Italy GP Race Report

The first abomination in the Italian race was the new build-up feature "Gigs on the Grid", which Sky were clearly as obliged to broadcast as the national anthem.  Let's hope this was a trial and the feedback reflects the enjoyment no one derived from it.

The grid had had a glow-up since Qualifying.  Alonso and Lawson would be starting from the pits, having changed power units and Albon and Antonelli had done the same but would start at the back of the grid.  Piastri had received a three place penalty for impeding during his trauma-filled Qualifying.

Gasly made an amazing start but behind him the Ferraris were pushing hard.  They lost out to Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton were too close to each other.  It was too much too soon and the Brit was forced into the gravel. The McLarens pushed forwards.  Before the end of the first lap Russell was close behind Gasly and pushing to get past, he did it the next time they went down the home straight.  Leclerc snuck through behind him but Gasly was able to gather some electrical energy to get second back.  Antonelli had already made it up to 13th in an ominous sign.  All the drivers were running close and easily able to overtake each other.  At the end of the that second lap, Leclerc went off at speed sideways and incredibly heavily into the tyre wall.  With Hamilton in eighth, it was an awful start for Ferrari.   The Safety Car quickly became a Red Flag as the tyre barrier needed a lot of work to fix it.  Where was Mater to tow the car away?

It would have been nice of Liberty Media to put up the restart line-up on screen, as the glare of the hot Italian sun meant it was hard to see the liveries.  It would have helped Tsunoda too as he went into the wrong spot.

This time Russell's start was excellent and Gasly was still behind.  Colapinto was somehow third, I'm not sure how that happened although Verstappen was close as well.  The Alpine was out to impress Briatore and went for the overtake him and then go over the gravel but managed to get himself back on track.    Antonelli was in eighth.  We wondered how long all these frantic overtakes would last before things settled down into a procession like all the races at the start of the year when everyone was adjusting to the new regulation cars.  

By the tenth lap, a fifth of the way through, Gasly was dropping back quickly.  The top ten were Russell with Verstappen close behind, Hamilton, Piastri, Antonelli, Gasly, Norris, Linblad, Tsunoda and Bearman.  The other Red Bull was Lawson in eleventh.  It still seemed that there were any number of drivers who could win the thing.  For example, no sooner was this noted than the podium changed to Verstappen, Russell, Piastri.

The next phase of the race would see a Mercedes one-two in front with Antonelli being told to race clean but on the main straight he got past for the lead and the crowds roared gently.  Verstappen was waiting in the background to see what would happen.  There was no shot of Toto Wolff gripping his monitor with white knuckles.

With Alonso pitting to retire earlier, Aston Martin radioed Stroll to tell him to pull over as he would need to retire due to a hydraulics issue.  Of course he Strolled it up by pulling off the track but not right off to make it easy for everyone.  Virtual Safety Car conditions were brought on.  Antonelli and Verstappen pitted but not Russell.

Just as it looked like Russell had finally lined everything up in order to win a race, it was announced that he was being investigated for failing to lift under a Yellow Flag.  There would be no further action though, so perhaps?  The next obstacle was that Antonelli caught him up with five laps to go.  It was scrappy, Russell locked up into a corner; he was saved when Antonelli went wide and into the gravel.  It gave the older man a lap or so reprieve.  Antonelli took the lead of lap 50 of 53.  He was able to pull away with fresher tyres.  

Now our attention was on whether Norris would get past Piastri for fourth place.  Verstappen seemed safe in third.  It finished thus.  The competition was on, up and down the pack, throughout the race and at last the new regulations seem to be paying off for the spectator.

The second and final abomination was David Coulthard quoting LL Cool J during the post-race interviews.  Not sure why Russell was booed as he went on to the podium, Antonelli shook his hand to try and mitigate it.  Antonelli got a trophy of stacking cups, he'll enjoy playing with those.  There won't be long for the twenty-year old to celebrate as we are racing at a brand new track next weekend in Madrid.  In my mind, he isn't old enough to drink.  I'm sure some good, wholesome fun will happen in Italy before the circus moves to Spain.

Italy GP Qualifying Report

What could be more interesting at the Monza race than whether the Italians were supporting Ferrari or world championship leader (and Italian) Antonelli?  I suspect they will support whoever wins.  The media were devoting a lot of time and discussion to this.  I was more interested to see Lightning McQueen on track (as Mr Pitstop Princess keeps saying, it should have been Francesco Bernoulli IYKYK).

Not everyone did well in the first Qualifying session.  Alonso was out of his car before the time was up, shaking his head in frustration.  Piastri went wide off the corner on his final push lap.  Tsunoda's car was only just ready in time but he couldn't put a lap together.  The drivers out were Tsunoda, Albon (who has a grid penalty anyway), Bottas, Perez (we've stopped hearing that Cadillac are shopping for a replacement for the Finn), Alonso and Stroll.  After finding some form at recent races, Aston Martin seem to have lost it all.  Gasly was the fastest!

Piastri kept being in the wrong place at the wrong time in the second session: he nearly held up Lawson, he was investigated for a pit lane infringement.  There was too much traffic on the track.  Antonelli took his rightful (?) place as the fastest driver despite giving a tow to his team mate.  Out went Bortoleto, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Lawson (the victim of traffic), Sainz and Ocon.  Hamilton scraped through in tenth.

By the time the cars came out for the final Qualifying session, it looked like no one had learnt anything from earlier on.  There was traffic and argy-bargy in the pit lane.  The set of timed laps were set and nothing unusual happened, then the drivers went again.  Piastri went off across a corner again and lost his lap time and meant he wasn't able to give Norris the slip stream.  In the dying seconds, as it looked like Russell was going to take a predestined pole, Gasly put in the fastest lap.  He couldn't believe it as the team went wild in the garage.   Russell said it was "a bit messy" and unhappy with the team's strategy.  Behind them was Piastri (unbelievably), Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Antonelli, Colapinto, Norrs and Linblad.  A really good show for Alpine and a shame that Briatore will get the credit for it; still in a weekend where everyone is celebrating Schumacher perhaps he should share a little of the limelight.

Having won the race at Monza before, this was still Gasly's first pole position ever which doesn't seem right.  We had the regular F1 farce of a native carrying out the interviews and everyone had to speak English.  Gasly asked to give his second comment in Italian, "prego" was the answer and he spoke well; perhaps this is his pitch for a Ferrari seat or perhaps he just wants to get away from the track alive.  Russell gave this a big round of applause.

Italy GP Race Report

It was still hot and sunny in Monza on race day.  Verstappen's pole had earnt him an hour in the glow of the public but all attention was now back on the Ferrari drivers.  Hadjar and Gasly would be starting from the pit lane after changing their power units; I miss them being called engines.  Alonso and Stroll would both be investigated after the race for pit lane practice start infringements.

Apparently, the shade of red on the Ferrari for this race was different as it was commemorating Lauda's championship win.  I would not have known had I been told.  From the helicopter shots, it looked like the old pink Force Indias.

A couple of drivers were promoted on the grid as Hulkenberg was called to bring in his Sauber to the pits to retire.  Off the start, Verstappen got away well as did Norris but of course the McLaren driver put it on to the grass and slowed himself right down.  Verstappen cut the corner.  Norris maintained that Verstappen pushed him off.  LeClerc was in everyone's slipstream and Piastri managed to stay out of trouble.  In third and fourth place the two drivers battled.

Bortoleto and Tsunoda also went off the track.  To avoid the stewards intervening at the front, Verstappen moved over for his friend.  Third and fourth positions went back and forth.  On lap four, Verstappen took Norris for the lead again into that first corner, having DRS down the starting straight.  Norris couldn't fight too hard as he was fighting for the championship.

On lap six, Piastri overtook LeClerc for third and was able to go after Norris.  Further down the running order, by lap twelve Ocon had been awarded two penalties for forcing other drivers off the track.  Drivers were going off the track left, right and centre.  Sainz went the wrong way around the bollards and Norris went over the harsh curb and into the gravel.

Half way through, the Williams were asked to swap places.  A bad race for Sainz.  And for his fellow Spaniard, Alonso broke his own suspension on the car going over the curb.  It seemed like drivers were going to push how long they could stay out on their initial set of tyres.  Verstappen's were blistering and could potentially be dangerous.

Things went from bad to worse for Sainz as Bearman tagged him into a corner.  It looked dicey for a second as both drivers were stopped across the track but got going just in time to pull off.  The Haas was given a time penalty.

Meanwhile, Norris chose to have the second stop but the front left gun wasn't working by the time he came in so McLaren handed second place to his main championship competitor.  Piastri was asked to give the place back.

On the last lap, Antonelli was given a time penalty for driving erratically which must be the vaguest to be given yet.  This wasn't enough to give Sainz 10th place though.  In the end it was a clear win for Verstappen, with Norris taking second and the fastest lap and Piastri in third.  Behind them was LeClerc, Russell, Hamilton, Albon, Bortoleto, Antonelli and Hadjar.  It was a good recovery drive for the Racing Bull and disappointing for Red Bull for Tsunoda to finish outside the points in 13th.  There was no podium for Ferrari, as the cars drove side-by-side back to parc ferme.  LeClerc put in a big speech in Italian over the radio, which he must have known Hamilton couldn't match.

It was hard to tell if the Tifosi were booing the McLaren drivers on the podium.  Nobody seemed to mind much Verstappen returning to form.  If he can break things up between the McLarens, it gives Norris more of a chance and makes the weekends more interesting.

Italy GP Qualifying Report

We were in for a Qualifying full of drivers running wide and bringing gravel onto the track and traffic.  Antonelli had already got beached in the gravel during Free Practice.  The first driver to do this in Qualiyfing was Albon in his Williams, closely followed by Verstappen and there were only ten minutes to go.  The track was getting quicker and quicker as the minutes ticked down on the hot circuit.

From hero to zero, Hadjar went from the podium last weekend to being knocked out by Albon this event.  Russell was quickest, setting his time uniquely on Medium tyres.  Piastri was far back in 10th.  After Hadjar was Stroll (team mate in 6th), Colapinto, Gasly and Lawson.

Immediately in the second session, Albon was back in the gravel, then locked a tyre on his next attempt.  Norris was in the bottom five and had to drive a clean lap with no traffic, which he did and went 5th,  Out went Bearman, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Albon and Ocon.  Verstappen was fastest, then Antonelli and Piastri; it looked like pole could be anybody's.  However, Ferrari usually turn the wick up and throw everything at pole at Monza and they had Hamilton with a grid penalty to sacrifice on track to give LeClerc a tow.

In the final session, Russell was miffed because he wanted the Medium tyres again but had Softs put on his car.  All the pressure was on LeClerc though to perform for the fans, for once, no one was worried too much about the McLarens.  The Ferrari driver was one of the first to cross the line and stayed in second, until other drivers went quicker.  Norris got a tow to go quicker than Piastri but Verstappen was quickest again and set a new lap record for the circuit.  No one was watching the Red Bull.  Behind him officially were Norris, Piastri, LeClerc, Hamilton (who will start 10th), Russell, Antonelli, Bortoleto, Alonso and Tsunoda.

We have to wait and see if there will be a pile up into the first corner and whether Piastri's race will be damaged by his qualifying position.

Italy GP Race Report

There was no big news after Qualifying apart from Hamilton saying that he is really struggling with Qualifying this year and cannot put the lap together.

Zak Brown promised that there were no team orders for the drivers for the race.  It was hot and there were a lot of unknowns: how long the tyres would last, would everyone make it safely through the first chicane, would it rain?

It was a clean start and everyone made it around the chicane, however Russell locked up and hit the gravel coming out of it and had to go down the escape route.  It was neck and neck, Piastri took the lead from Norris, with both Ferraris having come through, LeClerc then took Norris as well in the melee.  Hamilton had overtaken his team mate and Verstappen had gotten up to 6th, claiming that Hamilton had pushed him off.  We suspect that the McLaren drivers were told to hold places in whichever positions they came out of the first corner, so Norris was not expecting Piastri to make a move?

Further back, Ricciardo had run into Hulkenberg, who had to go for a long pit stop but not before bumping into Tsunoda.  Ricciardo was given a 10 second penalty, which the team didn't carry out properly, so he got another penalty, with an instinctive touch to the car from a mechanic.

There were some early stops made, including a hasty and messy pit lane entry for Norris, coming out a lowly 9th from 3rd.  LeClerc and Hamilton came in on the next lap to respond.  Piastri was able to pit and come out in front of LeClerc and Norris.  Verstappen was late but was served an unusual extra long stop by Red Bull.

There was a lot of talk on McLaren radio about "Papaya Rules", which everyone was uncertain about.  It turned out that it meant they were allowed to race each other, fairly.  It was fairly argy-bargy up and down the order.  The Haas were all over the shop.  Russell had a run in with Perez.  Norris left the track as LeClerc chased him down and then made an early (and slow) pit stop.  Mercedes also gave Russell a slow stop; as Crofty said, "Sticky nuts here today."

With twelve laps to go, Norris had to overtake Verstappen for 4th and it made for good viewing.  The Ferraris were in the lead and possibly going for the one-stop.  Williams were in 10th and 12th, a good showing for the rookie.

With 8 laps to go Piastri took Sainz for second, as the Ferrari tyres started to wear out.  Then Norris overtook him.  The Tifosi roared LeClerc on, as Piastri couldn't decrease the gap.  How could they Ferrari it up?  He had been on radio and told the team to stay quiet in a Raikkoneneque message.

With a lap to go, Stroll pitted, he wouldn't get the point for the fastest lap from 19th and last.  Williams came home a respectable 10th and 13th.  Norris took fastest lap on the last lap for a bonus point.  Beyond the top 4 of the Ferraris and McLarens, Hamilton took 5th, Verstappen 6th, Russell 7th, Perez 8th, Magnussen 10th with a penalty to take and Albon scored a point too.  With Stroll 8 places behind Alonso, you must wonder how much longer this situation is tenable at Aston Martin.

LeClerc gushed in Italian over the radio.  The two races he would have most wanted to win this year, he has.  Good for him for choosing to answer some of the pre-podium interview in Italian, Roberg did a hasty translation.  It's a shame they were wearing a black and grey chequered suit for the home win.

McLaren are now only 8 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors Championship, and the gap between Norris and Verstappen has decreased.  McLaren have now said they will need to consider bringing in team orders to help Norris secure the Drivers Championship.  I think we have to look forward to Piastri being a very boring dominant champion - duller even than Vettel or Mansell.

Magnussen had a penalty and was then given some points on his licence, which means he will miss the next race.

Italy GP Qualifying Report

Another week, another driver announcement.  Eighteen year old Kimi Antonelli sat next to Toto to hear him sing his praises as he takes the Mercedes seat for 2025.  He looked like a tiny little boy.  The wee man drove the car during FP1 and gifted Wolff an expensive crash.  Also making his F1 debut in Free Practice was Franco Colapinto, who was replacing Sargeant (at last) in Williams.  Monza is a strong track for the team, so the pressure was immediately on.  Vowles said that there was nothing more Williams could do to help Sargeant with his driving career, so it will be interesting to see why they have gone for a rookie instead of Mick Schumacher,

In the first Qualifying session, there were a few offs, Sainz had a moment towards the start.  Colapinto had the second biggest run in with the gravel.  Magnussen however bought out the yellow flags with his, which was right at the end and damaged other people's laps too.  This may have been because his car had broken down.  Out went Tsunoda, Stroll, Colapinto (no surprise, Vowles only wants him ahead of the Saubers and Haas) and then both Saubers.

Alonso was happy with 11th in Q2, he was ahead of Ricciardo, Magnussen, Gasly and Ocon.

McLaren weren't sure how strong they would be at this track but Norris took pole, with Piastri behind him.  Russell put in a quick lap to take 3rd place, then both Ferraris at their home track (LeClerc ahead of Sainz), Hamilton, Verstappen, Perez and finally Albon in the Williams beat Hulkenberg in the Haas.

It looks like it could be a great race as Ferrari will turn up the wick, Mercedes have something to offer and Verstappen will push for a podium, if not a win.  (Perez will fall backwards).

Italy GP Race Report

A thrilling race seemed to be promised: a Ferrari on pole, with his team mate  behind him, Verstappen looking for his 10th win in a row, everyone (apart from Red Bull) was saying how quick the Williams are in a straight line and will be difficult to overtake.  There have been several names in the running for the second Red Bull seat: the current holder Perez, longest Alpha Tauri driver Tsunoda, new Alpha Tauri driver Lawson, reserve driver Ricciardo but Albon, who is only on loan to Williams has been overlooked.

The first casualty at the cathedral of speed was Tsunoda, who didn't even make it around the formation lap.  I think the engineers can no longer compute hot weather having been to only cold and wet tracks for a while.  LeClerc also found that his car was tricky to handle.

When the race did start, Sainz made a good start and was able to stay ahead of Verstappen for the lead of the first 15 laps.  Albon suffered with a typical Williams poor start and fell back to 9th; Piastri gained three places.  

By Lap 4, Verstappen radioed his team as he had spotted Sainz beginning to slide on his tyres and was told to be sensible.  The race was full of overtakes and battles.  There were a few 5 second penalties; Russell, Hamilton and Piastri.  At the end, Noah brought the animals in two by two: two bulls, two prancing horses, two silver...foxes?  Verstappen got his record-breaking 10 wins in a row.  The Ferraris battled to the very end with no team orders, with Sainz getting the podium.

Monza usually brings out the best of the racers with shorter, tighter laps and always worth watching.

Italy GP Qualifying Report

Not much news at Monza, the Mercedes drivers have signed new contracts, LeClerc hasn't.  The sun was shining down on the Tifosi.  Alfa Romeo were trying to poach some fans by running an Italian flag livery, they weren't fooling anyone as the team is Swiss.  Perez had to change his engine due to an oil leak but it was part of his allocation so he wouldn't be receiving a grid penalty.

In the first Qualifying session, we found out that drivers were finding it tricky to stay within the track limits on Turn 3, with lap times being deleted.  Ocon had a big trip across the gravel and damaged his floor.  It was another awful day for Alpine with both drivers out, Magnussen was out-qualified yet again by his team mate and Zhou.  Brilliantly, Albon finished 2nd and Sargeant 6th for Williams.  Obviously Verstappen set the fastest lap.  With the alternative tyre allocation in place this weekend, everyone ran the hard tyres.  It looked like LeClerc and Sainz went too slowly on the track and were under investigation by the stewards.  The stewards might find a horses head in their hotel rooms.

By the second session, the drivers had found the track limits.  It was a straight forward session, with the Alpha Tauris taking 11th and 12th, Tsunoda and Lawson, then Hulkenberg, Bottas and Sargeant (his team mate Albon managed 5th).

Half way through the final session, the Ferraris were in the lead, the Williams of Albon was still running well and Verstappen had a made a big mistake, going off the track, so was in 3rd.  I think his Red Bull could be on fire and he would still be in the top 3.  LeClerc held pole until Verstappen took it, then Sainz swooped in and took it and held it.  Russell took 4th ahead of team mate Hamilton in 8th.  Perez was 5th, then Albon.  Piastri was in 7th, ahead of his team mate Norris in 9th.  The promise of Aston Martin last week has disappeared as Alonso finished 10th.  As the drivers parked up, the stewards announced that there would be no further action for the Ferraris about their speed transgression.

The Ferrari drivers had to ask the crowd not to boo Verstappen.  We go into the race hoping that Sainz can hold Max up and perhaps a Ferrari can win at Monza but not holding our breath.

Italy GP Race Report

The race started with a bananas grid, McLaren scored the second row and Williams were 8th and 10th.  It's always tempting to get your hopes up at races like this.  It was LeClerc's to lose though, with Verstappen starting in 7th and both rear gunners at the back of the pack with Lewis Hamilton.  Would Russell, starting 2nd, break his duck?  Norris went nowhere off the grid and caused the pack to have to move to avoid him.  It made a messy start, with LeClerc hearing the crowd roar as he kept his lead, Russell going off the track to secure the Ferrari in place and Ricciardo taking a confident 3rd.  Gasly was up to 4th, showing his dance card for the silly season recruiters.  Two laps in though Verstappen was in 3rd and on to the podium.  De Vries held his 8th place, with Williams team mate Latifi sinking to 14th.  By 5 laps in, Verstappen had overtaken Russell for 2nd.  Sainz was making excellent progress through the field to save his team mate from the Dutchman's clutches, whilst Perez just couldn't overtake the "slower" cars.  Hamilton had some incident at the start and couldn't get past 18th for a long time.  Perez was pitted and given a catherine wheel, which smoked it's way around the track.

Ricciardo held up the pack well and was in position to pick up a podium place if anyone Ferraried up at the front.  De Vries found himself in no position to overtake anyone in front of him, just needing to hold up everyone behind him.

Former Ferrari driver, Vettel, in his last Italian race, lost power and pulled off to the side of the track, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car.  Ferrari brought in LeClerc for a "free" stop and came out in 3rd ahead of Ricciardo.  The mechanics swarmed around the car like panicky wasps, in their celebratory yellow and black uniform.

The next round of pit stops shook things up more, with some teams winning and some losing.  Ricciardo and Gasly were battling on track, then Alpha Tauri did a poor stop and gave McLaren the place.

Alonso came in and was retired.  Was it the curse of the World Champion?  Or the curse of the former Ferrari drivers?

LeClerc continued to manage Ferrari's strategy from his cockpit as radio transmission was all about Plan B, Plan C and Plan D.  He's a busy man: lead driver, chief strategist, PR.

Stroll was retired in his Aston Martin.  Monza was putting drivers and their vehicles under pressure.  With 6 laps to go, Ricciardo's engine failed and last year's race winner was out and the Safety Car made an appearance.  His victory last year was a highlight of the season, this year his retirement saw a sour end to the race under the Safety Car.  Where the FIA trying to prove that they can handle these technically-tricky situations?  But only in Verstappen's favour.  The crowd, rightly, booed.  De Vries finished 9th and brought home some points for Williams.  I wonder whether the money this brings Williams will be more than Latifi brings in as a pay driver?  He also made Driver of the Day.

Ferrari told LeClerc he had raced well and managed the tyres well in a dejected tone.  I think they are starting to get scared about what LeClerc will say and do to the media and back behind closed doors.

Italy GP Qualifying Report

It was another Qualifying where the result of the session would not reflect the grid.  A Qualifying without purpose.

Off the track, Albon had appendicitis and was off for surgery leaving reserve rookie, Nyck De Vries to race in his place.  He started one tenth of a second off Latifi's pace, seemingly putting the nail in the coffin of the Canadian's career.  For no apparent reason, the Ferrari drivers had been dressed in yellow, like expensive bananas.  However, following on from the Dutch GP, the elegant and civilized Tfosi were breath of fresh air, if only because of the lack of flares.

In the first session, both Aston Martins failed to make the grade (great choice there, Fernando).  The Haas just couldn't catch a break, as they crossed track limits lap after lap.  Latifi's car just drove off the track and through a chicane despite his immense driving skills and he was out with his rookie team mate De Vries through.

Unfortunately, De Vries couldn't keep his Williams on the track all the way round on his final quick lap and was out in 13th but will move forward with other drivers taking penalties.  Ricciardo managed to get his car through to the final session though!

LeClerc took the pole from Verstappen to the delight of the crowd.  The commentary team frantically tried to work out who would start where, following penalties.  They still didn't know at the end of the broadcast.

Italy GP Race Report

With Hamilton writing off his chances of besting Verstappen before the race, the worry was that this could be a dull race, with Verstappen taking the lead and maintaining it.  My predictions were Verstappen for the win, with Hamilton and Norris on the podium.  I thought that Norris would be the surprise winner.  Little did I know...

Before the race began, Gasly came back to the pits, then his team mate Tsunoda.  Tsunoda stayed in and never started.  Gasly started and then came back in to retire.  Sad times for Minardi at the their home track.

The start was thrilling, Hamilton went up to 3rd (but did he take a short cut?) and then back to 4th, Ricciardo went up to 1st with a storming start and Giovannizzi spun but kept going without his front wing.

Verstappen found it very hard to get close to Ricciardo, with the 1 second-ish gap getting a tiny bit more and less each time trap.  Hamilton couldn't get close enough to Norris either.  Overtaking is possible as Bottas showed coming up through the field and Latifi overtook Ocon - for a point!   (Lost in the end.)  Talking of Bottas, he was undertaking his new job induction at the back of the field after his grid penalty for taking a new engine.

Finally, the pit stops came.  Red Bull played the dummy and Ricciardo came in to pit from the lead.  The Aussie had to put in a stellar out lap as his former nemesis, Verstappen did not have the tires to fight back.  He pitted the next lap and it was an 11.1 second shocker.  Whilst all this was happening, Hamilton snuck by Norris.  A few laps later and Hamilton pitted to change his hard tires, much earlier than expected.  What was the point of taking the deficit at the start if you had no intention of running long?  Ricciardo kept his lead with Hamilton rejoining the track close to Verstappen and then it got too close, with the pair taking each other out.  Verstappen's tire grazed Hamilton's helmet and the Dutchman did briefly look into the Mercedes cockpit to check his adversary was alright.  This continues the curse of the sprint, as the old proverb says "first you sprint, never shall you call it a race, for then you shall shunt".  The Tfosi went wild.  This brought out the safety car which gave the Ferraris and Bottas a free pit stop and both Williams were in points finishing places. At this point, Verstappen  held the fastest lap...more later.  Verstappen did get points, unlike Hamilton at this meet because of the sprint.  So it has effected the championship.

At the restart, Ricciardo handled it well and kept his lead, LeClerc immediately lost second place to Norris then falling into Bottas' clutches.  The battle continued, which kept the McLarens safe at the front.  The advice to Ricciardo from his engineer was: "We think the best thing is to be as quick as we can until the end of the race."

With 12 laps to go team orders were issued in McLaren to hold position.  Perez and Bottas continued to battle, trading third and the final podium spot.  Mazepin then scored a 5 second penalty for...something..then his engine conked out and he pulled off to the side of the road.  This brought out another safety car.  Ultimately Bottas couldn't get past Perez but did got third place due to 5 second penalty for the Red Bull driver for gaining an advantage.  It was smiled all round when the McLarens crossed the line in first and second.  

Just to confirm that Driver of the Day, Ricciardo, could have got the win without team orders keeping Norris behind him, he also scored Fastest Lap.  "For anyone who thought I'd left, I never left.  I just moved to the side for a while." - Ricciardo

He didn't disappoint the broadcasters, finishing the podium celebrations with his trademark shoey.  What Formula 1 really needs and what the new 2022 rules aim to bring about is more teams in contention for winning races and this race brought a new contender into the fore.  A joyful day for McLaren and a much-needed day for F1 fans.

Italy GP Qualifying and Sprint Report

Qualifying was fairly interesting this race.  Both Williams were out in the first session...or were they?  This is a track where the stewards watch track limits carefully.  Russell was happy with P16 as he felt they had a good car for the race, however Tsunoda had his time deleted so suddenly Russell was able to claim P15.

The slow laps came in to try and be the last driver across the line as the session came to a close.  Not quite the disaster of previous meets here though.  The world champions Vettel and Alonso both came in ahead of their team mates, two by two.  Perez could only manage 10th, with Verstappen in 4th.  Does a track that favours the Mercedes help keep the championship in the balance?

It seems a shame that this is only qualifying for the sprint.  With Bottas on pole (although with a grid penalty to come), McLaren showing strong and Gasly starting well in his Italian car, it could be a good race.  The Tfosi will be hoping that Ferrari will do well in the sprint.

However, Saturday dawned and Sainz crashed in the morning and LeClerc fell ill.  The Ferrari resurgence would have to wait.  On to the sprint...

The first corner was all action...the McLarens made an awesome start, up to 3 and 4, Gasly maintained his position but clipped his wing on one of the McLarens, it ended up under his tires and sent him off the track spectacularly.  Hamilton got bogged down off the start and lost four places.  Tsunoda and Kubica (standing in for Co-viddy Kimi) came together, with Tsunoda coming in to the pits to get a new front wing for his Alpha Tauri.  Kubica, wise old man that he is, managed to get out of the gravel trap and back into the race.  Other bad starts came from George Russell, who went to the back of the grid.

Giovinnazi did an excellent job of keeping Perez in his Red Bull behind him, as one of the few drivers unsigned for next year, it's a good advertisement.

Nobody ended up at the back of the grid (other than Gasly) who wouldn't have been there otherwise.  The McLarens did very well out of the sprint format, finishing 3rd and 4th, choosing the soft tires to their advantage.   Ricciardo finished in front of his team mate, which was much needed and will hopefully give him the confidence boost he needs to push.  Bottas (the squirrel killer) triumphed to keep his first place and get some points.  The biggest loser was Hamilton.

And let's mentioned the gangsta rapper over-sized medals.  And the interviews on the back of a truck.

Italy GP - "Yes yes yes"

At the end of Q2, there was a rush of cars.  Just like the olden days.  Raikkonen went from hero to zero during it.  Then Q1 drew to a conclusion and the cars went out in a rush and most of them didn't get round in time to carry out a qualifying lap.  I've never seen anything like it.  Well done LeClerc and Sainz for realising that they needed to get a hurry on.

Vettel gave an interview post-qualifying, which gave the sense that a battle between him and LeClerc is brewing.

On to the race, LeClerc played the start very well, giving an inch and taking a mile.  Vettel spun (on nothing), sending Stroll into a spin when he re-entered the track (poorly), who then sent Gasly off when he re-entered the track (poorly).  This was Lap 7.  By Lap 12 they were sitting out 10 second stop go penalties.  I think they got off very lightly given that the same penalty was given to Raikkonen by starting on the incorrect tyres.

There was a good mid-race battle between Hamilton and LeClerc, the latter was even given a black and white flag for it.  I thought the black and white flag was for the end of the race but Brundle cleared things up, it means: "Your driving is unacceptable".

More drama, was yet to come.  Sainz left the pits without a wheel nut on Lap 28.  LeClerc went wide on Lap 36 but no one was close enough to capitalise on it.  Finally, on Lap 42 Hamilton went through the chicane, giving second place to Bottas.  It made me wonder why Mercedes didn't roll the die with Bottas' seat.

It finished with LeClerc in first place and Vettel in 14th.  We've heard Seb roll out a few Italian phrases over the radio and to the crowd but LeClerc took the biscuit and did the thing we've all been waiting for a driver to do for a long time and speak to the crowd in their own language.  Vettel is leaving Ferrari, mark my words.

In other news, it was good to see a resurgence from Renault and Hamilton give a really good interview discussing what the strong points for Mercedes were technically.

Italy GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 749*
2. PickedInAHurry - 732*
3. BottHaas - 699*
4. The Hope Fulls - 695*
5. Je suis Charlie - 674
6. Jack the Lad - 555
7. The Pitstop Princess - 538*
8. Hippy F1 - 493*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 433
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 373*

* Hometrack played

Italy GP - "For continuing to believe in me, I really do appreciate it"

 Or "Disappointing.  There was nothing I could do"

Everyone was happy to see to see Raikkonen on pole, even if he is an old man.  Or because he is an old man?

Lap 1 saw an "incident" that we hoped would get Hamilton a penalty.  But we did get to watch Vettel "fight" his way through the pack and hear the tfosi roar.  Whilst we wondered how Ferrari would engineer his pass on Raikkonen.
Lap 4 (or 2 if you don't count the laps under the safety car), saw Hamilton overtake Raikkonen and then he got it back.  A heartstopping moment.
After Alonso stopped on lap 10, I'm wondering if we'll ever really see him race a Formula 1 car again.  I see they've chosen a young gun to replace him, who I guess isn't used to do many laps in a race, so will fit right in.
After the first stop, we were willing Raikkonen on, to push, push, push to get the undercut.  Ultimately it didn't work out for him though and Bottas was usefully deployed.  I've not been so invested in a race for a long time.  Lap 45 was a disaster as Raikkonen just couldn't match the lap times of the Mercedes although he was too nice about it and could have made himself a little wider.

Other highlights of the race included a petulant Verstappen holding back Bottas saying: "I know I'm losing to Vettel but I really don't care", the "Kimi for President" banner and Williams getting their first points of the season.

Volunteers for writing up the forthcoming races please!

Italy GP - Result

1. Give it some Gasly! - 791*
2. Two World Champions, Two Future World Champions, and um, Two Other Guys - 755*
3. Evel Marque - 682*
4. Maximum Attack! - 622*
5. Hasstag#FaceBull - 603*
6. No Vices Now - 553*
7. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 551
8. The Hopefulls - 550*
9. The Pitstop Princess - 533*
10. Halo, baby! - 529*
11. Spa Day with a Shooey - 461*
12. Jack Johnson - 408
13. Hippy F1 - 407*
14. Wheels on Fire - 376

*Home track played

1. Two World Champions, two future World Champions and, um, two other guys - 799*
2. No Vices Now - 795*
3. Evel Marque - 741*
4. Torque of the Devil - 740*
5. Bernie is a hobbit - 735*
6. Hoping for an Indian Summer - 730*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 692
8. Moneyball - 686
9. Even more hopeful - 637*
10. Jenson's Whinging Legacy - 591
11. Burn After Racing - 588*
12. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 551*
13. BOT-RAI-PER - 510*
14. Hippy F1 - 446*
15. Slightly Slower Racing - 419

* Home track played

Italy GP - "Pidgeon Italian from the 3rd Placed Driver (and probably a "Nice Job Lewis" or "Get it there" that wasn't broadcast)"

London has many things the rest of us don't get access to, but it seems the SkyF1 channel isn't one of them so I've been asked to guest blog while PSP and her litter were holidaying in the big city.

Sky's coverage took a break from the usual Hamilton-heavy features to carry out the obligatory "We're in Italy so lets jam as many Ferrari pieces in as we can" schedule (everyone in Italy passionately loves Ferrari and thinks about red cars 24/7, don't you know?). It did include one of the best Kimi interviews I've ever seen, as he was surprisingly pleasant and chatty with Brundle... Probably was for the best to steer clear of Hamilton anyway, in case he carried out a rendition of his Princess Di poem.

It's worth mentioning the farce that was qually: Grosjean's crash, due to weather he warned was unsafe to drive in, red-flagged the session, which then didn't restart for nearly 3 hours because of said weather. A litany of farcical grid penalties (9 drivers penalised for offenses such as replacing faulty parts and forgetting to collect Tiger Tokens when fueling up) meant the grid looked nothing like it did at the end of qually and only someone with the brains of an actuary could work it all out.....All this lead to the inevitable Hamilton pole, Vettel starting way back, Lance Stroll on the front row and bad omens for a predictable outcome.

Lance Stroll decided not to go for the win (leaving Hamilton free to fly off onto an insurmountable lead). Meanwhile Max Verstappen decided to ruin his race after only 4 laps by smacking into Massa.... Bloody foolish weans, don't know what they've got till it's gone.

Sauber decided to try and hit each other in an attempt to get on TV (though I'd forgotten what they looked like and had to Google them). They were not shown again and you have to wonder how much worse they would be if the Honda deal had went through (NOTE: PSP and I both drive Hondas and are very happy with them [not a plug to get more Hondas - ed.] [unless they're up for that? - ed.]).

Joylen Palmer did his best to prevent McLaren getting their hands on his Renault engine, diving off the track and peeving Fernando in the process - "5 seconds is a joke", repeatedly bleated Alonso, who presumably felt castration was a more suitable punishment for the minor offence. I suspect the thought of McLaren throwing away Honda money for a small engine improvement has finally brought on his mental breakdown.

Danny Ric shimmied his way up the field, as he always seems to do, despite his car feeling "gooey in traffic". An incredible drive by him again, it's a shame he joined Red Bull as their era ended.

The Ferraris, having ballsed up qualification, decided to use team orders early on to enable Kimi to battle the increasingly impressive Force Indias for 5/6th (instead of the Mercs) and allowing Vettel another bland 3rd.

Williams tried to liven things up for the viewers, with their drivers attempting to take each other out on the last lap. Mercifully it didn't come off for them. 

Oh, and as expected Hamilton bolted off to an unassailable lead and will now win the championship, become the greatest driver of all time and be canonised by the end of the week. Despite all this, the fans at Monza booed him...though they may have just been booing the garish Heineken themed trophy he was given.

Italy GP - "Really good job on that first stint"

Sad (?) news to start the weekend with Massa and Button retiring.  Button may come back in 2018.  I imagine he will be snapped trying to get into his car in a wet suit and then charged with drunk driving.  Will we see the Massa family in hospitality most weekends?  Will he be the new Jean Alesi?
What to write about qualifying?  Dull, dull, dull.
Then on to the race.  A good start with Bottas telling DC where to stick it on the grid.  Then a slow start by the Mercedes, or at least one Mercedes.  Hamilton told the team: "Don't worry about the start, it was my fault."  The words he is looking for is "sorry".
And I have no notes after that.  I spent the race quietly cursing Verstappen and Massa for not getting more points/not starting lower down the grid and working their way up/not getting fastest lap as I thought this was my home track.  It's not.
Finally, the podium. Jordan got to show off the four words of Italian he knows.  Then Vettel had a go with his standard Italian phrases of "grazie" and "grazie mille".  Rosberg went next and interviewed for a seat at Ferrari, which was quite funny until he started singing Seven Nation Army.

Italy GP - Results

1. Weak End of Bernie - 826*
2. The Pitstop Princess - 794
3. Merc-redible Hulk - 775*
4. Halo, it's me - 768*
5. Hippy F1 - 739*
6. Claire has to type this sentence each time as my team name - 712*
7. BogOffBernie - 701* (looks like it's going to happen!)
8. Three dreams, one team - 696*
9. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 694*
10. The Hopefuls - 629*
11. No Vices Now - 586*
12. The Maranello Marvels - 550*
13. Marian's Marvels - 452
14. British Racing Green - 436*
15. Indiana Walker and the Tyres of Doom - 357
16. Put out to Pastor - 255*