Monza, known as the Temple of Speed, has a long history of demanding commitment, precision and, above all, absolute pace.
The famous circuit is rarely just about speed, though.
It’s a track that exposes weaknesses, rewards bold decisions and can turn a strong weekend into a frustrating one in the span of a few corners.
So, who were the winners and losers of the overall weekend at the Italian Grand Prix?
Winner – Kimi Antonelli
Starting from P19, Kimi Antonelli immediately went on the attack, gaining six positions in the opening laps before Charles Leclerc’s crash brought out the red flag.
By the time the race was stopped, the Mercedes driver had climbed to P13, turning what initially looked like a recovery drive into a possibility of victory.
The red flag gave Antonelli another opportunity to continue his charge and he took full advantage of it.
After the second standing start, he continued moving through the field, eventually fighting his way into second place and battling team-mate George Russell for the win.
The victory was taken in the closing stages of the race, ending Italy’s 60-year wait for a home win.
Loser – Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly was set to have a good weekend after securing pole position in Saturday’s qualifying.
He got off the line well in Sunday’s race, but that victory was short-lived when Russell overtook him after only two laps.
Simply put, his race pace didn’t match his qualifying pace.
Gasly eventually finished the race in seventh, losing out on a place on the podium.
READ MORE: F1 news: Kimi Antonelli secures famous Italian GP triumph at Monza after starting 19th
Winner – Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri may have finished fifth in Monza, but his Italian GP weekend felt like a step in the right direction after a frustrating run of results.
The Australian arrived in Italy having experienced a difficult few rounds.
He retired at the Hungarian GP after leading the opening half of the race and finished sixth in the Netherlands after struggling to find pace.
Starting sixth this weekend after a three-place grid penalty, despite qualifying third, made it a promising race for the Australian.
The Hamilton-Piastri match-up then became one of the defining battles of the afternoon.
Piastri initially got off the line ahead of Hamilton before the Briton fought back, with the pair repeatedly exchanging positions as they battled for fourth.
In the end, Piastri secured fifth place after the 53-lap race.
Loser – Ferrari
Ferrari could hardly have scripted a more painful home grand prix.
After showing promising pace throughout the weekend, the Italian team had high expectations for the Sunday race.
However, their race unravelled almost immediately when the drivers made contact with each other on the first lap.
Leclerc forced his team-mate wide, sending Hamilton through the gravel and dropping him down the order.
For Leclerc, things went from bad to worse as his battle with Piastri put pressure on him, sending him through the Curva Parabolica after running over the white line and into the barriers.
Hamilton eventually recovered to sixth place, but the incident compromised his race from the beginning.
This led to the end of Ferrari’s hopes and an unfortunate result for the Italian team.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Premier League news: Arsenal fight back to defeat Chelsea in pulsating Emirates clash
Winner – Arvid Lindblad
Arvid Lindblad’s rookie season has been a reminder that not every impressive debut needs to come with podiums.
As the only rookie on the 2026 F1 grid, Lindblad entered the season with attention on him and the expectation to deliver results alongside his more experienced team-mate, Liam Lawson.
The season hasn’t been straightforward as there have been races where he struggled to maximise on the weekend.
Notably, this was the case in Japan and Miami, where he finished in 14th place.
However, his sixth place in Monaco started a consistent run of starting and finishing in the top 10 places.
More importantly, Lindblad has shown his ability to bounce back.
After finishing 12th in Zandvoort, he arrived at Monza and produced one of his strongest weekends with a 10th place in qualifying and an eighth place in the race on Sunday.
For Lindblad, another top-10 finish in a chaotic race proves his place in Formula 1.
Loser – Liam Lawson
Lawson arrived in Monza with some momentum, having stepped in for the injured Isack Hadjar at the Dutch GP, finishing seventh.
He did, however, face a grid penalty for a power unit change at Monza, starting in the pit lane.
The New Zealander then made impressive progress as he climbed through the field to 11th place after the restart.
But that was short-lived as he encountered an incident with Nico Hülkenberg which caused contact damage to Lawson’s front wing, costing him more than 30 seconds.
He eventually finished 14th, leaving Monza with a disappointing no-points finish.
We now leave the Temple of Speed behind and turn our attention to Spain, where brand-new challenges wait for the drivers in Madrid under the new regulations.
This track is sure to test the drivers’ adaptability, precision and pace.
READ NEXT: Cricket news: Pakistan selection drama overshadows final Test against England at Edgbaston
Michael Davey 
Nicole Powell 
SportJustSport writers