Five Formula 1 Winners & Losers: Italian Grand Prix
Photo by Marco Bertorello from AFP
The fastest Grand Prix of all time had some dramatic moments in the opening laps, some dramatic moments at the end, and absolutely nothing in the middle.
Here are the winners & losers from the Italian Grand Prix.
Losers
5. Lance Stroll
After a great race last weekend, Stroll had an absolutely miserable one this weekend, missing out in Q1 and finishing 18th in the race.
Just not good enough.
4. Fernando Alonso
Really bad luck for Fernando, who was having a very good race.
That is, until he hit a curb too hard, and his suspension failed and he was forced to retire from the race.
Par for the course this year for Aston Martin.
3. Nico Hulkenberg
First, he was outqualified handily by his teammate.
Even still, he was supposed to start the race 12th, and Sauber has the straight line speed to get some points.
But he never had the chance, as he had what we believe to be a hydraulic failure which forced him to retire from the race before it even began.
Brutal.
2. Yuki Tsunoda
We know, and have known for years, that the second Red Bull seat is flat out cursed.
No driver has been able to succeed in it since Daniel Ricciardo, and it’s been very weird.
But at some point, it changes from “The seat is cursed” to “the driver in it isn’t good enough.”
I like Yuki a lot, but this was a terrible race considering his teammate won the race by about 20 seconds.
I don’t expect him to be on Max’s level. I don’t think anybody does.
But it has to be better than this.
For all the flack Valtteri Bottas got, he at least held his own in certain races against Lewis Hamilton.
1. McLaren
First, Lando Norris inexplicably wanted McLaren to pit Oscar Piastri first and potentially get an undercut.
Then, McLaren had a horrible pit stop with put Norris behind his teammate Oscar Piastri.
THEN, they made Piastri give the position back to Lando even though Piastri had nothing to do with it.
Piastri did so, but this opens up a whole can of worms going forward.
What happens if later in the season, Piastri, who is leading the championship, has a slow pit stop that puts him behind Lando Norris? Will McLaren tell Lando to let him by? Will Lando listen?
It’s ridiculous race management from a team that is under absolutely no threat to lose the constructors championship, but is acting like they’re neck and neck with another team.
The slow pit stop was unfortunate for Lando, but it was also always possible considering Norris wanted Piastri to pit first.
Let them battle.
(And credit to Piastri for obeying the order, but the true cutthroat champions would have never done that).
Winners
5. Lando Norris
His request to pit Piastri first was really, really stupid.
Despite that, Norris was still faster all weekend and deserved to finish 2nd and chip away at Piastri’s championship lead.
One step at a time.
4. Lewis Hamilton
Due to a 5 place grid penalty, Hamilton had to start the race in 10th.
But he had a classic Hamilton race with lots of fun overtakes and worked his way into 6th.
I’m sure Lewis and Ferrari want a lot better, but this is a season where you take any win you can get.
3. Max Verstappen
Verstappen was dominant all weekend, and it was great to see the absolute best driver in the sport back in victory lane.
Hopefully, Red Bull gives him a car in 2026 to compete for a championship.
Not too good of a car, though.
Or else it’ll be the 2023 snooze fest all over again.
2. Gabriel Bortoleto
Qualified well. Raced well. Got solid points.
Bortoleto is having quite a nice rookie season, and I’m excited to see what Audi has next year.
His talent shows that if he gets the right equipment, he can get some great results.
1. Isack Hadjar
One week after his first ever podium, a poor qualifying had Hadjar start his race in the pit lane.
Despite that, he still climbed his way through the DRS train and was able to finish 10th.
He’s very, very good, and I hope he goes nowhere near the second Red Bull seat.
