Italy – Race: Opportunistic Lewis Hamilton with the tifosi
In a race that was expected to favor Ferrari, it was ultimately Lewis Hamilton who triumphed at Monza. He took advantage of Sebastian Vettel's mistake in the first lap and managed his tires better than Kimi Raikkonnen. Valtteri Bottas finished in third place, having played his role as a teammate well during the race.
While the weekend was disrupted by rain, it did not make an appearance during the entire race, even though we were far from having bright sunshine. On the grid, the big question was whether Kimi Räikkönen would stay ahead of Sebastian Vettel or if championship logic would prevail.
But the answer came as early as the second chicane: if the first turn went smoothly among the leading drivers, Lewis Hamilton was very aggressive at the second chicane, coming alongside Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari. The German spun and found himself in last place! Fortunately for the championship runner-up, the safety car appeared to clear the Toro Rosso hit on the straight by Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber. This allowed him to pit for a new front wing and tires.
At the restart, Lewis Hamilton made quick work of Kimi Räikkönen at the end of the straight to take the lead of the race. But the Finn was able to retake the lead at the second chicane with an authoritative maneuver. Once in the lead, Iceman focused on keeping Lewis Hamilton just outside the DRS zone.
On lap 21, Kimi Räikkönen dove into the pit lane to switch to soft tires. While it was expected that Lewis Hamilton would follow suit the next lap, Mercedes kept him on track since the Briton’s pace was still very good. For several laps, he was in a position to overtake the Ferrari but, ultimately, the strategy did not work. When he finally made his own pit stop on lap 29, he came out at a fair distance from the red car.
On the other hand, Mercedes clearly showed their hand by sacrificing Valtteri Bottas’s race, instructing him to keep Kimi Räikkönen behind him for as long as possible. This strategy worked perfectly as Lewis Hamilton came back out four seconds behind and had no trouble closing the gap in the following laps, thus positioning himself within the DRS zone.
Back on track, the Finnish driver then attacked to catch up with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Earlier in the race, the Dutchman had cut the first chicane to defend. During a new assault from the Mercedes driver, the Red Bull moved aside, to the point of hitting Bottas who was tucked in at the edge of the track. This resulted in a five-second penalty for Max Verstappen, costing him his place on the podium.
Far from these troubles, Lewis Hamilton managed to remain patient before making his move at the end of the straight. Struggling with his tires, Kimi Räikkönen couldn’t resist the championship leader, much to the despair of the thousands of Monza tifosi.
In the final laps, Max Verstappen did not want to step aside for Valtteri Bottas, which allowed Sebastian Vettel to catch up and ultimately finish in 4th position. Therefore, while he limits the damage, he leaves Italy with an increased championship deficit, now reaching 30 points.
Behind the leading teams, Romain Grosjean had an anonymous race but finished in a fine 6th position, matching his place on the grid. He was ahead of his compatriot Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez. Lance Stroll managed to secure his second points finish of the season with a 10th place, behind the Renault of Carlos Sainz.
