THE BIG PICTURE: The constructors fight is now definitely on. Just eight ponts separate the top two. Heck, even Ferrari is within striking range, 39 points behind Red Bull. As for the drivers fight, indications say that is also up for grabs, but the reality of McLaren constantly throwing points away says otherwise.

EVENT: There is no atmosphere in the world (sorry Zandvoort) like Monza when Ferrari wins.

TRACK: Sure, there is still Ascari, Lesmo, Parabolica, etc. But for a track which had a 100% repave for the first time in 102 years and new curbing, for all intents and purposes it was a brand new facility for the teams and drivers whose prior data and notes were essentially useless.

QUALIFYING: Norris thinks he could have gone faster but still gets pole, Russell again outqualifies Hamilton, Ferrari gets between the two Mercedes, Red Bull is shockingly back on the fourth row, Albon and Hulkenberg make Q3 appearances, and no surprises in Q1 and Q2.

RACE: It was a slow build up. Then, when it looked likely for a Ferrari shock win, even the Tifosi were subdued for a while, not believing it. Finally, in the last few laps, the roars were heard over the cars, willing their hero on.

START: Piastri gets a slightly better start, but Norris was good enough to move over and block his teammate. But then Piastri stuns Norris with a mighty aggressive move into the second chicane causing Norris to lose second as well. Meanwhile, Russell misjudges the braking of those in front of him and takes to the runoff.

LECLERC: The two most important races for Charles -- Monaco and Monza. And now he has won them both ... in the same year no less. His excellent tire care got him this one.

SAINZ: It might have been his 30th birthday, but Carlos was the gift giver, providing support for Leclerc's strategy gamble.

FERRARI: For all the times we (rightfully) give them grief with their strategy calls, it's time to praise them. Sure, they had nothing to lose -- they finish third if they don't try and possibly finish third if it doesn't work. But in the past, they would not have even tried.

PIASTRI: In hindsight, Oscar felt they should have gambled with the one stop as well.

NORRIS: Inside, he has got to be mad. The first lap move by his teammate ultimately cost the team a 1-2 finish, and Lando's chances to close the gap to Verstappen even more.

MCLAREN: It's time for them to get off their asses and decide do they want to win championships or not? There was no reason not to make the switch on the last lap. It's not like they were taking a victory away from one of their drivers. Plus, allowing Piastri to fight with Norris after the first turn prevented them from blocking out the rest of the field, allowing Leclerc to make the one stop strategy work. That should never be allowed to happen if McLaren truly wants to win championships. Will Buxton's rant on F1 TV is spot on.

HAMILTON: Lewis was only the top Mercedes finisher because his teammate messed up the first lap.

ANTONELLI: What a wild few laps in FP1. Say what you want about him, but he will be replacing Hamilton next year, so we may as well enjoy what he brings. It could be a lot of fun.

MERCEDES: Hard to tell what the verdict is for the Silver Star at Monza.

VERSTAPPEN: He's not joking when he says both championships are not attainable, even if it is a bit hyperbole. Unless, of course, McLaren keeps giving points away.

PEREZ: Once again finished last among the eight drivers in the top four teams. But to be fair, Red Bull was clearly the fourth team in that group.

RED BULL: Hey Newey, umm, think you can come back into the office for a bit? Just a few minutes. That's all. Pretty please. With sugar to top.

MAGNUSSEN: First F1 driver to get a race ban due to penalty points. Now, there's a trivia question for the future to win a beer in a pub.

BEARMAN: Oliver, your phone is ringing.

COLAPINTO: A last minute call up, Franco did proud.

SARGEANT: Another attempt for an American driver in F1 falls by the wayside.

HAAS: Arguably, they are the best of the rest right now, even if the results didn't necessarily show it.

TSUNODA: Wretched luck at Monza over his career: DNS, 14th, DNS, DNF.

SAUBER: Still zero points. And how in the world, at the Temple of Speed, can you be slower than Renault powered cars? Seriously! It's embarrassing beyond embarrassing.

F2: The sprint race saw thrilling battles, as Brit Oliver Bearman went fron eighth to victory. Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto did even better in the feature race, as he went from dead last (22nd) starting spot to win thanks to a perfectly timed safety car just before his mandatory pit stop and then opened up nearly a 10 second gap.

F3: The championship came down to the season finale feature race between fellow Italians Leonardo Fornaroli (133 points) and Gabriele Mini (130 points). It produced, arguably, the greatest Formula 3 race in history. Overall, the action was so insane, it could make an Mazda MX-5 Cup race look boring, and that is almost an impossible feat. As for the protagonists, they kept changing positions overall and between themselves, it left mathematicians' heads spinning trying to figure out the points tally on the fly. In the end, Fornaroli made a desperate move in the final braking zone of the race to move up one position, just behind Mini, to take the title by two points, despite never winning a single race. (Later Mini was disqualified on a technical infraction, but that doesn't take away from the thrilling race.)

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Strategy.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 0.186 -- The amount of time in seconds separating the top six qualifying times. The closest top six in F1 history. Seems the new rules have indeed finally worked.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: The last time the track was completely paved was in 1922, the year it was built. The track was opened in September, hosting the second Italian GP, which used the oval as well as the road portion, for 80 laps, 500 miles. Only three cars finished the race, with Italians taking the first two spots both in a Fiat 804 and both on the same lap: Pietro Bordino and Felice Nazzaro, respectively. Spainerd Pierre de Vizcaya rounded out the finishers and the podium in a Bugatti Type 29, four laps down.

TWEET OF THE WEEKEND: From @BradleyPhilpot:

Papaya Rules = We are too spineless to employ actual team orders like serious teams do.

Papaya Rules = We are frightened of upsetting one of our drivers by telling them to do a thing they don’t like.

Papaya Rules = Just give Max the title. We don’t care about it.

#F1 #Mclaren #ItalianGP

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Charles Leclerc, "McLaren were faster on paper, and we managed to push them into mistakes strategy wise." Everybody knows McLaren is chunking points away.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: After George Russell qualified third, he said what he was going to do next, "Fill myself up with pizza tonight to get that little bit extra weight."

SCHEDULE: Red Bull has done well at Baku in the past. Ferrari might bring more upgrades. McLaren we have seen works everywhere now. Mercedes might be in the do well category for that track. We're not making a prediction.

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