Ferrari needed a perfect race to give real meaning to its home weekend at Monza, but the Italian Grand Prix instead ended with more precious points slipping away. Round 13 of the Formula 1 season saw the Scuderia give everything in front of the Tifosi, yet the limitations of the Ferrari SF-26 had already restricted the team to the second row in qualifying and the race brought even more disappointment. Lewis Hamilton eventually finished sixth, while Charles Leclerc retired on lap two after crashing at the Parabolica.
Ferrari had arrived at Monza hoping to turn its qualifying position into something more substantial on Sunday. Instead, Charles Leclerc’s early accident removed one car almost immediately, while Lewis Hamilton was forced to rebuild his race after losing several positions at the start. Despite a determined recovery, power-unit limitations, tyre degradation and strategy ultimately left the seven-time world champion outside the fight for the podium.
Ferrari’s Italian GP starts in the worst possible way
The start was far from ideal, with the two Ferraris immediately fighting each other and Lewis Hamilton coming off worse. The British driver attacked Charles Leclerc on the inside and pulled alongside, but Charles Leclerc refused to yield. The Monegasque negotiated the chicane and squeezed his team-mate towards the outside, forcing Lewis Hamilton to run wide and onto the gravel, where he lost several positions. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, continued to push and overtook Pierre Gasly.
The satisfaction lasted only a matter of moments. Within half a lap, the number 16 Ferrari was repassed by Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and then by Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc responded by pushing even harder, but that aggression resulted in a decisive mistake at the Parabolica. He got back on the throttle too early, lost the rear of the SF-26 and crashed into the barriers, bringing his Italian Grand Prix to an abrupt end on lap two.
Beyond the error that caused Charles Leclerc’s early retirement, his approach towards Lewis Hamilton at the start had also been particularly aggressive. It is the kind of situation teams generally want to avoid between their own drivers, especially when they still want to believe in a fight for the world championship. The consequence was an extremely difficult opening to Ferrari’s home race: race control produced the red flag, the entire field returned to the pit lane, Ferrari was already down to one car and Lewis Hamilton was only eighth.
Lewis Hamilton fights back after the Monza restart
Almost half an hour passed before the restart, once the grid had been reassembled. Lewis Hamilton abandoned the Soft tyres and switched to Mediums, facing the task of rebuilding a race that had already become complicated. Just when everything appeared ready, race control ordered another formation lap. The second start finally followed, and Lewis Hamilton’s clutch release was excellent.
The Ferrari driver took advantage of the fighting ahead and recovered four positions within a single lap. He then closed onto Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, which appeared to have less pace. Lewis Hamilton studied the Frenchman for two laps before completing the pass and moving into third position. Ahead were Max Verstappen and George Russell, with the Red Bull driver running in the slipstream of the Mercedes.
The Ferrari’s handling was still far from perfect. As had been the case in qualifying, there was a noticeable tendency towards oversteer, particularly on the exits of the slower corners. Those difficulties began to cost Lewis Hamilton, who was passed in quick succession by Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver producing an impressive recovery from the back rows of the grid. Race engineer Carlo Santi attempted to calm Lewis Hamilton down.
Carlo Santi advised him to focus on his driving and stay connected to the group ahead so he could continue to benefit from overtake mode. There was still a long way to go and plenty could happen. Lewis Hamilton responded by attacking Oscar Piastri at the Roggia chicane and getting ahead, only to run too deep into the corner and immediately surrender the position again. The Ferrari driver was pushing to the limit, even though he did not have the same power available as the Mercedes engines.
Ferrari sets Lewis Hamilton a podium target
Deployment soon became a topic on the radio, prompting Ferrari to alter the power-unit parameters in an effort to deploy the available energy more effectively. Lewis Hamilton overtook Oscar Piastri again, only for the Australian to reclaim the position on the following lap. The pair continued exchanging places, but neither appeared to have the outright pace of the two Mercedes cars or Max Verstappen’s Red Bull further ahead.
Lewis Hamilton repeatedly asked the Ferrari pit wall for more power, but there was evidently little more the team could provide. Ferrari therefore suggested a different approach: open a gap of more than one second to Oscar Piastri so the McLaren driver would lose access to overtake mode. Lewis Hamilton’s response was visibly frustrated, as he stressed that he was already giving everything and taking significant risks. In the meantime, Oscar Piastri swept past once again.
There were also troublesome vibrations at the front-left of the car, making the task even harder. Lewis Hamilton nevertheless waited for another opportunity and attacked Oscar Piastri again to reclaim the position. Ferrari then delivered a clear assessment over the radio: the two Mercedes cars ahead had around two to three tenths per lap more pace, while Max Verstappen was slower. The race objective was therefore equally clear — keep Oscar Piastri behind and chase down Max Verstappen for third place.
That was the theory, but the reality proved rather different. Oscar Piastri refused to drop away and passed Lewis Hamilton again, while Max Verstappen remained comfortably in third with a lead of roughly four seconds. Lewis Hamilton’s frustration was evident as he realised that the limitations of Ferrari’s power unit were preventing him from properly fighting at the front. It was a significant handicap at Monza despite the progress made with the ADUO upgrade developed for the Italian Grand Prix.
Ferrari chooses not to pit under the Virtual Safety Car
On the following lap, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Carlo Santi came onto the radio with a clear strategic calculation: “If we pit, you’ll lose five positions; we’re considering staying out.” Lewis Hamilton considered the situation briefly and decided against changing tyres. The race resumed three laps later.
The decision initially allowed Lewis Hamilton to gain two positions as Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen made their stops. Whether Ferrari’s gamble would work over the remainder of the race was another question. Lewis Hamilton was around 1.7 seconds behind Oscar Piastri and therefore did not have overtake mode, while Kimi Antonelli was rapidly closing from behind.
By lap 35, the consequences of the ageing tyres were becoming increasingly clear. Lewis Hamilton overdid his braking into Turn 1, ran very deep and was forced to take the escape road. Oscar Piastri pulled away and Kimi Antonelli swept past the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton apologised over the radio and pointed to the age of his tyres.
Up to that point, staying out under the Virtual Safety Car had provided no meaningful advantage. Instead, the second McLaren of Lando Norris was now right on the Ferrari’s gearbox. The reigning world champion spent several laps studying Lewis Hamilton before making his move on lap 42, passing into Turn 1 without too much difficulty. Lewis Hamilton continued reporting the same problem to Ferrari: his tyres were now extremely old.
Ferrari forced to accept its Monza power-unit deficit
From a strategic perspective, Ferrari’s reasoning was understandable but ultimately unsuccessful. The team clearly believed Lewis Hamilton would have enough pace on the Medium tyres to make the decision work. That pace never materialised. The Ferrari lost contact with Oscar Piastri and eventually surrendered another position to Lando Norris.
With five laps remaining, the number 44 Ferrari was down in sixth place with little left to fight for. It was a disappointing conclusion to a race in which Lewis Hamilton had repeatedly battled his way back through the order but could not overcome the combination of tyre age and the SF-26’s limitations.
The power-unit deficit was simply too significant at Monza, even though Ferrari had made a step forward with its latest engine development. The challenge had already been highlighted by the team’s engine and floor updates for the Italian GP, but the race reinforced just how demanding Monza remained for the SF-26 package.
Lewis Hamilton’s afternoon therefore ended in sixth place: neither a disastrous result nor one Ferrari could celebrate. Monza was always going to be one of the most difficult races for the Scuderia, and considering that Lewis Hamilton’s race had already been partially compromised at the start, sixth place is not a result to completely throw away. Nevertheless, with Charles Leclerc out after only two laps and the remaining Ferrari unable to challenge the leaders, it was a home Grand Prix that exposed the reality of the team’s current limitations.
