Italian Grand Prix – Race prospects

Will Verstappen drive the point home?

He is the big winner of this weekend’s format! Qualified 3rd before the sprint qualifying, Max Verstappen will start on pole position tomorrow at the Italian Grand Prix. The Dutchman finished second in this mini-race behind Valtteri Bottas but the penalties for the Finnish driver will give him a free rein when he was not expecting it.

With Hamilton only starting 5th, Verstappen and Red Bull can make a big impact on a track where Red Bull is not used to performing, the last Red Bull victory dating back to 2013 before the hybrid era!

Having already taken back 2 points from Hamilton this weekend, will the Red Bull driver be able to significantly increase his lead? The possibility is very real!

Ricciardo / Norris: podium target… or more?

After a very gloomy weekend on the Zandvoort side, McLaren is back in top form at the Monza circuit! Just narrowly missing out on Verstappen’s third place in Friday’s qualifying session, Ricciardo and Norris confirmed their good form by taking third and fourth place behind the untouchable Bottas and Verstappen.

Better, they allow themselves the luxury of getting ahead of the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on the starting grid after having kept him behind them in the sprint qualifying. Taking into account Bottas’ penalty, Daniel Ricciardo will even start from the front row for the first time since leaving Red Bull!

Can the Australian find his way back to the podium after a difficult first few months with his new team McLaren? In any case, the orange single-seaters are on the lookout for any misstep from the favorites to climb to the top of the leaderboard and regain the success that has eluded them since… 2012 and Jenson Button’s victory in Brazil!

Will Bottas and Gasly manage to climb back up?

The Finnish driver dominated the beginning of this weekend! He set the fastest time in qualifying ahead of his teammate, who won the sprint race… Bottas did the job this weekend. Unfortunately, the future Alfa Romeo driver will start from the back of the grid after having to install a fourth engine in his car.

With his hellish pace and the relief of knowing his future secured, will Bottas manage to make a hell of a comeback and further restore his tarnished reputation after his years at Mercedes?

The question also arises for last year’s winner, Pierre Gasly. Brilliant in 6th place in the qualifying session, his sprint qualifying came to an end when the Frenchman was caught off guard by a brake from Ricciardo, causing him to lose his front wing and end up in the gravel trap.

However, the Normand loves this track and will once again be eager to prove his talent, as he still hasn’t digested his non-promotion at Red Bull.

Will Giovinazzi save his seat at home?

The Italian driver is on the hot seat at Alfa Romeo. With Räikkönen retiring, the team has already found his replacement for the number 1 position in the person of Valtteri Bottas. As for the number 2 seat, the current driver is in competition with the Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, Ferrari’s proteges Ilott and Shwartzman, as well as the Frenchman Theo Pourchaire.

But for a few Grand Prix races, Giovinazzi seems to have woken up, especially in qualifying where he has made it to Q3 twice in a row. The hardest part remains to be done: converting in the race. The cards are in his hands, as he has the advantage over others of knowing the team, racing this season, and also being Italian, which Alfa Romeo is sensitive to.

Will Kubica finish higher than at Zandvoort?

The Polish driver replaces Kimi Räikkönen once again, who is still not recovered from Covid-19. Returning to the place of his first podium in 2006 with this team (at that time BMW Sauber), Kubica wants to perform well for what could be one of his last appearances behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.

Last week, he finished his Grand Prix in 15th place on a track he didn’t know. On a circuit that is less physically demanding and of which he knows every detail by heart, it will be interesting to see if the former Williams driver will be able to perform better!

In which position will Leclerc’s and Sainz’s Ferraris finish?

How not to end up with Ferrari on the lands of the tifosis? A little further back than the McLarens, the Reds are still quite well positioned at the front and can hope to grab a top 5 in case of failure in front of them. Unless the drivers excel to place their single-seater on an unexpected podium. The secret dream of their supporters!