Over the past few years, it is fair to say that Monza has treated us well. With Ricciardo’s triumphant victory last year (my first blog for Grid Girls was actually on the success of both Ricciardo and Piastri at Monza last year, which has aged… interestingly, to say the least); Gasly’s surprise win in 2020, and Charles showing his true form, winning in front of the red sea of the Ferrari Tifosi in 2019. If this year’s race is even half as exciting as any of these examples, Monza is not a race weekend to miss!
Already shaking up the order is the slightly ridiculous amount of grid drop penalties being applied this weekend. Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda are the drivers confirmed to be taking grid penalties for the race, with more drivers suspected to be falling back in the order. With Max, Lewis, Carlos, and Sergio all losing places (no matter how they perform in qualifying), does that leave the door open for Charles Leclerc to claim another Italian victory and perhaps soften the blow for both him and the Tifosi from the recent run of Ferrari disasters?
Things are looking good for Ferrari so far, with Charles Leclerc topping the timing sheets in FP1, with Carlos Sainz less than a thousandth behind his teammate. However, Monza is known as the temple of speed – characterised by its extremely high speeds and fast turns like the famous parabolica. Will Ferrari be quick enough to run away with the lead? Even if Verstappen is starting a few places back on the grid, I would never bet against him making his way through the pack to fight for the lead like he did in Belgium. Or will one of the midfield runners benefit from all the grid drops and manage to snag a place on the podium? After all, Monza is renowned for giving us somewhat unexpected races.
Some might say the title dream is all but over for Leclerc. However, if he can prove that on a smooth weekend he belongs on that top spot, he might just keep himself, and the entire Ferrari fan base, holding onto just a little bit of hope.
It’s all to play for at Monza, the final race of the European triple header! I have no doubt this race will deliver, and probably not in the way we expect.
Looking forward to lights out, especially to see the newest addition to Williams, as Alex Albon recovers and Nyck de Vries takes the wheel for his first ever F1 Grand Prix...
Edited by Maddie Parker
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