Winners and Losers of the F1 Italian Grand Prix

Matt Hylen
Sep 10
5 min read

From left to right, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris. C/O to IMAGO via gpfans.com.

Round 16 of the 2025 F1 season in Monza is officially wrapped, which means it is time to check in to see who the biggest winners and losers of the weekend were. With controversy loud, Monza heightened the stakes of an already intense championship. Qualifying was spectacular, and though the race was mostly uneventful, Papaya rules struck again to give us another questionable call.

Now, before we get into the winners and losers of the weekend, a few things to mention:

Formula One has two main championship competitions. The first of the two Championships is the Drivers' Championship, which is a competition based on the drivers' individual performance. On a non-Sprint style weekend, the drivers who finish in the top 10 in each race will score points (the higher you place, the more points you get). These points are added up, and whichever driver finishes with the most points at the end of the season will win the Drivers' Championship.

The next is the Constructors' Championship, a competition between the teams. The number of points the drivers within a team get each race is combined, creating the total points for the team (e.g., Lando Norris has scored 293 points and Oscar Piastri has scored 324 points, giving the McLaren team 617 points in the Constructors' Championship). The team whose drivers accumulate the most points combined for their team will win the Constructors' Championship.

Note, 21 drivers will be listed within the Drivers' Championship Standings, as Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine.

Now, here is a look at the standings for both Championships:

Drivers' Championship Standings:

Oscar Piastri 324 points
Lando Norris 293 points
Max Verstappen 230 points
George Russell 194 points
Charles Leclerc 163 points
Lewis Hamilton 117 points
Alexander Albon 70 points
Andrea Kimi Antonelli 66 points
Isack Hadjar 38 points
Nico Hülkenberg 37 points
Lance Stroll 32 points
Fernando Alonso 30 points
Esteban Ocon 28 points
Pierre Gasly 20 points
Liam Lawson 20 points
Gabriel Bortoleto 18 points
Oliver Bearman 16 points
Carlos Sainz 16 points
Yuki Tsunoda 12 points
Franco Colapinto 0 points
Jack Doohan 0 points

Constructors' Championship Standings:

McLaren 584 points
Ferrari 260 points
Mercedes 248 points
Red Bull 214 points
Williams 80 points
Aston Martin 62 points
VCARB 60 points
Kick Sauber 51 points
Haas 44 points
Alpine 20 points

Standings were found at F1.com.

Winner: Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen after winning the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. C/O to Marco Bertorello/AFP via aljazeera.com.

I mean, this one is obvious, but Max Verstappen is the biggest winner of the weekend. Just when we start to forget, Max proves once again why he is levels above everyone else in this sport. Verstappen drove flawlessly all weekend long, as he set the fastest lap ever recorded in F1 in qualifying. He also won a race he had no business winning, becoming the fastest race finisher in F1 history. Just an amazing weekend for Max, who just will not go away.

Loser: Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton. C/O to F1 Meida via planetf1.com.

It was not a bad weekend for Ferrari, but it was far from a good one. Neither Leclerc nor Hamilton could take advantage of McLaren's vulnerability in pace, which for a team in 2nd in the Constructors' Championship is extremely disappointing. Plus, this was the first time since 2012 that a Ferrari did not secure a podium in Monza. Overall, not the weekend Ferrari was hoping for in front of their home Tifosi crowd.

Winner: Williams

Carlos Sainz (left) and Alex Albon (right). C/O to F1 Media via planetf1.com.

Williams did a fantastic job during the race. After a poor qualifying from both Albon and Sainz, both were able to get themselves in a point-scoring position. Sainz recovered nicely from a collision with Bearman to finish just outside the points, while Albon found a way to secure a top-seven finish, passing Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli in the Constructors' Championship. Though it was not a double points finish, this was one of the better weekends as a whole team for Williams in my eyes.

Loser: Aston Martin

The moment Fernando Alonso's suspension failed during the Italian Grand Prix. C/O to F1 Media via racingnews365.com.

Aston Martin was atrocious this weekend. The team failed Fernando Alonso with the suspension failure after he qualified in the top 10, while Lance Stroll went back to being the Lance Stroll we all know far too well. The team shot themself in the foot all weekend long, resulting in a brutal P18 (last among finishers) and DNF. Major dud of a weekend for Aston Martin.

Winner: Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar. C/O to F1 Media via formula1.com

After missing Q2 for the first time in his career, Isack Hadjar going from a pit lane start to a point-scoring finish is truly remarkable. His performance is a testament to his current form, as he is one of the hottest and fastest drivers in the sport currently. If the Dutch Grand Prix did not convince you, this performance absolutely should. Isack Hadjar made something out of absolutely nothing, giving his team a point in a season in which every point will count. Outstanding effort from Isack this past weekend.

Loser: McLaren

Oscar Piastri (left) and Lando Norris (right). C/O to IMAGO via gpfans.com.

First of all, losing to a Red Bull, regardless of who is driving it, by 20+ seconds is embarrassing to say the least. Second of all, their decision to make Oscar Piastri give back P2 to Lando Norris after Lando's slow stop is absolutely ridiculous.

Now, did Norris deserve that 2nd place? Absolutely. Was it maybe the morally correct thing? Sure. However, when the team has the Constructors' Championship locked in, you need to let your drivers race. Manipulating the results in order to keep things fair is a sort of power no team should have. Lando's slow stop was extremely unlucky and out of his control, but that is just part of racing. I mean, if McLaren wants to "maintain fairness", why wasn't Oscar ordered to pull over his car and DNF in Zandvoort after Norris' car failed?

McLaren need to realize that there has to be a point where tough decisions have to be made. When you have two #1 drivers who are rivals for the championship, it is inevitable that a point will come where you cannot keep both sides happy. We saw this at Mercedes when Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were fighting for the championship from 2013-2016. Manipulating results like they did this past weekend in Monza is unacceptable and inexcusable, regardless of whether the decision was fair or not. Again, Lando did deserve that 2nd place, but racing is racing, and events out of drivers' control happen all the time; it is part of the sport.