F1 Review: Italy 2020 (and F1 ramblings)

The eighth race of the 2020 Formula One season is covered by our correspondent in Europe Nick van der Meulen in his report F1 Review Italy 2020.

As ever, the Italian Grand Prix was run at Monza (the only time it was not hosted at the legendary circuit was in 1980). It is the lifeblood of Italian motorsport and anyone who has visited the venue can immediately sense that this is a special place – hallowed ground. It is steeped in history, hosting races since 1923, and every legend in motorsport history has set foot here. The banked part of the circuit, discontinued after the huge accident in 1961 which killed Wolfgang von Trips and 15 spectators, is still there, adding to the mystique of the venue.

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A popular winner

The 2020 Italian Grand Prix was one full of mayhem, along with some questionable decisions from the stewards. Despite it all, it delivered a new, and well deserved, winner. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri-Honda) had a solid start to his race, pitted just before the first safety car of the race was deployed and found himself in third place when the race was stopped due to Charles Leclerc’s (Ferrari) accident. He made a strong restart and soon found himself in the lead when Lewis Hamilton had to pit to serve a penalty.

Despite Carlos Sainz’s (McLaren-Renault) charge to the front in the latter stages of the race, the Frenchman managed to hold off the Spaniard to take an emphatic maiden victory – the 109^th victor in Formula 1. It is the first time that the French national anthem was played for the winner since Olivier Panis’s victory at Monaco in 1996. Gasly has been on a rollercoaster of emotions over the last 18 months after a torrid time at Red Bull Racing, being “demoted” to Toro Rosso, being burgled twice, but taking a maiden podium in Brazil last season. He has been praised for his performances this season and has rewarded Franz Tozt with victory at Monza. One wonders what Mr. Horner must be thinking…

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Resurgent McLaren

McLaren had their strongest weekend of the season thus far, with Sainz qualifying third. Both Sainz and Lando Norris made strong starts, running second and third in the early stages. Sainz made short work of Raikkonen at the restart and charged around the outside of the Finn to take second place and set off after race leader Gasly. Despite his best efforts, he could not snatch victory from the Frenchman, taking the chequered flag in his slipstream. Norris finished a strong fourth.

Mercedes pace

As it has been in 2020, Mercedes dominated qualifying, with reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton shattering the circuit record to grab pole position from Valtteri Bottas. This, after the “party mode” setting (where a team could adjust the engine power) was banned by the FIA after a complaint was lodged by Red Bull Racing.

The Englishman was gunning for his 90^th victory, but this was thwarted with a poor team decision to pit him while the pit lane was closed when the first safety car of the race was deployed. It resulted in a heavy penalty and Hamilton carved his way from the tail of the field to finish seventh. Bottas, on the other hand, ran into trouble as the lights turned off to start the race, as the Finn made a poor start and was hustled down to sixth position. He struggled to maintain a competitive pace, complaining to the team about his engine settings. He continued to struggle after the restart and finished fifth.

Forgettable Ferrari 

Ferrari’s misery in 2020 continued at Monza after the disaster at Spa the previous week. Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel qualified 13^th and 17^th, the first time a Ferrari did not qualify in the top 10 at Monza since 1984! Vettel had an explosive start to his race, as his left rear brake disintegrated, catching fire and leading to retirement. Leclerc’s race lasted until lap 25, when he had a huge accident at the exit of the Parabolica under acceleration onto the main straight. The rear end stepped out and while Charles counter steered, the car snapped in the other direction and the Monegasque was a passenger as the Ferrari careened to the tyre wall. Thankfully, Leclerc stepped from the car unscathed but the race was soon red-flagged to repair the barrier.

Walking bulls

Red Bull Racing, too, had a race they would rather forget. Alexander Albon ran off the track in Turn 1, soon after the start, as he tried to pass Gasly around the outside and made contact. After dropping to 15^th position, he was penalised five seconds after he crowded Romain Grosjean (Haas-Ferrari) to the side of the track under braking into Turn 1. His misery continued, as he failed to make progress through the field and finished 15^th. Max Verstappen had a relatively anonymous race, by his standards, and retired from the race on lap 31 with technical gremlins.

Also rans

Kevin Magnussen’s race lasted to just before half distance, when the Dane retired, pulling off the circuit just before pit lane and bringing out the safety car, as a result. Hamilton was the only driver of the leading group to pit immediately. Pit lane was still closed, both Hamilton and Giovinazzi missed the warning lights. Stroll did not stop. Both Hamilton and Giovinazzi were slapped with a 10-second stop/go penalty: the worst punishment that can be dished out short of being disqualified. This was a particularly controversial decision, as there was no light at the entry to the pits (the light was situated at the exit of Turn 11 – Parabolica).

Punching hard

Special mentions for the weekend: Lance Stroll (Racing Point-Mercedes) drove strongly to finish a fine third, trouncing teammate Sergio Perez (who finished tenth). It was announced that Renault is to be rebranded Alpine Racing next season and the team’s drivers delivered solid performances to claim points for sixth (Daniel Ricciardo) and eighth (Esteban Ocon) position, respectively. Williams Racing bid an emotional farewell to Claire and Frank Williams, after their shares were sold to Dorilton Capital recently, ending a 43-year presence on the F1 grid. On the Formula 2 front, Mick Schumacher took his maiden victory in the feature race.

Penalties

The stewards did their fair share of being actively involved with the Grand Prix, with Perez, Verstappen, Gasly, Albon, Norris, Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) and Hamilton all being investigated at some stage in the race. How this is received by fans and drivers is another topic of discussion…

The next round of the 2020 Formula 1 season will be Ferrari’s 1000^th in the sport. It will occur at Mugello, a first in Formula 1, and is touted to be a weekend of celebration. Judging by their performances as of late, the celebration will be muted at best.