Charles Leclerc wins the Italian Grand Prix.

52/53 Piastri is not fast enough. Leclerc is cool under pressure and leads the final lap. The noise is deafening.

51/53 Piastri is seven seconds behind Leclerc and it is unlikely he can catch the boy from Monte Carlo.

50/53 Russell is told Verstappen is within reach. Huge noise from the Ferrari fans.

49/53 Verstappen is worried that Russell will take points from him. Huge cheers from the Ferrari tifosi when Leclerc does another lap with those tires.

48/53 Norris leads Sainz into third place, with both McLarens now chasing Leclerc.

47/53 Now Norris has to pass Sainz, but he needs more time than Piastri.

46/53 Verstappen set the fastest lap time in the chase on Hamilton.

45/53 “My right front tire is almost gone,” says Sainz. “But I’m going to try.” But Piastri soon overtakes the Ferrari. He is now 11.6 seconds behind Leclerc, who has older tires than Sainz.

44/53 Ferrari’s strategy is a risky one. Verstappen meanwhile is desperately fighting for points in the chase for Hamilton.

43/53 So it comes down to the speed of Piastri and Norris and the condition of Leclerc and Sainz’s tyres.

42/53 Piastri and Norris are asked to chase the Ferraris, who want to stay out of harm’s way. Verstappen comes in and comes in sixth behind Hamilton, with Russell behind him.

Norris passes Verstappen

40/53 Verstappen and Norris engage in battle and Verstappen defends himself convincingly.

39/53 Piastri pits. Did someone run over his foot? Leclerc and Sainz are the leaders. They only pitted once. Will the Ferraris adopt a one-stop strategy,

38/53 Piastri is asked if he can hold out until the end. He says his front tire is broken. Russell overtakes Perez and the two don’t give each other much leeway.

37/53 “Impossible to defend,” says Verstappen about Norris, who has him completely in his grip and is flying at him at a serious pace. Norris now has the fastest lap, which seems to be the limit of the McLaren.

36/53 This is one of the fastest races of all time and can be completed in less than 75 minutes. Perez comes in, so where does he come out against George Russell? Just barely, and that’s a fight for the rest of the race. What now for Verstappen?

35/53 Piastri is still the fastest lap time trialist and is 5.7 seconds ahead of Leclerc.

34/53 Russell pits and cools down the chase on Perez by being two seconds slower. He could really cause problems for the Red Bulls.

33/53 Norris goes into the pits and takes his time. He comes in behind Verstappen. Piastri has the race to himself. Verstappen will have to come in. Norris has been unlucky and his mechanic has made a mess of his right front tire.

32/53 Russell and Perez had to swap places when Russell went off track and got back in front. He gave it back. Perez is not happy, but the Mercedes are after the Red Bulls.

31/53 Leclerc is closing in on the McLarens, and now Russell and Perez are going at it. Norris makes a mistake at turn four and Piastri is well clear. Ferrari’s main man is chasing Norris.

30/53 Franco Colapinto, the new boy, in 16th place, rushes past Pierre Gasly. He had never driven more than eight laps.

29/53 The second stops are fast approaching. Or not? The calculations are being performed.

28/53 Norris now sets the fastest lap.

27/53 Piastri flies with a fastest lap, the Red Bull over a pit stop behind the McLarens. The Constructors’ Championship is very exciting. It could be a tie as things stand now.

26/53 The first three are now a distance ahead of Carlos Sainz and we are waiting for the next pit stop. There hasn’t been much racing since that opening corner. It’s all strategy.

25/53 With Verstappen now faltering, should McLaren send Norris forward? Papaya rules mean they can race each other.

24/53 After Perez pits, he comes in just behind Verstappen, who was not happy with his slow pit. Piastri is back in front, with Norris in second place and it is a race between two McLarens. Time to go for it?

23/53 Verstappen comes in and goes on hard tyres. That means he comes back in. He’s in eighth place. McLaren talks about ‘Papaya rules’. Coding, you know. Broadsword, call Danny Boy.

22/53 Discussions on the radio between McLaren. Should Norris follow team orders? They had this problem earlier in the season.