Five quick takeaways from the F1 Italian GP

Kimi Antonelli took victory at his home race despite starting from the back of the grid

Antonelli's biggest victory

This was probably the biggest blow Kimi Antonelli has dealt George Russell in the championship battle so far. If it wasn't already clear, Antonelli is performing at a different level - not only compared to his team-mate, but arguably everyone else too.

Monza was supposed to be Russell's big opportunity to claw back points, with Antonelli taking new power unit components and starting from the back of the grid.

Instead, it took Antonelli barely more than 15 laps to climb to second behind Russell and join the fight for victory. His pitstop interrupted that battle, but Antonelli came back and took the lead anyway. His first overtaking attempt was a little clumsy, but there was simply no stopping him on Sunday.

- Oleg Karpov

Monza exposes McLaren’s weaknesses

McLaren couldn’t make it three in a row. The Woking-based team arrived at the Italian Grand Prix on the back of two consecutive victories, with Lando Norris triumphing in Hungary and the Netherlands, but the team always knew Monza would be a crucial test for the MCL40.

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

The Hungaroring and Zandvoort, with their abundance of medium-speed corners, are very different challenges to the Temple of Speed, where long straights and chicanes place very different demands on a car. That is why Andrea Stella had warned that replicating McLaren’s recent form in Italy would be, at the very least, a tall order.

Unfortunately for McLaren, that warning proved justified, as the MCL40 failed its Monza test. It remains to be seen whether qualifying could have produced a different outcome had the team “executed at the level we should have,” as Stella put it. But in the race, neither Oscar Piastri nor Norris was able to mount a serious challenge on Sunday.

- Federico Faturos

Ferrari debriefs are starting to get interesting

As the championship unfolds, and Lewis Hamilton remains in contention for the world title, the friendly facade at Ferrari appears to be showing a few cracks. While not overtly demanding priority, Hamilton wasn't all that subtle when he questioned why the Scuderia isn't maximising its chances to compete for the drivers' title, ergo backing the seven-time world champion.

Coincidence or not, Charles Leclerc appeared to be racing his team-mate extra hard at the start of Sunday's race, taking little effort to leave space on the outside of Turn 2 as Hamilton threatened to pass him. Monza's first chicane is particularly tight, but as Kimi Antonelli showed in the background, it is possible to keep the momentum with a tighter line through Turn 2 without drifting all the way towards the exit.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

There wasn't a whole lot wrong with Leclerc's move in itself, and perhaps it would have been applauded if a Red Bull, Mercedes or McLaren had been on the receiving end. But not another scarlet Ferrari.

The Scuderia is under huge pressure to put up a competitive display in front of its demanding tifosi, and Hamilton temporarily dropping to ninth could have significantly scuppered his race. As it happened, Leclerc caused his own downfall with a crash at the end of Lap 2.

Heading into next week's race in Madrid, it appears as though team principal Fred Vasseur will have some lecturing to do if he wants to keep his two aces on the straight and narrow.

- Fil Cleeren

Another costly mistake exposes Leclerc's Achilles' heel

Nobody with even a basic understanding of Formula 1 can question Leclerc's speed. His Achilles' heel, though, is becoming increasingly clear: every now and then, he crashes.

It happened again at Monza on Sunday. In front of the Ferrari tifosi, Leclerc lost control and threw away a genuine chance of fighting for the podium.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images

He has made high-profile mistakes before, including at Monza in 2020 and at Monaco. Yet he also won at both circuits in 2024 - proof of just how good he can be when he gets it right.

There will be plenty more standout performances from Leclerc, but the costly mistakes remain - at a time when the gap to Lewis Hamilton this season is already bigger than Ferrari would have wanted.

- Jose Carlos de Celis

Alpine's victory bid was too good to be true

Pierre Gasly's sensational pole was as unexpected as it was impressive - especially as it came entirely on merit. Yes, he benefited from a slipstream, but there was no changeable weather or interruption to shake up the order. Gasly was quick throughout qualifying and delivered a stunning lap when it mattered.

Yet that was probably as good as Alpine could hope for at Monza against F1's big teams. On Sunday, it quickly became clear Gasly wasn't going to challenge for victory.

The Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren drivers passed him one by one, leaving Gasly seventh - a result he would normally have been delighted with, had he not started from pole. Still, it was a strong result for the Enstone team and hugely important in the battle for fifth in the constructors' championship.

- Oleg Karpov