And just like that, the final race of the European season is upon us. Fresh from a thriller in the Netherlands, the paddock makes the relatively short trip south to Monza, and one of the sport\u2019s most iconic and unique challenges.<\/p>\n
Norris\u2019 response to Zandvoort<\/p>\n
The 2025 season has been extremely close between the McLaren drivers so far, and it appeared to be getting even closer after a run of four straight weekends where the pair finished first and second in every race.<\/p>\n
Those results had seen the title fight ebb and flow and the gap remain small, but then came a reliability issue for Lando Norris in the closing stages of the Dutch Grand Prix. Out of nowhere, Oscar Piastri\u2019s championship lead opened up to 34 points<\/a>, after another impressive weekend from the Australian.<\/p>\n How Norris responds to that disappointment will be a significant aspect of this coming weekend, with the Briton having said the margin could actually allow him to drive more freely.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only made it harder for me and put me under more pressure,\u201d Norris said. \u201cBut it’s almost a big enough gap now that I can just chill out about it and just go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n The mindset is one thing, but delivering the results is another, and Norris will be keen to start his fightback immediately by ensuring the gap is reduced to some degree by the end of the weekend in Monza.<\/p>\n Hadjar putting himself in the Red Bull frame<\/p>\n The second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen is an intriguing part of the driver market this year, with Yuki Tsunoda currently in place but facing the same challenges that Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez had before him, and struggling to score points.<\/p>\n Tsunoda was promoted from Racing Bulls early this year and guaranteed his seat until the end of the season, with Red Bull saying his experience would give him the best chance of helping develop a troublesome car and get closer to Verstappen. But a return of just nine points since the move \u2013 including two in Zandvoort \u2013 leaves his future uncertain.<\/p>\n Hadjar made an impressive start to the season, but as a rookie is still learning his trade, and coming out of the summer break he had scored just a solitary point since the Spanish Grand Prix. But that run was emphatically ended with a stunning podium from fourth on the grid in Zandvoort, propelling Hadjar into the heart of the conversation<\/a> for a Red Bull seat.<\/p>\n If he can follow up with another impressive performance in Monza this weekend, momentum will really build for the Frenchman.<\/p>\n A big weekend for Ferrari<\/p>\n The Italian Grand Prix is always a significant race for Ferrari, but this year it could be argued that it is even more so, as they come into the weekend off the back of a double DNF in Zandvoort.<\/p>\n Ferrari were increasingly competitive in the second half of last season \u2013 to such an extent that Charles Leclerc scored the most points of any driver after the summer break \u2013 but this year they have yet to register a victory, and are just 12 points ahead of Mercedes in the Teams\u2019 Championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n Leclerc took a hugely impressive win in Monza a year ago, making a one-stop strategy work to hold off the two McLaren drivers, but this time around the team arrive at their home race already on the back foot.<\/p>\n Having shown encouraging progress and strong pace compared to Leclerc in Zandvoort, Lewis Hamilton\u2019s day on Sunday ended in disappointment as he crashed out of the race and then later received a five-place grid penalty<\/a> for Monza, for not slowing sufficiently during reconnaissance laps to the grid.<\/p>\n Added to the lack of points, it was hardly the ideal way to head into such an important week in the team\u2019s year, but Ferrari often find a way to challenge at home \u2013 and the crowd will be right behind them as ever.<\/p>\n The Tifosi and a historic venue<\/p>\n It is a huge crowd that descends on the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, and much like last weekend\u2019s Dutch Grand Prix, it\u2019s predominantly backing one entity. From Max Verstappen\u2019s fans in Zandvoort, it\u2019s Ferrari who receive significant support at their home race.<\/p>\n The scenes are special all weekend, but none more so than the iconic podium that sees the Tifosi spilling out onto the pit straight and unfurling a giant Ferrari flag, with the top three standing high above the track.<\/p>\n If the home crowd can\u2019t manifest a Ferrari victory on Sunday, then they will be trying to do so for an Italian driver instead, with Kimi Antonelli returning to the scene of his first FP1 outing from 12 months ago. On that occasion, Antonelli crashed early<\/a> in the session but was soon looking forward more positively after being announced as a future Mercedes driver the following day.<\/p>\n Antonelli arrives in Monza off the back of an encouraging race performance that was marred by a collision with Charles Leclerc at Zandvoort, and he will try and take the lessons from a challenging Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix \u2013 the event closest to his Bologna home \u2013 where he felt he ran out of energy before the race itself.<\/p>\n The ever-changing P5 fight<\/p>\n Both Ferraris failing to finish and Lando Norris also retiring opened up the potential for some big results in Zandvoort, and multiple teams took advantage.<\/p>\n On top of Hadjar\u2019s well-earned podium, there was a strong points return for Williams as Alex Albon secured fifth, ahead of Ollie Bearman\u2019s career-best sixth from a pit lane start. That was part of a double-points score for Haas \u2013 with Esteban Ocon 10th \u2013 while the two Aston Martins also scored in the top eight.<\/p>\n