Italian Grand Prix 2025 F1 Race Live Updates: Verstappen Extends Lead As Midfield Battle Heats Up

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, 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?

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.

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.

India - FanCode, TATA Play, FanCode Sports

Italy - Sky Italia

UK & Ireland - Sky Sports, Channel 4

USA - ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Canada - RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo

Australia - Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo

Africa - SuperSport

Brazil - TV Bandeirantes

China - Shanghai TV, Guangdong Television Channel

France - Canal+

Germany - Sky Deutschland, RTL

Japan - Fuji TV, DAZN

New Zealand - Sky NZ

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.