Oscar Piastri left the 2025 Italian Grand Prix satisfied with a solid third place but clear that McLaren still has work to do on low-downforce circuits. Speaking after the 53-lap run at Monza, the championship leader admitted the team needed to learn from both the opening laps and the late-race strategy shuffle that saw team-mate Lando Norris regain second.McLaren’s weekend around the Temple of Speed was shaped by Max Verstappen’s blistering pole and a tense qualifying session that left Norris and Piastri second and third. A five-place grid drop for Lewis Hamilton moved George Russell to fifth and pushed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc into the row ahead, setting up a front pack stacked with rivals.Oscar Piastri noted Monza's long straights and tight corners allow top speed to control races."There were quite a few learning points from the first part of the race and also towards the end. It’s inherently quite a unique track, so there are some things that we can improve on for next year and other low downforce tracks later in 2025," he said post-race.At circuits like Monza, teams trim rear-wing angle to cut drag, sacrificing some cornering grip to chase maximum velocity. This change brought Ferrari and Red Bull closer to McLaren’s usual edge.Oscar Piastri (81) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Source: GettyMax Verstappen echoed the thoughts after sealing the victory:"In general, the car goes better in low to medium downforce tracks and we just need to keep pushing and keep trying to improve, as we have been. After the overtake it was about getting on with my own race, hitting targets and looking after the tires."With Baku and Las Vegas among the remaining eight races, both leaning toward lower-downforce set-ups, McLaren’s engineers will dig into Sunday’s data. Oscar Piastri still leads the drivers’ standings on 324 points, ahead of Norris on 293 and Verstappen on 230, leaving little margin for complacency.McLaren’s Monza shuffle keeps title charge intact as Oscar Piastri calls it 'fair'McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after the F1 Grand Prix of Italy. Source: GettyWhen the lights went out, Lando Norris challenged Max Verstappen immediately, forcing the Red Bull wide into the chicane at Turn 1. Oscar Piastri lost ground to Charles Leclerc but regrouped, repassing the Ferrari into Turn 1 on Lap 6 to reclaim third. Verstappen, told to relinquish the lead after cutting the chicane, did so briefly before drafting back past Norris with DRS on Lap 4.From there, the Red Bull stretched clear, leaving the McLarens to manage Leclerc’s pressure. Pit windows opened just after halfway. McLaren held both cars long, eyeing a soft-tire run to the flag.Verstappen stopped on Lap 38, rejoining in clear air. Piastri boxed on Lap 45, executing a clean 1.9-second switch from mediums to softs. Norris followed a lap later, but a sticky left-rear cost him time, allowing Piastri to exit fractionally ahead.The papaya wall moved fast and told them to exchange positions:"In terms of the call to swap, ultimately it was fair. We have things to discuss, as we always do with these sorts of racing situations. It’s now time to refocus ahead of Baku," Piastri said post-race.Norris was waved back into second, both cars running the line to the chequered flag. Leclerc salvaged fourth for Ferrari, trailed by George Russell and a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton to complete the top five for the Italian Grand Prix.McLaren’s 12th double podium of the season keeps its constructors’ tally strong: 337 points clear of Ferrari and on the brink of mathematically sealing the title if the team departs Baku with a 346-point cushion. Formula 1 pauses for a week before returning September 19-21 on the tight streets of Azerbaijan, another circuit where flat wings and straight-line efficiency will again dictate the script.