CHARLES LECLERC secured Ferrari a rare win at the Italian Grand Prix, much to the home fans’ delight, as the team’s bold one-stop strategy paid off today.

Ferrari, which had brought nine upgrades to its home race, was one of the teams to choose to only pit once.

And that proved the right decision for Leclerc, who despite heavily degrading tyres, managed to hold off Oscar Piastri and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

Piastri finished second, with Norris, left to rue a poor opening lap, third. Carlos Sainz took fourth, one place ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Max Verstappen started seventh and improved by just one position with Norris, who took a bonus point for the fastest lap, reducing the Dutch driver’s championship lead from 70 points to 60 with eight races remaining.

When Piastri began his pursuit of Leclerc, the Monegasque was 11.7 seconds up the road.

“Leave me to do this,” Leclerc told the Ferrari pit wall after they relayed a message to him on the radio.

As it became obvious what was on the cards, the tifosi cheered wildly as the lap counter ticked down, and despite being on 38-lap-old rubber, he nursed his Ferrari to the end to claim a famous win, 2.6 sec clear of Piastri.

Leclerc, who won here for Ferrari in 2019, said: “It is an incredible feeling. I didn’t think the second time would be so special. But my God, the emotions were the same as as 2019.

Before today’s triumph, the Italian Scuderia had managed only a second for Leclerc in 2022 and a third by Sainz last year since that 2019 victory.