Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool
So, I did not have fun watching the Italian GP. I don’t know what was in the air in Monza, but there was too much going on whilst simultaneously being an incredibly boring race. It didn’t help that none of my drivers were having a good weekend, and even my Monza-exclusive Ferrari fan membership didn’t do me right.
1 | Winner – Luke Browning
My first winner is from the only race worth my time this weekend- the F2 Feature Race. I often say that F2 races can be more entertaining than F1, and Monza was no exception. We had 6 retirements, numerous safety cars, and a first Feature Race win for Luke Browning, from his first F2 pole position as well.
The Cheshire-born racer (yes, he is my favourite because I grew up about 20 minutes away from him) shot up to P2 in the Driver’s Championship standings. Still 21 points behind Fornaroli, but with three rounds left of the season, if Browning keeps this momentum going he could be in with a real chance at the title.
2 | Loser – McLaren. Just all of them.
Not my circus, not my monkeys. But what is going on in the house of McLaren?? I feel like I’m cracking open my window to listen to the neighbours argument everytime I open X and see the Lando and Oscar fans fighting as if the McLaren pitwall can hear them. I’m not confident the McLaren pitwall can even hear their own drivers.
Lando’s pit stop was diabolical, to put it simply. The second-hand embarrassment I got from watching his on board and seeing one of the crew not even realise the tyre isn’t on … yikes. This could be controversial, but I actually think it was reasonable to tell Oscar to let Lando pass after that. It was completely a team mistake, and allowing Lando to lose a position from something out of his control (and within the team’s control) would kind of be giving Oscar an advantage in the Championship fight- and we all know that McLaren are insistent on keeping it as equal as possible. But how far can that really go? One of the drivers has to win, they can’t keep helping each other on the team’s request. I don’t think they can even use the excuse of the Constructor’s Championship- they’re leading it by over 330 points, it’s not exactly a close battle where they need maximum points from both cars.
At the same time, this is racing. Sometimes a pit stop is bad. Whilst my bitter Lando-liking self does feel that all the luck seems to go Oscar’s way, as I said before, they can’t keep helping each other on team orders whenever something disadvantages one of them. But also as I said before, not my circus and not my monkeys. I like Lando, mostly because my family are big Lando fans, but my feelings towards the team as a whole are generally limited to confusion and annoyance. Having a dominant car is only ok if it’s my team who win every weekend!!
3 | Winner – Max Verstappen
Quite literally, Max Verstappen is the winner of the Italian GP. Pole position on Saturday, win with a 20 second gap to P2 on Sunday. That’s how it’s done.
The ‘Red Bull tractor’ gimmick isn’t going to work anymore with a victory like that, in Monza of all places! I haven’t always been Verstappen’s biggest fan, but that was nicely done- controlled, no mistakes, no messing about. Simply lovely, even. It’s a shame he couldn’t do it last week in front of his home crowd, but the Tifosi were screaming ‘du du tu tu Max Verstappen’ so loudly during the podium ceremony that if he closed his eyes, it probably felt like Zandvoort anyway.
4 | Loser – Mercedes
Yes I’m still mad about Qualifying. George Russell goes fastest in Q1 on medium tyres, asks the team THREE times to do his final Q3 run on medium tyres, then gets sent out on softs and doesn’t improve from P6. Was it not worth trying?? Clearly George had pace on the mediums, the worst that could have happened was that he didn’t improve on his soft tyre lap time which is what happened anyway. He finished the race in P5, and to be fair, with the pace of the W16 I agree with him that fifth was probably the maximum of the car this weekend but a better qualifying could have maybe pushed them up to fourth. Russell said to the media after the race: “I was reasonably pleased – I don’t think we could have done anything more.”
Kimi Antonelli qualified P7, lost a number of positions in the race start, gained them back, got a 5-second time penalty for exceeding track limits, and came home in P6. Not the best weekend ever, but better than his DNF at his other home race.
5 | Winner – Isack Hadjar
Oh Isack Hadjar, you are my rookie of the year!!! And also my birthday twin, so I have to like him on account of having the best birthday ever (28th September, gifts are welcome. I accept all forms of motorsport tickets.)
Going into the Italian GP on a high after his first F1 podium in Zandvoort, the Racing Bulls driver went from a pit lane start to a points finish. Although, sadly, the toughest stat in Formula 1 ended in Monza when Hadjar was knocked out in Q1 for the first time in his career. It was good while it lasted. I mean, that is a seriously impressive stat for a rookie- and Isack is a seriously impressive driver. Please don’t demote him to Red Bull next year please please please. He deserves more than the second seat curse.
But pit lane to points is always a good one to watch, and Petit-Prost is now P9 in the Driver’s Standings. Go Isack!!!!
Honourable mentions
Ferrari, Aston Martin, Williams, Sauber – No home race podium, mid-race retirement, I don’t have the time or energy to process whatever trials and tribulations Williams put Carlos Sainz through this week, and a DNS for Nico Hulkenberg.
Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto – honourable mentions to P7 and P8! A good number of points to contribute to the midfield battle despite whatever else was going on in their teams.
I’d say let’s keep these good vibes going in Baku, but the good vibes have been few and far between for me. Let’s get some good vibes started in Baku!
formula evie 
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