Italy: The hits and misses of the editorial team

The Top 3

Charles Leclerc: A Brilliant Victory at Home

What a weekend for the Monegasque! After leading the charge at Ferrari from the practice sessions and securing a beautiful pole position, Charles Leclerc showed us the extent of his talent and mental strength throughout the race. Enduring pressure from Mercedes for many laps, the former Sauber driver managed to resist, more or less aggressively, the various German attacks, aided by the power of his engine on the straightaways. Relying on a good Ferrari strategy, having been equipped with hard tires during his single pit stop, the Monegasque ignited the red stands of the Monza circuit, which had been waiting for this since 2010 and the last victory of the Scuderia with Alonso.

The double Top 5 of Renault

Unexpected performance for the French brand. With stunning 4th and 5th places, the haul of points is a lifesaver for the team with the diamond emblem. After a good start and having momentarily overtaken Vettel’s Ferrari, both Renault drivers managed to shield themselves from any competition and handled the race away from the front runners. Directly benefiting from Sebastian Vettel’s blunder, it’s clear that the French cars exceeded their team’s expectations, to the great satisfaction of Cyril Abitboul. The leap in the standings is striking with 22 valuable points.

#ItalianGP 🏁#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/93oqBFQ6Tv

— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) September 8, 2019

FIA decisions

Without judging the legitimacy of the decision regarding Charles Leclerc and his aggressive defense, it is still worth noting that penalizing the Monegasque would have clearly removed any suspense from the race. By allowing the drivers to fight, it is clear that this allowed us to witness a great show and its beautiful finale.

To also be congratulated, the ancillary decisions at the head of the race. Indeed, the penalties imposed on Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll, and Alexander Albon are fair and did not go against the flow of the race dynamics.

One may wonder if the decision not to penalize Leclerc in comparison to Hamilton would have truly changed the outcome of the Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the consideration and restraint regarding penalties are a good path to follow for the spectacle on the track.

The Flop 3

Sebastian Vettel took the water

After a weekend start below his teammate in terms of performance, the German continued to struggle after yet another on-track mistake. Spinning out and penalized for rejoining the race dangerously, Sebastian Vettel found himself at the bottom of the standings without being able to get back into the points zone during the race. Often criticized for his small mistakes with significant consequences, the former Red Bull driver is clearly putting himself in a difficult position for the rest of the season, assuming the role of the team’s number 2, beyond the challenging mental situation.

New disaster at Haas

New failure for the American team. Beyond Grosjean’s poor start, the two cars could do nothing in the race. No pace for both teammates and a late race retirement for Magnussen. The result is no brighter for the Franco-Swiss driver who finishes 16th. The difficulties seem to be getting worse and worse at Haas, and nothing seems able to stop this bad patch.

The McLaren Blunder

After the brutal stop in Sainz’s performance at Spa, the McLaren team can now only blame itself. After mishandling the young Spaniard’s pit stop, the British firm misses out on a fine 6th place and the 8 points that come with it. Renault is now hot on the heels of the English team for the 4th position in the constructors’ standings.