Italy: The Prospects for the Race
After the qualifiers and Lewis Hamilton's record lap, several questions arise before the race. Let's take a few moments to discuss the hot topics of the upcoming Grand Prix and review the possible strategies.
Untouchable Mercedes?
It was the big question of the qualifications: could the competition catch up to Mercedes if the famous party mode, a special engine mapping reserved for a few laps in Q3, was banned? The answer was resounding as Lewis Hamilton simply achieved the fastest lap in history, averaging over 264 km/h. The teasing Brit even said after his performance: “Who says we were using it in Belgium?” In any case, the gaps are abyssal, with Carlos Sainz relegated to eight-tenths and only five drivers within the same second as the Mercedes.
The dominance of Mercedes seems, at present, impossible to even threaten. The big question is what strategy will be adopted within the now-black Arrows? In Spa, Valtteri Bottas was forbidden from threatening his teammate. Will it be the same at Monza, where the long straights offer the possibility of slipstreaming?
Can Carlos Sainz hold on and finish on the podium?
Already third on the grid during the Styrian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz proves once again the strong performance of the McLaren-Renault package on a high-speed circuit. However, the gaps with the competition are very small, as Max Verstappen, in fifth, is only a tenth behind. Having not been on the podium since Baku 2018, Sergio Perez will be eager to seize the opportunity to make the most of his Mercedes engine at the “temple of speed.”
The battle between Red Bull, Racing Point, and McLaren promises to be intense during the race, while Daniel Ricciardo aims to replicate his impressive fourth place from Spa last week. The Milan heat could also play a disruptive role in the teams’ tire strategies.
How far will the Scuderia fall?
13th and 17th on the grid, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel simply marked the worst qualifying in Ferrari’s history on its home turf at Monza. Eliminated in Q1, Sebastian Vettel was reduced to playing the role of a luxury spectator trackside while Charles Leclerc admitted over the radio that he had extracted the maximum from the car at his disposal.
The men of the Scuderia are relieved that the thousands of tifosi are not allowed inside the Monza park as relations might have been more than tense. In these circumstances, what will the celebrations for Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix be like next week at Mugello?
