Italy
RACE REACTIONS
What the drivers said after the race weekend in Monza...
Alpine
Pierre
GASLY
“We decided for a new power unit before the race, which meant we would start from the pit lane. From there, we knew it was going to be tough, especially at a track like [Monza], which does not suit our car so well. We just tried to stay out as long as possible on hards with the hope of benefitting from a late Safety Car or red flag. It seems like everyone kept it quite clean, so no incidents for us to benefit from. At the moment, with the car we have, it is looking very difficult to reach the points. The team is working really hard, there is a really good togetherness between everyone, even in this moment, which is not easy. We will stick at it, try our best, take each race as they come and see what we can do each time we are on track.”
Franco
COLAPINTO
“[Italy] was tricky even if we knew that would probably be the case on a difficult track for us. We lacked pace and struggled to make much progress, which made the race quite long without much action. We tried our best, stuck to a conventional strategy but, in the end, a difficult seventeenth place finish. We will regroup and understand what we can do better next time. My goals remain the same: they are to continue to build up on the experience gained at these past races and find ways to make progress with our car and do our best. We have a week or so now to look ahead to the next race in Baku. I will be with the team in Enstone to prepare and hopefully keep making steps forward.”
Aston Martin
Lance
STROLL
"It was always going to be a tough race for us in Monza. We managed to make up a few positions with our tyre strategy and staying out long on that first stint. Unfortunately, we had some reliability issues during the pit stop at the end of the race and ended up in P18. We were hoping for a Safety Car which could have helped us at the right time to finish just about in the points but there weren't any opportunities. We will look into it and now look ahead to Baku."
Fernando
ALONSO
"The race was going well for us and we were fighting for some points. We started well and had a good pit stop, but then we had to retire due to a suspension failure. We were using the kerbs the same all weekend, so I think it's bad luck that we ended up having to retire. It's a shame to lose more points in the Championship, as we were having a good weekend up to then. We've been more competitive lately, so let's see how we go for the remainder of the season."
Ferrari
Charles
LECLERC
"I gave it my all. I tried to hold on to P3 after overtaking at the start, but I lost grip with my tyres overheating and struggled to keep Oscar behind. In the end, we just didn’t find the pace to fight for the win, but at the same time, we maximised our result and didn’t leave anything on the table. Monza is always a special race for us. The incredible amount of support from our Tifosi means so much to us and we’ll give everything to be back on the top step of the podium next year and make them proud."
Lewis
HAMILTON
"We did a solid job and I felt really comfortable in the car. The penalty made a good result challenging, but I gave it everything out there to deliver the strongest performance possible. I’m so honoured to be driving for Ferrari and to be on the receiving end of the incredible love the Tifosi have for us in Monza. A big thank you to everyone for all their hard work, and I’m grateful for the progress we’re making together. Grazie a tutti."
Haas
Esteban
OCON
“We tried as a team to try and stay out and do something different. The tyres were getting better every lap, so there was no point in boxing and losing it all, so we stayed out long. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best Qualifying and that put us further back than we should be. There’s been some good learning from [Monza], and we’ll come back stronger.”
Oliver
BEARMAN
“It’s really sad honestly as the car felt great. I had to really fight as we were slow in the straights, but without the incident with Carlos Sainz, I think we could’ve been fighting for points – it’s just a big shame.”
Kick Sauber
Gabriel
BORTOLETO
“We had a very solid race, with good calls and good strategy. My pit stop was a bit slow, but I also put this on me, because I possibly arrived a bit too long in the pit box and it definitely didn't help. Overall, I am happy to have finished eighth and have made it back in the points: this is also important for the Constructors’ Championship. I am obviously hungry for more, but I believe this is the best we could have achieved [last] weekend – it’s been a consistent, productive one, and a good way to close the European leg of the season.”
Nico
HULKENBERG
“Obviously it’s extremely frustrating if you don’t even get to start the race. We experienced hydraulic issues that forced us to retire the car on the formation lap, which we now need to properly investigate and understand in detail. That said, we’ve clearly seen there is performance in the car, which gives us encouragement. Monza is always a difficult place to overtake, so it’s hard to say where we would have ended up. On the positive side, it was a good weekend for Gabi, who scored valuable points for the team.“
McLaren
Lando
NORRIS
“We just didn’t have the pace to challenge – one of the few weekends this year where we’ve not quite had the pace to win. But it was still a good race, and I enjoyed it. I did everything I could. I had a good fight at the start – it’s always a good fight with Max – but he came out on top, and they deserved it. There wasn’t a lot more I could do, second was the best we could achieve.”
Oscar
PIASTRI
"A trickier day for us. There were quite a few learning points from the first part of the race and also towards the end. It’s inherently quite a unique track, so there are some things that we can improve on for next year and other low downforce tracks later in 2025.
"In terms of the call to swap, ultimately it was fair. We have things to discuss, as we always do with these sorts of racing situations. It's now time to refocus ahead of Baku.”
Mercedes
George
RUSSELL
"P5 was likely the maximum we could have achieved given our pace and our starting position. I was reasonably pleased in the early stages to be fighting the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc ahead. We thought they would have a bit of an advantage over us, but we were within DRS range of him for a while. Unfortunately, even with DRS, overtaking is incredibly difficult [at Monza] and we couldn’t mount an attack.
"It is a shame that we leave having lost a little bit of ground to Ferrari in the Constructors’. That said, it could have been worse, and we go into these final eight races with a good chance of taking second in the final standings. We will regroup now and look to perform well in Baku."
Kimi
ANTONELLI
"That wasn’t the Italian Grand Prix we were hoping for. I had a bad start with too much wheelspin. I lost a lot of places and that obviously really compromised my race unfortunately. It was a shame as my pace on the medium tyre once I was in clear air was good. In the closing stages, I was trying to defend from Albon but unfortunately picked up a penalty. That dropped me one more position at the flag which is frustrating.
"There are positives we can take from the weekend still. I took a step forward in Qualifying and my feeling with the car was good. Hopefully we can get into a better rhythm on these weekends, starting in Baku, and that will enable us to show exactly what we can do when performing at our optimum."
Racing Bulls
Isack
HADJAR
"I’m obviously very happy as I think we achieved the maximum we could have done today. I really enjoyed it; the car was fast out there, and our team's strategy was well-executed, complemented by a strong pace throughout the whole race. Before the race, I thought we’d have got stuck in a DRS train, but instead we made the most of the hard tyres in free air. Overall it was a fun race as it felt like we did Quali laps one after the other without tyre degradation. After a frustrating Qualifying and a race start from the pit lane, I think we really deserve this point as a team. Looking forward to getting back to racing in Baku.”
Liam
LAWSON
“It was a tough race starting from the back. We tried something different with the strategy and took a gamble, but unfortunately, it didn’t pay off. We were close, but a few cars came out ahead of us on fresh tyres, and we got stuck behind them, which was really frustrating. Had we cleared that pack, it could’ve been a much easier race. The car has been quick, so it’s disappointing to come away with no points. On my side, we didn’t quite maximise the weekend. That said, it’s not as bad as it looks, and we’ll look to turn things around in Baku."
Red Bull Racing
Max
VERSTAPPEN
“It’s been a fantastic weekend and to win again has been incredible, it’s been a while! It is really rewarding to see the steps we are making understanding the car. We brought an upgrade here which really worked and took a step forward with the set-up of the car. In general, the car goes better in low to medium downforce tracks and we just need to keep pushing and keep trying to improve, as we have been. After the overtake it was about getting on with my own race, hitting targets and looking after the tyres. Pitting and going on to the hard tyre was the best thing possible and we just tried to extend the gap as much as we could to the McLarens. [It's] been incredible and is a super important weekend during a year like this. It shows there are still chances to win, which is really nice. Everyone has fully committed to improving the car and it was a fantastic result for everyone and a big victory for the team and for Laurent.”
Yuki
TSUNODA
“After such a positive start to the weekend it was very frustrating to have an incident that caused so much damage to the floor of my car, especially when I should have been fighting for the points. We had been so quick overall but as soon as I had the damage my pace just wasn’t there. On the positive side we were better in the short runs [on Sunday] and after Q2 I was really close to Max and I can see that we are making progress race by race. After a race like [Monza] you just have to pick yourself back up and look at the positives like the Quali lap, of course I am disappointed but you have to keep fighting and believing in yourself. Max was given a new floor this weekend as well and I didn’t receive that upgrade, so I am happy that I was able to squeeze as much performance out of the car as I did for Qualifying. My focus is solely on the rest of the season at the moment and carrying on with the rate of progression that we have been making. I would also like to congratulate the team and Max on the win today, it has been a while since we finished in P1 and is a great way to end the weekend as we head to Baku.”
Williams
Alexander
ALBON
"We had a fantastic strategy and great car pace. I think when you have the two together, you're going to have a good time with it. Honestly, it was meant to be a tough race on paper but as we were the first car on hard tyres, it was quite a comfortable race, and the car was nice to drive and really quick. I'd say it was one of the best Sundays balance-wise I've had all year. In many parts of the race we were just as quick as the top teams, so it was a great comeback from a tough Qualifying."
Carlos
SAINZ
"Difficult day in the office. We were the last car of the pack who started on the medium, so that didn’t leave us much room strategy-wise. I really stretched out the first stint before pitting to the hard to build some tyre delta, and we were looking very strong, doing a good comeback until the incident with Ollie. With a damaged car we couldn’t do anything to recover more positions. It’s tough to miss out on good points and digest another race like this, but the speed is there and we’ll do our best to bounce back for Baku."
