Despite starting in eighth place, McLeod stunned in the opening one-hour race of the weekend to be battling for the lead heading into Monza’s infamous Variante chicane.
Timing the green light to perfection, McLeod ducked out of line to rocket past those in front, outdragging the McLaren of Yani Stevenheydens on the exit of the chicane to take the lead.
McLeod’s quick start caught the attention of race control, however, with suspicion that the young gun may have jumped the lights.
Eventually, the Ford Racing junior was handed a 10-second penalty for a breach of starting procedure, having moved out of line prior to the green light.
McLeod’s quest to build a lead and minimise the effect of the penalty was thwarted by an early safety car.
The #4 Toyota of Mees Houben, shared with Aussie Lachlan Evennett, was tipped heavily into the wall exiting Ascari.
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The damage was extensive enough to force Houben and Evennett out of the weekend.
During the pit stop cycle, Canadian Marco Signoretti took over from McLeod and emerged on track in 12th.
Drama befell several leaders in the closing stages, including a dramatic crash for Clement Seyler, Lucas Cartelle, and Paul Petit while fighting at the front.
Signoretti stayed out of trouble to finish seventh, handing McLeod a handy top 10 result on debut.
Having started Race 2 in 13th, a blistering opening stint from Signoretti saw McLeod take over and emerge from the pits in the top five.
The opening portion of the race included a pair of safety cars for heavy two-car crashes, the second of which resulted in a spectacular rollover for the #30 Porsche into the Della Roggia chicane.
McLeod kept out of trouble and crossed the line fourth, but was elevated to the podium as the two Team Speedcar Audis in first and third were penalised for pit lane speed.
While further international starts are yet to be confirmed, McLeod returns to Monochrome GT4 Australia at Queensland Raceway on June 12-14 to continue an impressive full-time campaign.
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