What Happened to Ferrari during Their Time in Monza?
The Italian Grand Prix has come and gone, and with a fantastic race by our three podium winners. Max Verstappen with Red Bull Racing finally got another first-place win, adding another record to his name by setting the all-time fastest Formula 1 race time at Monza. Lando Norris can in P2 with McLaren, and behind him, his teammate, and potential Driver’s Championship winner, Oscar Piastri, in P3. This was a great race for McLaren, which is in the lead of the Constructors’ Championship with 617 points, as well as for Red Bull, which sits in fourth with 239 points. What about Ferrari, though? What are our boys in red, well, blue for the moment, saying about their places at Monza?
Charles Leclerc, despite a mighty fight with Piastri, ended up sailing past the checkered flag in fourth place. As the race began, Leclec held fast, launching his Ferrari from the line. He did overtake Piastri for a moment, only to lose the spot a moment after. After a great Saturday practice to launch the mood of the weekend, Leclerc and Ferrari could not match McLaren and Red Bull’s pacing. They were “too strong,” Leclerc said. The Prince of Monaco admitted that there was not much he could do to gain P4, but overall, the weekend went well. With 12 more points for Ferrari and for himself, blue certainly suited him for the weekend.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton made it to sixth place, moving four places from his original P10 placement. Hamilton finally earned his seat back in the points, gaining eight. His practice session was fantastic as he secured P5 for Qualifying. Unfortunately, he was moved down five places, forced to start at P10 due to a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow down under a yellow flag during the Dutch Grand Prix. He launched perfectly at lights out and took P7 early on. Hamilton passed Kick Sauber’s rookie driver, Gabriel Bortoleto, for P6, where he was stuck for the rest of the race. He did attempt to close the gap between himself and his old Mercedes teammate, George Russell. This race was fantastic for Ferrari, despite not earning any podium spots. As a Ferrari fan, here is hoping the boys in red will fight their way back up to not just earning more points, but for a good Ferrari one-two. Make sure to watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 21st.
