Five Formula 1 Winners & Losers: Italian Grand Prix

Photo by Claudia Greco from Reuters

Once again, if you simply ignore Max Verstappen, this season of Formula 1 has been amazing!

Monza was no different whatsoever.

Here are the winners and losers from the Italian Grand Prix.

Losers

5. Yuki Tsunoda

You spend all morning of race day getting focused and prepared for an intense race, and it ends before it even begins with an engine failure on the formation lap.

That stinks.

4. Logan Sargeant

Sargeant’s time at Williams was always planned to be a long term project and they didn’t expect instant success.

But this was a perfect chance for Sargeant to get the first points of his career, and it ended with him getting a 5 second time penalty trying too hard to stay in the top 10, dropping him down to 13th.

This all while his teammate is getting consistent points.

His seat is not in danger. Williams have made that clear.

But the race craft has to start improving soon.

3. Haas

Another year, another Haas car that starts the season looking good before it inevitably gets worse as the year goes on where they aren’t getting any points at all.

How much longer are we going to keep doing this with Haas?

Something has to change.

2. Alpine

Just one week after an awesome podium for the team, Gasly and Ocon had a horrible weekend. Neither of them even close to getting points and both getting knocked out in Q1 during qualifying.

Looks like Holland was just a flash in the pan.

1. Lance Stroll

It’s time to really start wondering about Lance Stroll’s future in Formula 1.

I know he is the son of the team owner, but these performances aren’t even close to good enough.

Not only that, but I wonder if he even still has that love of Formula 1 anymore.

Because he is a talented driver. Nobody can dispute that. And this Aston Martin can get points.

But he’s not even close.

I wonder if his heart isn’t in it anymore.

Winners

5. Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson got his run in Formula 1 unexpectedly, after Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand before the Dutch Grand Prix, and in the two races he has been a part of he has finished 11th both times.

It’s not points, but it’s a very solid performance considering the pace of the Alpha Tauri.

4. Sergio Perez

Some really good race craft from Perez today to bring home a Red Bull 1-2 finish, which is exactly what they need from him.

Just be quick enough to get a good chunk of points for the team.

3. Alexander Albon

This dude just keeps raking in points for Williams.

It shows not only their progress as a team, but his excellence as a driver after a few down years being the Red Bull number 2 driver.

2. Carlos Sainz

You can not ignore the fight Carlos Sainz had this weekend.

Not only was he excellent in holding off a clearly faster Max Verstappen, he had to hold off his charging teammate at the end of the race to secure a podium.

He kept it clean, and he kept it fair.

Most of all, he kept his podium.

1. Max Verstappen

There have been many historic talents in Formula 1.

Fangio, Schumacher, Hamilton, Vettel.

All four of those drivers are the only ones in the history of the sport who have won 4 straight championships.

Not a single one of them ever won 10 straight races.

Verstappen now stands alone at the top with 10 straight race wins, as he gets closer to securing his 3rd straight championship.

I’ve got a feeling that next year, he’ll join that list of champions above as well.