F1 Italian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race

As we bring the live blog to a close for today, we'd like to thank you for following along with us. Join us again for more unpredictable action in this fascinating 2024 F1 season from Baku in two weeks time. Until then, it's goodbye from us and have a pleasant rest of your day. Or, as they say in Monza, arrivederci!

A fantastic day at Monza is inching towards its close. The paddock is still a hive of activity as drivers and teams complete their media duties. We'll have all the latest news and reaction on the website from a thrilling day at the track, so make sure to keep an eye out as we dissect Ferrari's surprise win and the latest bout of intra-team squabbling at McLaren.

Esteban Ocon ended up 14th on a tough day for Alpine, ahead of team-mate Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas's Sauber in 16th. Nico Hulkenberg, another to cop a penalty after his clash with Yuki Tsunoda, still beat Zhou Guanyu and Lance Stroll to the flag with Tsunoda the only retirement.

It will also be a day that lives long in the memory of Franco Colapinto as he finished a strong P12 on his F1 debut, beating Daniel Ricciardo after the RB driver's day of penalty frustration. 

It's a day that the hoardes of Ferrari fans crammed into Monza will remember for a very long time, and for the second time in three races shows that in the tight battle at the front a contra-strategy can pay off spectacularly (although George Russell was denied the plaudits from his Spa display at scrutineering).

There are red flares everywhere you look as the podium ceremony progresses and the drivers are handed their trophies. There's a bit of a contrast in emotions between the McLaren drivers and their Ferrari counterpart.

The intrigue at the front rather overshadowed the battle for the final points positions, but Albon put together a stoic drive for ninth spot and Magnussen held on for tenth by just 0.143s after his 10-second penalty was applied. Still, a fine drive from the Dane to net a point for Haas with a dogged one-stop ahead of Alonso's Aston Martin.

Russell's adventurous race nets seventh spot, but he must be frustrated at how quickly things unravelled from the first corner when he had to take to the run-off and replace that damaged front wing. Ultimately though, he still finished ahead of Sergio Perez on a tough day for Red Bull.

Although it will be overshadowed by Leclerc's performance, Sainz pulled off a strong one-stopper too for fourth spot, beating Hamilton and Verstappen.

In the constructors' championship race, things are looking equally tasty. Red Bull now has just eight points in hand over McLaren, but Ferrari isn't out of the picture either. It is 39 points behind Red Bull in third. 

Mercedes, McLaren and now Ferrari have won the last three races. This 2024 campaign is really looking tasty as the European season comes to an end. Verstappen's advantage is chipped back to 62 points with eight races to go.

"We have done a step forward, that's for sure," adds Leclerc as he anticipates Baku could be another strong weekend to come for Ferrari.

"It's an incredible feeling," says Leclerc, who says the emotions were the same as his first Monza win in 2019, hailing a "so, so special" victory. Could he feel the tifosi carrying him? He replies in Italian to cheers from the crowds. You can imagine he said yes, or words to that affect.

"In hindsight yes," Piastri responds when asked if he should have committed to a one-stop. "But everyone is a legend on Monday after the race." Piastri concedes that it helped Ferrari's case that where he "had everything to lose, Charles could try something a bit different, he was going to finish third either way."

"It hurts. It hurts a lot. We did a lot of things right today," laments Piastri. "A one-stop seemed like a very risky call, and in the end it was right."

"I don't know what I should have done differently there," says Norris as he is asked in the post-race media interviews about the lap one pass from Piastri. He adds that emulating Ferrari's one-stop was "not possible with the amount of graining that I had" and concedes it simply constructed a better race.

Piastri gave everything but has to accept second, and looks sullen as he shakes hands with his mechanics. Now here comes the track invasion, led by a ginormous Ferrari flag. Podiums at Monza are always special, but the mood in the crowds today will be fever pitch.

Leclerc erupts out of the chassis and charges towards his jubilant mechanics. Somehow, those black overalls and helmet might just become a popular alternate to the usual red hue after this. 

Piastri was 1.3s faster than Leclerc on the final lap, but needed perhaps two or three more laps to get the lead back. That was judged to perfection by Ferrari.

Well, who saw that coming after Leclerc complained about covering Norris and being undercut? A superb performance from Ferrari, yielding the Monegasque's second victory of the season.

Ferrari hoodwinked the field into thinking a one-stop wasn't possible, and have come away with a victory and fourth place. Leclerc is absolutely ecstatic over the radio.

Norris finishes third and snatches the fastest lap away from Verstappen on the final tour, but it's not the victory he would have dreamed about after acing the start and leading the field out of the first chicane.

Leclerc scores a remarkable win by 2.6s over Piastri after a perfectly-executed one stop race, the first win for Ferrari at Monza since 2019.

It's victory for Charles Leclerc at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix! 

Piastri is giving everything he has got and sets a personal best last time by, but it doesn't look like it's going to be enough for the Australian who dominated until his second pitstop.

Last lap for Leclerc, who is 3.9s ahead of Piastri. A shock victory could be one tour of Monza away...

Unless a disaster befalls Leclerc, the gap is looking insurmountable with two laps to go, as he holds a 5.7s advantage.

The gap has dipped under 7s, but Piastri is running out of time to catch Leclerc.