Charles Leclerc left red-faced by Ferrari radio message before winning Italian GP

Charles Leclerc was left red-faced en route to winning the Italian Grand Prix after bemoaning the strategy that helped win the Ferrari star the race.

The Monegasque driver came from fourth in qualifying to top the podium to give Ferrari their first win in Monza since 2019.

McLaren had been hot favourites to take the race, given Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified as the two fastest, but the tables were turned early doors when the latter overtook his team-mate on the opening lap.

Taken aback by the swift counter, Norris gave up space to Leclerc, who had already moved up one position as a result of George Russell locking up during a dramatic opening lap.

Norris regained second spot shortly after, but Leclerc himself in front when both McLaren drivers pitted.

With their noses ahead, Ferrari didn’t see fit to reduce their chances of a victory on home soil and opted for an ambitious one-stop strategy.

It proved successful, but Leclerc didn’t think as much at the time, with the Ferrari driver replying: “What was that?! Why did we pit if we are undercut?”

He would be thanking his strategists later on in the day when he climbed to the top of the podium to take his second GP win of the season.

Commenting on his triumph after the race, Leclerc told Sky Sports: "It is an incredible feeling. I thought the second time, if there was a second time, would not feel as special as the first, but the emotions over the last few laps were the same.

"I want to win Monza and Monaco every year and I have managed to do so. It is so, so special."

One man’s success is another’s failure, with Norris having been left disappointed yet again this season after missing out from pole position.

During his debrief, the Brit added: “Oscar caught me by surprise as he got past.

"I don't know what I could have done differently. If I had broken a metre later, I probably would have crashed. It's something we will look at, but Ferrari drove a better race, particularly Charles."

While in the other McLaren garage, Piastri claimed: “It hurts. I'm not going to lie, it hurts a lot. I did a lot of things right today. There were a lot of question marks on the strategy going into the race.

"From the position we were in, with the tyres looking like they did, doing a one-stop seemed like a very risky call, and in the end it was right. Very, very happy with the pace, with the race that I managed to achieve. Just when you finish second it hurts."

It’s over to Azerbaijan for the next race on the calendar, with Max Verstappen now just 62 points ahead of second-placed Norris.