The 16th round of the 2022 F1 season took place at Monza on the outskirts of Milan. We outline the race in our report F1 Review Italy 2022.

The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is synonymous with the Italian Grand Prix. It is the lifeblood of Italian motorsport and the venue celebrated its 100th anniversary on 10 September. Anyone who has visited the circuit can immediately understand why it is regarded by motorsport fans as hallowed ground.

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It is located in a large nature park and spectators have to walk a fair distance through trees and brush to reach the grandstand. The circuit used to run with some banked corners until 1961. A huge accident occurred in the 1961 Grand Prix, which killed Wolfgang von Trips and 15 spectators. It is in disrepair, but still in regular use for motoring photo shoots, adding to the venue’s mystique.

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Under Scrutiny

The penalty system implemented by the FIA is receiving much criticism from fans. No fewer than nine drivers were penalised! The governing body took five hours to decide the grid positions following the qualifying session on Saturday. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) took pole position, to the delight of the Tifosi, but the following four drivers took engine penalties. Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) were penalised five grid positions. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) had to start at the back of the grid. As a result, George Russell (Mercedes), who qualified sixth, found himself on the outside of the front row.

Click here to read five facts about Monza.

A Dominant Car

Verstappen was blindingly fast throughout the weekend and the Dutchman put the pace of his machine to good use. The current title holder blasted to his 11th win of the 2022 season and the 31st of his career. He also finished on the podium at Monza for the first time in his F1 career. Teammate Perez had a more subdued race, although he got a fright when a front brake disc caught fire early on. The Mexican struggled to finish sixth.

Disappointment at Home

Ferrari celebrated its 75th anniversary and ran special colours at Monza. The Ferrari yellow dashed the engine cover of the machines, while both drivers sported yellow overalls and helmets. Leclerc led for the first ten laps before his pit stop, after which he tried valiantly to regain lost ground. The Monegasque expressed his frustration at finishing second, but he received the greatest cheer from his adoring fans anyway. Sainz, arguably, produced his finest drive to date, despite being classified fourth. The Spaniard put in a feisty performance from the back of the grid, which included two no-nonsense passes on Perez.

Sainz said: “A good race! I felt comfortable right from the start, overtaking cars nearly every lap and climbing to P4 very early on. I’m happy with the performance and the comeback, but looking at our pace I was hoping to be on the podium in front of all the tifosi. Thanks to everyone for such great support today. We will continue to push until the end of the year!”

Constant Improvement

Mercedes, again, scored double points in 2022. George Russell produced a fine drive to finish on the podium for the seventh time. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton showed there is still fire in his belly, as he carved his way to the front of the field. He produced a brilliant opportunistic pass on the exit of turn 1, scything past Norris and Gasly on the brakes. The Englishman finished a strong fifth.

Impressive Rookie

Nyck de Vries (William-Mercedes) made his debut at Monza, after lead driver Alexander Albon was diagnosed with appendicitis. The Dutchman impressed the paddock, qualifying 12th (starting 8th) and running strongly to finish ninth. He trounced teammate Nicolas Latifi, which leads to the question as to whether he will replace the Canadian in 2023. De Vries deservedly won the “Driver of the Day” accolade.

Other drivers deserving mention include Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes, seventh), Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri, eighth) and Zhou Ganjou (Alfa Romeo, tenth).

Applying the Rules

Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren-Mercedes) produced a rare strong performance in 2022 until it fell apart on Lap 48 of 53. The “Honey Badger”, last year’s winner, ground to a halt between Lesmo 1 and Lesmo 2, bringing out the safety car. His machine could not be moved timeously and the race finished behind the safety car. The partisan Italian crowd were not impressed with the way the race finished, hoping there could be at least a single lap shootout.

Commanding Leads

Verstappen (335 points; Leclerc 219 points) has a stranglehold on the 2022 F1 world championship. The championship will decided in his favour at the next race if he wins and Leclerc finishes lower than third. Perez (210 points) lies third in the standings, with Russell (203 points) snapping at his heels. Sainz is currently fifth in the standings, with 187 points.

Red Bull Racing (545 points) dominates the constructors’ standings ahead of Ferrari (406 points). The Italian marque is comfortably ahead of Mercedes (371 points). The battle for “best of the rest” still rages between Alpine (125 points) and McLaren (107 points).

The 17th round of the 2022 F1 world championship takes place at Singapore, from 30 September to 2 October. It is a demanding street circuit where there isn’t much overtaking to be had. Qualifying will be important here.