Lewis Hamilton explains why McLaren failed to win the Italian Grand Prix

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McLaren lost out on the Italian Grand Prix victory to Ferrari after Charles Leclerc made a risky one-stop strategy work in his favour.

Lando Norris lost the lead for a seventh time on the opening lap when he was overtaken by Oscar Piastri at the Variante della Roggia chicane.

The Briton then slipped behind Charles Leclerc and found himself in third before the first pit stops, which impacted his ability to retake the lead from Piastri in the opening stages.

Although McLaren managed to undercut Leclerc in the first round of pit stops, the Ferrari driver stayed out on the one-stop strategy while Norris and Piastri both ran the two-stop.

While both struggled with tyre wear, Leclerc was able to manage his tyres better and create a gap to Piastri which was enough for him to take a second race win in front of the Italian Tifosi.

Lewis Hamilton, who started from sixth and eventually finished in fifth place, believes McLaren made a significant error during a crucial stage when discussing the race with Sky Sports.

Lewis Hamilton identifies McLaren error during the Italian Grand Prix

McLaren appeared to be set on the two-stop strategy from the start of the race, after both their driver complained about the excessive tyre degridation on their fronts.

Hamilton believes a one-stop was possible, but both drivers took too much life out of their tyres during the initial laps after each pit stop.

“Looking at the race trace, I think McLaren had the pace but they just pushed too hard. They were doing laps that were too fast early on, which killed the tyres. I guess they had planned for a two-stop,” said Hamilton.

“If they just backed off and went longer, they could have made the one-stop work. But I was getting the info of the times they were doing and there is no way you can make the tyres last at that pace.”

Lando Norris identifies McLaren weakness after Monza loss

Before the race, F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli noted that a one-stop strategy was possible but that the two-stop would be favourable due to the mix of high track temperatures and new abrasive surface at Monza.

Ferrari’s tyre longevity was unexpected during the race and caught Piastri off guard, who chased Leclerc down in the final eight laps but ultimately came two seconds short of the win at the chequered flag.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen was left questioning McLaren’s decision to not keep Piastri out on the one-stop with 15 laps to go.

Discussing their decisions after the race, Norris felt an inherent weakness in the McLaren was on display in the hot conditions which meant they could not make the one-stop work.