Monza delivers: F1 Italian Grand Prix serves up excitement and a home track winner

Fans watching live or streaming the F1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday, September 1, were treated to a mind-blowing battle as Ferrari and McLaren swept the top three positions, shutting out Red Bull and Mercedes from standing on the winners’ podium. Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix at his home track for the second time, which put the already-ignited Ferrari Tifosi fan base into orbit.

McLaren drivers Oscar Pastri and Lando Norris finished second and third. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the current leader in Driver Championship points, and Mercedes’ driver and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton were kept off the podium; each expressed frustration with their car’s performance.

A surprise McClaren overtake

A deft racing move by McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri put him ahead of teammate Lando Norris. but Piastri’s overtake of Norris caused some head-scratching by observers. Norris, closest to Verstappen in Driver Championship points, had pole position to start the race, with Piastri second. Piastri passed Norris to take the lead early on in the first lap. Piastri took the chance he saw, which is what race drivers do.

However, the question was whether McLaren would issue a team order for Piastri to give the lead back to Norris for a closer Championship point gap between Norris and Verstappen. However, McLaren’s management didn’t give team orders and let Piastri run his own race.

Current F1 Championship standings

As of the end of the `15th event of the 2024 F1 season, the following are the Driver Championship and Constructor Championship point standings.

Driver Championship:

Constructor Championship Points:

Next up on the F1 racing calendar, after a one-week break is the F1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 13 t- 15.