LECLERC TAKES FERRARI TO F1 VICTORY AT MONZA

Charles Leclerc earned a hard-fought win at Monza, his second in a row, giving Ferrari their first home win since 2010.

The crowd was ecstatic as the red Scuderia crossed the line in first place at the Italian Grand Prix – and for good reason – this is the first Ferrari win at Monza since Fernando Alonso took the flag in 2010.

Taking his second consecutive win was no easy feat for Charles Leclerc, who fended off attacks from both Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas in their silver arrows. The 21-year-old Monegasque showed composure beyond his years to lead from start to finish as Hamilton and then Bottas tried in vain to get passed.

The Mercedes drivers lacked the pace to get past the Ferrari, often locking up the front wheels in the turbulent air of Leclerc. Eventually, the medium compound tyres of Hamilton could no longer hold on and forced the Brit to use the escape route of turn 1, allowing the Bottas, who had been hunting down the front runners, to overtake.

The Bottas assault on Leclerc would ultimately be unsuccessful as the hard compound tyres on the Ferrari saw Leclerc to the end of the race. Bottas took second with Hamilton, who had pitted for new tyres, take third and claim an extra point for fastest lap.

Daniel Ricciardo finished in his best position for Renault this season with a comfortable fourth, with his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg finishing fifth. The result is the biggest points haul for the French team this campaign.

Red Bull's Alex Albon finished sixth after starting at eight, and Sergio Peres took his Racing Point home for seventh. Hot on his heels was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who started at P19, Antonio Giovinazzi claimed the ninth spot for Alfa Romeo, just the second time he's scored points, and Lando Norris in his McLaren claimed the last point-scoring spot at ten.

The biggest loser of the day must surely have been Sebastien Vettel. The Ferrari driver was sitting in fourth when he spun, by himself, at Ascari. Then, in what can only be described as a moment of madness, he re-joined the track only to clip Lance Stroll, sending the Racing Point driver into a spin. Stroll then proceeded to do almost the same thing, narrowly missing the Torro Rosso of Pierre Gasly. Vettel and Stroll both received a 10-second stop/go penalty, effectively dropping them down the order and out of the points.

With Vettel's P13 for the day and Leclerc finishing on top, the youngster leapfrogs his title-winning teammate to take fourth in the driver's standings, and questions will be asked of Vettel going into the next race in Singapore.

The spoils, though, deservedly go to Leclerc, who surely is seen as a legend in the eyes of Ferrari fans everywhere.

Check out the highlights of the 2019 Italian Grand Prix here.