This past Sunday, the Italian Grand Prix was won by Imperial, the Dutchman, who finished ahead of Charles Leclerc. The Red Bull driver is inching closer and closer to claiming the championship.
Domination. On Sunday, Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, making it the first time in his career that he has done so. The Dutchman had a great race to sign for his fifth consecutive victory, the 31st of his career, and the 11th of this season. He started the race in the seventh position. With six races still to go, the defending world champion has opened up a 116-point advantage, putting him one step closer to winning a second consecutive title. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and George Russell (Mercedes) rounded up the top three finishers in a race that was called off due to the presence of the safety car.
Verstappen-Leclerc, different strategies
Charles Leclerc started the race on the front row of the grid, and he made the most of his advantage by opening up a significant lead over George Russell, who was unable to keep up with his pace. The Monegasque driver, who was going for a second victory at Monza, got off to a fantastic start because of this, but the real danger was elsewhere. Her name was Max Verstappen. Because they had to alter their engine, this Batavian devil had to start from seventh place. A disadvantage that is by no means insurmountable for the champion of the world, considering that the Dutchman had already reached the bottom step of the podium by the time the third round was over. After that, George Russell was consumed in the fifth lap, and the fight between the two powerful men could then begin. After a short time, Verstappen had caught up to Leclerc and was only a little more than a second behind him. However, just as the battle was about to begin, the virtual safety car came out due to Vettel’s retirement. After that, on lap 12, Ferrari attempted to make a free pit stop for the Monaco driver.
Leclerc started the race on soft tires, much like the Dutchman did, but after lap 12, he took his first pit stop to convert to medium tires and transition to a two-stop strategy. One more than needed. As a result of Verstappen, he extended his first stint all the way to lap 25. After finishing in second place, the driver who is currently holding the title of world champion very quickly caught up to Leclerc. As a result, the world champion was forced to return to the pits on the 33rd lap, allowing the Red driver Bull to win on a plateau. When Ricciardo pulled out of the race five laps before the end and the safety car appeared, we initially believed the race had been restarted. However, the safety car remained on the circuit until the very end, which prevented anybody and everyone from experiencing a thrilling restart. and showing a pretty depressing picture for the conclusion of a Formula One race.
The comebacks of Sainz and Hamilton, De Vries’s brilliant first
At Monza, several other drivers, including Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton, stood out in addition to those competing for the win. These two men began the race in positions 18th and 19th, respectively, and finished in fourth and fifth places, respectively. The Spaniard turned up a strong performance during the first stint of the race by completing 31 laps on his medium tires before switching to his soft tires. Without the intervention of the safety car, his comeback might have resulted in him finishing in third place. On the Hamilton side of the competition, things were a little more precarious. After fifteen laps, the Englishman was still outside of the points-scoring position; however, the seven-time world champion pushed his mediums far enough to put them in the tenders at the end of the race, which secured fifth place for him. Special recognition should be given to Nyck De Vries, who competed in his maiden Formula One race with Williams and finished ninth overall, earning his team two points. De Vries replaced Albon, who was sidelined by an appendicitis attack during the race.
Last but not least, a few words in French. Pierre Gasly finished in an impressive eighth place despite being held up behind Ricciardo for more than 45 laps. A challenging weekend for Alpine, as Fernando Alonso had to pull out of the race early, while Estaban Ocon only managed to finish in eleventh place.