1-Stop Masterclass Guides Leclerc to Famous Monza Win
After a smart strategy and a terrific drive, Charles Leclerc took the chequered flag first to secure a famous Monza win for Ferrari! Oscar Piastri was unlucky to only finish second whilst Lando Norris had to settle for a third in a double McLaren Podium!
The Biggest Talking Points
Into Turn 1 and it was Lando Norris who led from Oscar Piastri as George Russell picked up damage after having to take avoiding action. Out of Turn 5 and we had ourselves a new Race leader as Piastri pulled off a bold move to go around the outside of his McLaren teammate whilst Charles Leclerc also took advantage to clear Norris for P2. The early part of the Race was pretty standard, with no one really able to make a move before George Russell boxed to fix his front wing, ultimately taking him out of Podium contention. Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo picked up a penalty for cutting off Nico Hulkenberg before Hulkenberg wiped Tsunoda out of the Rave completely! Towards the front, Norris was the first man to pit as he managed to undercut Leclerc, but it was still Piastri who held the net lead after the first round of pit stops.
After a slow stop, Max Verstappen was out of the fight whilst Sergio Perez got way too aggressive trying to defend from the recovering Russell. Kevin Magnussen then picked up a 10-second time penalty after he yeeted Pierre Gasly out the way before both McLaren’s came in for their second pit stops. However, Ferrari made the decision not to stop either Leclerc or Sainz again, and whilst it didn’t work out for Carlos who was passed by both McLaren’s, Oscar and Lando just didn’t quite have enough pace to catch Charles who held on to take a massive victory in front of the Tifosi!
The Standout Drives in the Race
I’ve given out two 10’s for today’s Italian Grand Prix and the first one is obviously for Charles Leclerc! When Charles is on it, there aren’t many better than him, and he fully merits the win today so well done to him! The other driver I’ve given out maximum points to is Oscar Piastri because if it wasn’t for Ferrari’s strategy, Oscar would’ve won today. Whilst his move on the opening lap was bold, it was really well executed, and he deserves a lot of praise for that! Alex Albon also did a great job to score 2 points for Williams, Kevin Magnussen did well to score a point given he picked up a penalty, and Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz also scored good points, even if it might not feel like it! Also, a quick shout-out to Franco Colapinto for finishing a really strong P12 on debut!
Drivers Who Had a Shocker
Surprisingly, I haven’t given out a single 1 for today’s Race! However, Nico Hulkenberg had a very messy Race after a couple of incidents with the VCARB’s, Zhou Guanyu again didn’t seem to have the best overall pace, and Lance Stroll ultimately finished 19th (and last) after pitting for a Fastest Lap attempt at the end!
Overall Race Results and My Ratings
Charles Leclerc: 10
Oscar Piastri: 10
Lando Norris: 8 (FL)
Carlos Sainz: 8
Lewis Hamilton: 7
Max Verstappen: 6
George Russell: 6
Sergio Perez: 4
Alex Albon: 9
Kevin Magnussen: 8
Fernando Alonso: 5
Franco Colapinto: 7
Daniel Ricciardo: 5
Esteban Ocon: 5
Pierre Gasly: 4
Valtteri Bottas: 4
Nico Hulkenberg: 2
Zhou Guanyu: 2
Lance Stroll: 2
Yuki Tsunoda: - (DNF)
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