2022 GP Italy

Max Verstappen’s Maiden win in Monza!

It was the 100th year anniversary of the Temple of Speed, and with the weekend attendance at full capacity since 2019, the excitement in the air was palpable.

For Ferrari, a home race filled with faithful fans longing for redemption over the most recent setbacks.

With Charles Leclerc starting from pole position along with nine drivers, including Verstappen facing grid penalties, the opportunity in Monza for anything to happen could happen.

However, it was Verstappen who took the checkered flag. Beginning from P7, he advanced to P3 within a lap. His dominant run continued as on lap 5, he overtook Russell for P2 and secured the lead once Leclerc pitted for a second time. Although finishing behind a late safety car, it was the Red Bull driver who was able to claim his fifth straight win and first in Monza.

With six races remaining and Verstappen’s lead growing to 116 points, the 2023 World Championship title is just within grasp.

Following Verstappen, Leclerc was able to take P2 in what could still be considered a solid result for the Ferrari driver. Starting the race on soft tires turned out be key as an eager George Russell, made a first corner overtake attempt. Although the pit stops were much cleaner this weekend for Ferrari, they still cost valuable time that could not be recovered.

For Team Principal, Matteo Binotto, this decision made sense during this critical period of the race. “I think that Max simply was faster today,” said Binotto. “But at the time of leading the race we saw that we had a bit more tire degradation to Max. Our strategy at the time was one-stop so without any Virtual Safety Car we would've stayed out. “But then the Virtual Safety Car was there, we believed, I believe it was the right choice, we decided simply to go on a different strategy of two stops”

Starting the race in 2nd and finishing in 3rd was Mercedes, George Russell, who has shown to be one of the most consistent drivers on the grid this season.

With an engine penalty that saw him begin in 18th, Carlos Sainz put together a brilliant drive finding much needed pace while climbing his way up the grid to finish P4.

Following Ferrari was Lewis Hamilton, who also faced grid penalties resulting in a P19 start. Beginning on mediums, it appeared that the seven-time world champion was having difficulty making headway. Once Mercedes switching to softs on lap 33, he seemed to find his rhythm making his way past the mid fielders to finish with P5.

With an early brake issue on his front right tire causing a period of smoke and flame, Sergio Perez managed to make his way from P13 to finish with P6 and fastest lap of the race.

A challenging day for Lando Norris, who started in P3 and appeared to struggle on the start. Coupled with a long pit stop, he was unfortunately unable to make ground finishing with P7.

Former Monza winner, Pierre Gasly was able to secure P8 after expressing earlier frustrations over the team’s radio of his inability to overtake Mclaren’s, Daniel Ricciardo. “Ricciardo is all over the place,” exclaimed the AlphaTauri driver.

With Williams losing Alex Albon for the weekend due to appendicitis, it was Nyck de Vries who found himself warming the Williams seat with the opportunity to showcase his abilities and hopes for a future in 2023. Earning “Driver of the Day”, Nyck managed to earn valuable points for the team while achieving points in his first race, a statistic held by very few.

After a tight battle with de Vries, Alfa Romeo’s, Zhou Guanyu was able to finish in P10 and take the final point.

Finishing in P11 was Esteban Ocon. For Alpine, it was a weekend of woes as the gap between their closest competitor, Mclaren has been reduced to just 18 points.

With a late overtake on Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher managed to secure P12 with Valtteri Bottas following behind with P13.

Taking P14 was Alpha Tauri’s, Yuki Tsunoda and Nicholas Latifi with P15.

Early contact with Bottas along with a five-second penalty left Haas’s Kevin Magnussen in P16 and the final driver to finish.

A difficult weekend for Aston Martin as both of their drivers, Vettel and Stroll retired during the race.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso was forced to retire as a result of a mechanical issue.

Previous Monza winner, Daniel Ricciardo appeared to be in a hopeful position to gain points starting from P4. However, due to a power failure, Ricciardo was unable to see the end result, triggering the late safety car.

The 2022 series continues with the much anticipated return of the Singapore Grand Prix, September 30th.

By Samantha Horvath