16th are the first drivers opting for hard tyres. Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly, both starting from the pit lane, are also on hards, while Liam Lawson will start 18th on softs.

It’s just past 3pm at Monza and Max Verstappen is leading the field out for the formation lap. The engines are roaring as the drivers get ready, with 53 laps around the Temple of Speed just moments away.

Nico Hulkenberg’s race is over before it even began. The Haas driver, who was set to start 12th, has been told to retire the car and is heading back into the pit lane. A crushing blow for Hulkenberg as the rest of the field settles into their grid positions, including Max Verstappen, who is now back in his slot ready for the start.

The race is underway! Max Verstappen gets a solid start, but Lando Norris is quick off the line too. Norris even brushes the grass with a wheel but manages to keep it under control. Verstappen runs slightly wide at Turn One but hangs on to the lead, still ahead as they come through Turn Three. Will he have to give the position back? The opening lap drama is already unfolding.

Charles Leclerc initially moves past Oscar Piastri in the opening corners, but the Australian fights back brilliantly.

Coming around the outside at the first Lesmo, Piastri reclaims third place in a stunning early-race move.

What a start to the Italian Grand Prix!

In Lap 2, Lando Norris was clearly frustrated, calling Max Verstappen an “idiot” after being forced onto the grass.

Race control steps in, and Verstappen gives the position back.

Norris powers past down the front straight to take the lead.

In Lap 5, Lewis Hamilton has gained three positions since the start, though he was noted for cutting the first chicane on the opening lap while overtaking Yuki Tsunoda.

The seven-time champion has just passed Fernando Alonso to move up into seventh place.

In Lap 6 Oscar Piastri makes a bold move into Turn 1, braking late and diving around the outside of Charles Leclerc to take third place.

He squares the corner to prevent Leclerc from fighting back and now sets his sights on chasing team-mate Lando Norris, who is three seconds up the road.

Lap 8: After a frantic opening few laps, Max Verstappen has pulled out a 2.2-second gap over Lando Norris.

Oscar Piastri is a further 3.8 seconds back and has now put Charles Leclerc out of DRS range.

Leclerc could soon come under pressure from George Russell, who is less than a second behind.

Esteban Ocon gets a five-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track in the early laps.

Lap 12: Max Verstappen has extended his lead to 3.5 seconds over Lando Norris, who is five seconds clear of team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Charles Leclerc continues to fend off George Russell in the fight for fourth, with Lewis Hamilton just two seconds behind in sixth.

Lap 18: Kimi Antonelli makes a bold move down the inside of Yuki Tsunoda at Turn 1 to claim ninth place.

A great pass from the rookie, with Fernando Alonso the next target two seconds ahead.

Lap 21: There’s a lot of gravel on the track through the Lesmo corners after Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, and Pierre Gasly all ran slightly wide.

Drivers will need to be cautious as they navigate through the loose debris.

Lap 25: Fernando Alonso is crawling down the back straight.

The Aston Martin has suffered a front-right suspension failure after hitting the kerb on the exit of Ascari, forcing the Spaniard out of the race.

Meanwhile, Alex Albon overtakes team-mate Carlos Sainz at Turn Four following instructions from the Williams pit wall.

Lap 27: Max Verstappen leads by six seconds, with Lando Norris seven seconds ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri has just been instructed to follow "Plan A + 15 laps," keeping him on the medium tyres, which are holding up well.

Charles Leclerc is four seconds ahead of George Russell, who in turn is 1.2 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton.

Lap 30: Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda clash three times while battling at Turn Four.

Lawson attempted an ambitious move and locked up, with both cars bumping as they cut the corner.

Lawson briefly comes out ahead but soon returns the position to the Red Bull driver.

Lap 35: George Russell makes a clean pass on Lance Stroll into Turn One to move up to eighth, having already slipped past Esteban Ocon moments earlier.

Lap 41: Carlos Sainz and Ollie Bearman make contact at Turn Four.

Sainz attempted an outside pass on the Haas, but as he turned in, the two cars touched and both spun around.

Lap 44: Oscar Piastri has clawed back another six tenths on Lando Norris and is now just 3.5 seconds behind his McLaren team-mate.

Both are likely headed for a switch to soft tyres, but the gap to Max Verstappen, who’s on hards, remains massive.

Lap 47-49: Lando Norris suffers a slow pit stop, taking 5.9 seconds as the front-left wheel proves tricky. Oscar Piastri emerges just two seconds behind, effectively undercutting his team-mate.

McLaren quickly rectifies the situation, and Piastri lets Norris back through at Turn One. The Australian acknowledges the pit stop hiccup and moves aside, allowing the two McLarens to resume racing.

Max Verstappen takes a commanding victory, his first since Imola in May!

After an early battle with Lando Norris, Verstappen controlled the race to the finish, crossing the line two seconds ahead of Norris.

Oscar Piastri completes the podium following that late team swap, which is sure to be widely discussed.

The result leaves Norris 31 points behind Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship.

Charles Leclerc finishes fourth for Ferrari in their home race, unable to repeat last year’s remarkable comeback.

George Russell comes in fifth ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Alex Albon taking seventh.

Kimi Antonelli crosses the line in eighth, but a five-second penalty for erratic driving drops him behind Gabriel Bortoleto.

Isack Hadjar rounds out the points.

The race wraps up in just 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 23 seconds, making it the fastest Formula 1 race in history. Michael Schumacher’s 2003 Italian Grand Prix record has officially been broken.

Oscar Piastri reflected on his third-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix:

"A difficult beginning. Maybe not my best first couple of laps. We seemed to have pretty good pace compared to Charles, then I had to get past and it was a pretty lonely race from there.

"Just struggled a bit through the first part of the race. The car wasn't exactly how I liked.

"Once the tyres went away, it felt a bit better which is never a great sign. Happy with the points and I will take it."

On the late swap with Lando Norris, Piastri joked:
"A little inschident at the end but it's OK!"

The term ‘inschident’ references a viral karting clip where Charles Leclerc called a crash an ‘inschident’ while racing Max Verstappen.