Lewis Hamilton has been left furious by his actions at the Italian GP as Verstappen and Norris battle (Image: GETTY)

Tensions are running high ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, with a series of elite stars feeling the pressure creeping in.

All eyes will be on the blooming rivalry that is Max Verstappen and Lando Norris today, as the Brit fully intends once again to put the Red Bull icon under the spotlight and show that his time has come.

Norris and Verstappen have been simmering this week, with the former coming out to publicly insist he had not been purposefully mocking his counterpart by copying his catchphrase on the McLaren team radio.

Verstappen has sights on claiming the crown at Monza, while his long-standing rival Lewis Hamilton is currently putting himself on blast.

Hamilton admitted he was livid with himself for his actions in qualifying, which he believes may have cost him a real chance in Sunday’s showpiece.

It is an emotional weekend for Hamilton, who has finally had his full time successor at Mercedes confirmed in young upstart Kimi Antonelli.

It was F1’s worst-kept secret, but now that the news is out the reality is creeping in for Hamilton; his Mercedes days are rapidly coming to an end.

Oscar Piastri ‘hurting’

Oscar Piastri says he’s hurting after finishing second at the Italian Grand Prix.

The Australian looked like he was on course for victory after an early overtake on team-mate Lando Norris.

But his two-stop strategy allowed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to win.

And Piastri said: “I’m not going to lie, it hurts a lot. We did a lot of things right today. There was a lot of question marks on the strategy going into the race.

“From the position we were in with the tyres looking like they did, doing a one-stop seemed like a very risky call, but in the end it was right.

“Very, very happy with the pace, with the race that I managed to achieve, just when you finish second it hurts.”

McLaren launch Oscar Piastri investigation

McLaren are launching an investigation to determine whether Oscar Piastri broke team rules at the Italian Grand Prix.

Piastri overtook pole-setter Lando Norris on lap one but the team will assess whether he broke ‘Papaya Rules’ by doing so.

Team principal Andrea Stella explained: “We will have to review together with the drivers, look at the videos, understand their point of view, and then we will assess together whether they were fully compliant or not.

“We will take the learning, if there is any learning that we need to take, and then we will adjust the Papaya Rules such that they allow us to pursue in the best possible manner both the constructors’ championship and the drivers’ championship.”

Oscar Piastri after claiming his second-place finish at the Italian GP. (Image: Getty.)

Lewis Hamilton questions McLaren

Lewis Hamilton claimed that McLaren were “pushing too hard” and “killing their tyres” at the Italian Grand Prix.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started from the front and were willing to race each other, before Ferrari got in front with enough of a gap that Piastri could not overtake Charles Leclerc.

“McLaren had the pace but pushed too hard,” Hamilton explained. “They were doing much too fast laps, early on. They killed their tyres.

“I guess they planned for a two-stop, that’s why they were pushing so hard. If they backed off longer they could’ve made a one-stop.

“I was getting the information about the times they were doing. There is no way the tyres would last, at that pace. Charles did a fantastic job, well done to him.”

Max Verstappen threatens to boycott races

Max Verstappen said that he would rather “stay at home” than endure a race where his Red Bull team was not “on top of things”.

The Dutchman fumed that his team were not as aware as he would like on the radio during the Italian GP, telling them to “be awake”.

And he later explained that despite a disappointing race, those around him should still be performing at the highest level possible.

“In the race my battery was relatively empty, while fighting Lando of course,” he said. “Then I had to go to a certain setting. at some point they have to tell me when I can go back to the quicker setting.

“I ask: ‘Can i go back?’, ‘Oh yeah, yeah you can’. Then I thought ‘What is this? you guys have all the data the entire time, you guys can exactly see when I can make those steps’.

“I shouldn’t have to ask when I can go back. We might be in nobody’s land, but you still have to be on top of things. otherwise, i can just stay home.”

Delighted Charles Leclerc still backs McLaren

Ferrari were able to hold off McLaren as Charles Leclerc claimed victory, but the celebratory winner still believes that their rivals will be the team to run Red Bull close this season.

“Our package was working well on a track like Monza but whether it will be the same for the rest of the season I doubt,” Leclerc said in his post-race interview.

“I still think McLaren are favourites but we have done a step forwards, that’s for sure.

“Baku is a pretty nice track for me, so maybe we can achieve something special there [at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix next time out].”

Charles Leclerc wins Italian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc has won the Italian Grand Prix for the second time in his career, with the home fans roaring him on for a Ferrari home victory.

The Tifosi’s strategy kept frontrunners Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris behind Leclerc, as the McLaren duo finished second and third respectively.

Lewis Hamilton finished P5, one place ahead of Max Verstappen, who fumed at the Red Bull team on several occasions throughout the race.

Charles Leclerc powering ahead of Lando Norris to win the Italian GP. (Image: Getty.)