Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen came close to retaining the title after defeating Ferrari to take his first victory in the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix, the 16th round of the world championship this season, after the race ended on Sunday at the circuit. Monza for safety. automobile.
Verstappen took a big step towards retaining the world title with his fifth consecutive win and his eleventh this season, two wins equaling the single-season record shared by German legends Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
Verstappen advanced in the Monza race over Monaco’s Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Briton George Russell after the drivers struggled for the last five laps behind the safety car because Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren stalled on the track due to a mechanical failure and delay. in his release.
Leclerc was not satisfied with how the race ended, saying “the end of the race was disappointing, but that’s what happened” and Verstappen said “We were the fastest and we deserved to win. Of course, it’s a pity we didn’t. finish the race, but it was a good day for us.”
The Dutchman entered the Italian race 109 points ahead of his Mexican teammates Sergio Pérez and Lokla and extended it to 116 points in front of the Ferrari driver alone in second place, 9 points behind Pérez, as a result of the latter. sixth place.
And with a fifth straight win on Sunday in the Ferrari stronghold, Verstappen has a shot at the title at round 17 in Singapore or the next round in Japan, meaning he’ll be crowned five or four races away from the season. .
Verstappen’s well-deserved victory came after he finished seventh on pole as a result of a fine for changing the power unit in his car.
The Great Race for Science, Hamilton and a promising De Vries
Like Verstappen, Ferrari co-driver Carlos Sainz finished fourth after starting 18th as a result of a powertrain change penalty, as did seven-time Mercedes world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton who started from 19th to last. But he finished the race fifth.
In his first entry in first class racing since replacing Thai Alexander Albon with an appendicitis, Dutch Formula 2 and Formula E champion Nick de Vries scored two points for the Williams team in ninth place after starting eighth.
Leclerc was first on the starting straight and kept the lead at the start despite Russell’s attempts, while Verstappen moved up from seventh to third after one lap (out of 53), then broke into second and passed the Mercedes driver on lap five.
The world champion dedicated himself to the battle to catch up with Leclerc and fulfill his dream of a first win on the ancient Italian circuit, while Ferrari’s second driver, Sinus, advanced 7 positions to ninth after eight laps after starting from eighteenth. in connection with the fine imposed on him for replacing the power unit in his car.
The Spaniard continued his outstanding performance and was fifth after 10 laps, while teammate Leclerc was in the lead just a second and a half ahead of Verstappen before the virtual safety car was activated due to the Aston Martin car. former German world champion Sebastian Vettel, who stopped near the track due to engine failure.
New mistake in Ferrari strategy
Leclerc took advantage of having a virtual safety car to change his car’s tires on lap 13 in a new chapter of errors in the Italian team’s strategy, coming out third behind Verstappen and Russell respectively and ahead of the Australian. McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo, who quickly found Flying Science behind him, giving way to a Ferrari driver who started the race with a soft tire.
Despite reaching lap 21 on the same tyres, Verstappen extended the gap between him and Leclerc to over 14 seconds.
Entering the garage on lap 24 to change the tires to harsh ones, Russell opened the door to Leclerc and placed second behind his colleague Sainz, while the Mercedes driver was fourth, coinciding with the beginning of Verstappen’s suffering, losing half a minute. lap two in favor of Leclerc, which led to him starting on lap 26 and changing to medium-soft tires to come just behind the Ferrari driver.
Lap 31 saw the first stop of Sinus using a soft tire in search of a podium spot, coinciding with Verstappen closing in on Leclerc lap after lap after another, causing the Italian team to stop their driver on lap 34 to replace his tires. soft type to be about 20 seconds behind the world champion.
Although faster than the Red Bull driver on his soft tyres, Leclerc was not fast enough to get close to the Dutchman, causing the latter to fly off to victory without any worries before shuffling the cards on lap 48 after entering to the safety car. to Riccardo’s stop at the edge of the ring.
The Safety Car entry forced everyone into the garage to change the tires to soft type, but it all didn’t work out due to a delay in getting the car off the track, resulting in the final five laps being worked out behind the Safety Car.
