Max Verstappen wins ahead of Charles Leclerc
Dhe Formula 1 as a listening experience: On Sunday in Monza it began with a dignified silence. During the line-up for the Italian Grand Prix, the huge convoy and thousands of spectators commemorated the late Queen Elizabeth II. About 90 minutes later, most of the estimated 100,000 spectators cheered Charles Leclerc, if only out of defiance.
The Monegasque, second in the national model Ferrari, finished ahead of George Russell (Mercedes), but had to go back Max Verstappen give up. The Dutchman won for the fifth time in a row, eleventh time this season.
Whistles and boos
His lead in the drivers’ standings grew to 116 points over Leclerc. At the end of September at the next race in Singapore he can become world champion for the second time after the sovereign tour on Sunday in Lombardy. There was also audible commentary from the stands on this performance: whistles and boos. Losing is an art.
The Ferraristi went much too fast at the beginning of the afternoon: Verstappen needed five laps to circle with tremendous momentum where he was on Saturday after qualifying: in second place behind the pole winner Leclerc. In no time at all, the Dutchman compensated for his relegation to seventh place on the grid.
Like eight other colleagues, he had accepted this disadvantage in order to be able to install a new drive. If the contingent of three per season is exhausted, there will be starting place penalties. No problem for Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes, who sped off penultimate and finished fifth. Carlos Sainz made it from 18th to fourth in the second Ferrari.
Vettel rolls out early
But the world champion didn’t have it that far. And the few fans along the Autodromo in the Royal Park who didn’t wave their flag for Ferrari saw a race of the fastest candidates coming up after a few fixed tours by the Red Bull chief driver: racing cars behind racing cars at full throttle on the home straight down to the first chicane, where at 330 km/h whoever can brake last without losing the ideal line wins.
Beautiful views. Had it not been for Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin. Poor Hessian. First things didn’t go well in practice and qualifying (17th), then the company car rolled out on the open track. Closing time at lunchtime. Not a worthy farewell for the four-time world champion from the temple of speed in Formula 1, where he was the youngest driver at the time to win his first Grand Prix in the Toro Rosso. Tempi passati.
Ferrari’s move
Formula 1 didn’t look long to the right at the shoulder, but at their strategists: Who would go to the pit lane in the phase of the virtual safety car until the car was recovered? Leclerc. An interesting move Ferraris. Scuderia strategists knew it would be difficult to keep Verstappen behind their strongest driver. Once the champion was over, the race would be over. So Ferrari wanted to delay the decision.
With Leclerc in a car that produces more tire wear than the Red Bull. Especially since Ferrari did without downforce in order to be able to win pole position. The top speed on the straights paid for the reds with less grip in the corners, which increases tire wear.
That’s why Verstappen was so sure he could catch up and overtake Leclerc. His opponent’s idea: to regain the lead after the world champion’s only pit stop and consider a second service, although in Monza a stop is the quickest way to the finish. So it was.
Verstappen changed on the 26th lap, got the medium compound instead of the soft tires. One act at top speed: 2.4 seconds. Quickly back on the track, the old and probably new world champion found himself ten seconds behind the first Ferrari. And accelerated.
As brave as desperate
In six laps he reduced the gap to five seconds. Ferrari had meanwhile decided all cases on the radio with Leclerc, came to variant C via calculation A and B: second pit stop with a change to the fastest tires. That happened about 20 laps before the end of the race.
Leclerc shot back onto the track twenty seconds behind Verstappen. He should have caught up a second per tour. Impossible. Whatever the Scuderia tried, the result alone testified to the brave and desperate attempt to slow down Red Bull on Italian soil. “We didn’t know,” said Leclerc, “what we should do.”
In such cases only luck or competition can help. With six laps to go, Daniel Ricciardo parked his McLaren on the hard shoulder. The safety car quickly deployed. The leading group with Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell and Sainz had fresh tires fitted, lined up close together for the flying restart. The pulse rose, the tension grew.
Ferrari’s hope was awakened: Leclerc has the faster car on the straights, he could suck, overtake, refine the celebration of Ferrari’s 75th anniversary. But Formula 1 is – too slow. Within five laps it is not possible to get the McLaren out of the danger zone, one gear is stuck. And so the field rolls behind the safety car to the finish. The fans whistle. “The ending was frustrating. I would have liked to have driven another race, ”says Leclerc with a bitter expression.
Mick Schumacher smiled. Twelfth, no points for that in the drivers’ championship, but for fighting for a contract next year. The Haas driver raced forward from 17th place, skilfully pushed past his competitors and left his teammate Kevin Magnussen (16th) behind again. That happened in the slipstream of the great race, almost in silence.
