In Pictures: Italy 2025
The Monza event is always special, but this year it was even more so. It marked the 75th time the Autodromo had hosted a Formula 1 World Championship race, more than any other circuit in the history of the sport’s blue-riband category. For Pirelli, the weekend also brought the conclusion of its celebrations for competing in 500 Grands Prix, a milestone reached at Zandvoort the previous Sunday. As in the Netherlands, all 20 cars on track and every set of slick tires carried a special logo, which had been unveiled in London on February 18 as part of the festivities for Formula 1’s 75th anniversary.
THE TRACK
Monza still holds the record for the highest average race speed, set by Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari in 2003 at 247.586 km/h, as well as the fastest qualifying lap, Lewis Hamilton’s 264.362 km/h effort in a Mercedes in 2020. Pole position last year, secured by Lando Norris, came with an average speed of 263 km/h. It remains clear why the venue is universally known as the Temple of Speed.
The 5.793-kilometer circuit features 11 corners, with drivers spending 80% of the lap at full throttle. Cars ran the lowest downforce levels of the season to minimize drag. In that setting, stability under braking and traction out of slow corners proved crucial. especially through the Prima Variante and Variante Ascari, where speed had to be scrubbed off in an instant. Lateral forces came into play at Monza’s fastest turns, from Biassono to the legendary Parabolica, now renamed in honor of Michele Alboreto.
After being completely resurfaced in 2024, this year Monza focused on improving the fan experience. Four thousand new seats were added in general admission areas, while the hospitality suites above the pits were expanded. As a result, the media center was relocated to a temporary two-story structure with capacity for 400 journalists, set up next to the old pit garages.
FRIDAY
It seemed like a duel between McLaren and Ferrari was on the cards over the Italian Grand Prix weekend, just as it had been at Monza last year. Ten drivers lapped within less than four-tenths of a second of each other in FP2, so qualifying promised to be a thrilling fight for grid positions on Sunday afternoon.
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the first session with a time of 1:20.117, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc on 1:20.286. Lando Norris topped the second session with a 1:19.878, just 0.083 seconds quicker than Leclerc and 0.096 ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Williams. The Spaniard, who has previously been teammate to both Norris at McLaren and Leclerc at Ferrari, had also been third in FP1 with a 1:20.650.
SATURDAY
In qualifying, the script changed completely as Verstappen claimed pole position in his pursuit of the Chimera winner’s trophy for the Italian Grand Prix. History suggested his chances were strong: in more than half the races at Monza, victory has gone to a driver starting from the front row. 25 times from pole and 14 from second place. The lowest grid position from which the race has ever been won was 11th, when Peter Gethin triumphed for BRM in 1971. That race remains in the record books for producing the closest finish in Formula 1 history, with just one hundredth of a second separating Gethin from runner-up Ronnie Peterson. Incredibly, the first five cars across the line were covered by only 0.61 seconds.
This was Verstappen’s 45th career pole and his second at Monza, following his first in 2021. His lap of 1:18.792 not only set a new track record but also established the highest average speed ever recorded in qualifying in Formula 1 history, 264.423 km/h, ensuring once again that Monza lived up to its nickname as the Temple of Speed.
Starting alongside Verstappen was Lando Norris in the McLaren with a 1:18.869, a time that also eclipsed the previous record set by Lewis Hamilton in 2020 (1:18.887). On the second row, championship leader Oscar Piastri lined up third with a 1:18.982, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, last year’s Monza winner, secured fourth with a 1:19.007.
SUNDAY
Most of the field started on Medium tires, while five drivers, Stroll, Gasly, Ocon, Hadjar, and Albon, opted for the Hards.
The Chimera trophy bearing the number one, went to Max Verstappen after the Italian Grand Prix. The four-time world champion claimed his third win of the season, after Suzuka and Imola, and his third at Monza, adding to victories in 2022 and 2023, all with Red Bull Racing. It was also the Dutchman’s 66th career win and the 125th for the Anglo-Austrian team, five of them at Monza.
The race entered the record books as the fastest Formula 1 Grand Prix ever. Verstappen’s average speed of 250.706 km/h eclipsed the previous benchmark of 247.586 km/h, set by Michael Schumacher at Monza in 2003. Remarkably, every driver finishing from second to seventh also beat that old record.
Just as they did a year ago, the two McLaren drivers joined Verstappen on the podium, with Lando Norris second and Oscar Piastri third. Norris also set a new outright average speed record for a lap of the circuit, clocking a 1:20.901 on lap 53 at 257.781 km/h.
On a weekend that marked Monza’s 75th Formula 1 race and Pirelli’s 500th Grand Prix, Verstappen’s record-breaking victory ensured the Temple of Speed once again lived up to its legend.
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Excerpts and media courtesy of Pirelli S.p.A. and official Formula 1 Team Press Offices. All images are credited to their respective copyright holders and used for editorial purposes only.
