Fresh from spraying the champagne with Prince Albert II in the royal box at Monte Carlo having achieved his childhood dream of winning his home grand prix in a Ferrari – his first grand prix victory for almost two years – Charles Leclerc made it clear. He wanted more.
“I’m extremely happy with the job we are doing,” he said. “I hope that this will bring us to many more wins.”But once the elation of Monaco in late May subsided, the next three months offered mostly frustration and fruitlessness. It wasn’t until Spa-Francorchamps that Leclerc was credited with a podium finish – and even that required the race winner to be disqualified first. After the summer shutdown, a third place in Zandvoort was a reason to be cheerful – but being 25 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris’ McLaren was not.
No matter. Monza was next. The most important event of the season for the Scuderia and one for which they would have the benefit of a new front and rear wing, floor, diffuser, engine cover and more.
But after such a wealth of new parts saw Leclerc and team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr take fourth and fifth on the grid at the end of Saturday, Leclerc patience was lower than his wing level.
“It’s frustrating,” he sighed. “Again, I don’t like fighting for these kind of positions.
“We are very close to first place, on the contrary to last weekend, which is a good step forward. However, it’s not enough. So I really hope that tomorrow we can turn the situation around.”
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But Ferrari have often been stronger in races than qualifying this season. And with the miles of fresh new asphalt lining the historic parkland circuit, there were several unknowns heading into Sunday.
Red Bull had slumped to seventh and eighth on the grid respectively for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, both at a loss to understand why grip had deserted them at the end of qualifying. With both McLarens on the front row, the papaya team stood a genuine chance of displacing the champions atop the constructors’ standings – with Norris staring at a rare chance to bite a chunk out of Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’.
But McLaren CEO Zak Brown shut down any idea that Norris would get special treatment that afternoon. “We’ve got two number one drivers,” he said. “They’re free to race.”
McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari took the conventional Monza approach of medium compound tyres for their cars for the start. Red Bull, lacking pace but not cunning, chose the hard tyres.
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When the race began, Norris’s start was, for once, strong enough for him to pull across the circuit and obstruct Piastri from taking the inside line on the run to the first corner. Piastri responded by moving to the outside, forcing George Russell to his left to do the same. Norris turned into the chicane with Piastri alongside him, but Russell had to bail to the run off to avoid whacking into the rear of Piastri’s McLaren.
It took equal effort from both McLaren drivers to avoid a collision, but they successfully made it through the Roggia chicane side-by-side where so many others before them could not. But leaving room for his team mate meant Norris was compromised at the exit, allowing Leclerc to pounce on the run to the Lesmos and snatch second place from the pole winner.
Piastri therefore led from Leclerc, Norris dropping to third. Carlos Sainz Jnr sat fourth, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Verstappen after a close encounter between the pair on the way into the second chicane. Russell sat ahead of Sergio Perez in seventh – albeit minus his right-hand front wing endplate.
The data from practice suggested tyre wear would be a greater concern at the revamped Monza surface than previous years. While the top eight remained within ten seconds of each other to begin with, Hamilton in fifth started to drop away – just slightly – from the four ahead, encouraged to prioritise being gentle to his tyres over everything.
Russell was the first driver from the top four teams to pit, Mercedes eager to fit a new front wing to his car. Norris matched his team mate’s lap times ahead of him, but Leclerc’s started to fade just slightly just after lap ten, allowing Norris to pull up close to the Ferrari. But rather than have Norris attack Leclerc on-track, McLaren brought him in at the end of lap 14 to switch onto hard tyres.
Ferrari immediately responded by pitting Leclerc, but just one lap had been enough for Norris to jump him – much to Leclerc’s confusion.
“What was that?,” he questioned race engineer Bryan Bozzi. “Why did we pit if we were undercut?”
Piastri pitted from the lead at the end of lap 16, with Sainz remaining out on track on his mediums as Leclerc clearly felt he should have also been given the chance to do. Once Sainz came in at the end of lap 19, the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez moved to the front of the field on their hard tyres. They had both experienced graining on their front-left tyres around 12 laps into the race, which caused their respective lap times to start to fall off, a vital detail which engineers communicated to those who had just switched to hards.
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While 38 laps on a set of hard tyres at Monza would have been an easy prospect in years by, it was anything but around the resurfaced track. So when Red Bull eventually brought leader Verstappen in with 31 laps remaining to fit another set of hard tyres – committing to a two stop – it was the first true indication that the traditional one-stop may not be viable for that afternoon.
On lap 30, Norris completely missed his braking point for the Roggia chicane and did not even attempt to make the corner, choosing to take the escape road instead. The unforced error cost him almost two seconds and brought Leclerc into DRS range of him in a role-reversal of the end of their first stint. Again, Norris pitted – this time as the leading car of the two – fitting a second set of hard tyres, rejoining behind Verstappen in sixth.
Ferrari were now second and third behind Piastri, Leclerc ahead of Sainz. While their rivals were two-stopping, both Ferrari drivers had been informed they were on ‘Plan C’ – likely following suit.
“Think about Plan B,” Sainz suggested to the team. With 18 laps remaining, going to the end on their worn hards would be a challenge, but hunting the Ferraris down after an extra stop would be too.
On lap 37, leader Piastri was asked directly by his team “do you think there is any chance we can one-stop?”.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “The front-left is pretty dead.”
A lap later, the Ferrari pit wall made their call. “Plan B,” Sainz was told. “We are trying to go to the end, if you are happy.”
Roughly 10 seconds up the road, Leclerc was given a choice. “So, Charles, Sainz is thinking Plan B and we are considering it,” Bozzi informed him. “What do you think?”
“Yep. Copy that,” came Leclerc’s short and sweet reply.
At the same time, Piastri surrendered the lead to Leclerc by pitting, following his team mate with a second set of hards. When he emerged, he had 15 laps to make up 19 seconds and pass both Ferraris on old tyres to win.
But that would be no easy feat. Norris had quickly caught Verstappen with his fresh tyres but had still not passed him despite four laps within a second of his rival. Eventually Norris cleared the Red Bull at the start of lap 41, but Verstappen had stalled his progress at a crucial time.
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Sainz proved less of a hassle for Piastri as his tyres were now far beyond their best. Although the DRS zone on the pit straight had been extended by 103 metres for this year’s event, Piastri picked the second zone on the run to Ascari to make his move, charging around the outside before the chicane to sweep into second.
But even with Sainz dispatched, the gap to the leading Ferrari was still just over 11 seconds with eight-and-a-half laps remaining. Piastri pushed, taking a second and then 1.4s out of Leclerc’s lead over the next two laps, but then gained only five, seven and eight tenths on the Ferrari over the next three laps – not a pace that would allow him to catch Leclerc before the end.
Out front, Leclerc’s secret weapon was clear air. Being freed from behind the two McLarens had made it much easier for him to manage the wear on his left-front tyre and as the laps ticked down, it was dawning on McLaren that they would run out of time.
Leclerc had requested no unnecessary instructions or information from Bozzi over the final 10 laps, but he was having to contend with other distractions. As he had done over the closing laps in Monaco earlier in the year, Leclerc could not help but drink in the excitement of the fans trackside as they roared him on lap after lap.
“Just like in 2019, the last three, four, five laps it was quite difficult to keep the eyes on the track,” he later admitted. “I was obviously looking a little bit in the grandstand. I could see everybody was standing up and that was really nice to see.”
His thoughts turned to his previous win at Ferrari’s home track. “In 2019, I remember there was my mum also in the grandstand because I didn’t manage to have a paddock pass for her. This year, she actually had a paddock pass, so it’s good.”
Too many times in recent years, Ferrari’s shaky strategy calls had frustrated their drivers, infuriated their fans and delighted their detractors. But at their home race, with little to lose, being bold enough to try what none of their rivals had been willing to do had paid off handsomely.
Leclerc approached the final corner – officially named after one of his predecessors, Alboreto, though still thought of by most as Parabolica – ready to celebrate a win snatched from Ferrari’s old rivals on home ground. It was not the first time Leclerc had delivered the dream result of a Ferrari victory to the tifosi, but winning so unexpectedly and through such a display of skill made this much more rewarding.
“The second one just feels as special,” he said. “Today I did not expect it going to the race.
“To stand up on that podium in front of all the tifosi… it’s an incredible feeling to be racing for Ferrari in Monza, but it’s also very tiring. And to be able to win here is extremely special.”
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Piastri fell just two seconds short of catching Leclerc before the end of the race. Yet again, McLaren appeared to have been in a strong position to win, only for one of their rivals to snatch it from them – first Red Bull, then Mercedes and now Ferrari. He could only lament that extra pit stop ultimately cost him the win.
“In hindsight, clearly stopping once was the right thing to do,” he was forced to admit after the race. “With all the information that we’d gathered through the weekend, it seemed incredibly risky. Obviously it hurts at the moment, but I think in the moment it was the right thing to do.”
Norris had achieved his goal of further chipping away at Verstappen’s championship lead from the weekend, but finishing in third after starting from pole on a weekend where Red Bull had been at their weakest since Monaco was little to be proud of.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” Norris said. “Charles drove a great race, honestly. Hard to know if we could have done what he did today, but they deserved it. So, a shame, but that’s what it is.”
Kevin Magnussen finished ninth on the road but dropped behind Alexander Albon in the final results after a ten-second time penalty for contact with Pierre Gasly. While Magnussen claimed the final point in tenth, it came at a hefty cost. The two penalty points he earned for the Gasly clash meant he became the first F1 driver ever to be hit by a race ban for accruing 12 penalty points in a year.
Curiously, Leclerc had now won the slowest and the fastest grands prix of the season. Stepping onto the iconic Monza podium overlooking the mass of enraptured fans, Leclerc led them in the loudest national anthem rendition of the season, singing along as if it was his own. His team had given him a chance to win and that was all he had needed. But entering the final eight rounds of the championship, the race winner urged for patience for Ferrari’s fans once the excitement of his victory had faded.
“It’s very important that not only the team, but I think also the expectations from outside don’t become crazy high from one race to another, because this is not realistic,” Leclerc stressed.
“Have we done a step forward? Yes. Is it enough to go and win races until the end of the season? I don’t think so yet. But we did a good step in the right direction.”
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2024 Italian Grand Prix
- Verstappen faces post-race investigation along with five other drivers and McLaren
- Red Bull lose constructors’ championship lead for first time in two years
- “Never had so much pain in a car”: How Colapinto impressed Williams on his debut
- F1’s most competitive season for 47 years? Four teams now have three wins each
- “Can I have my PU performance back?” – Verstappen’s “tough” Monza race on his radio
F1 race reviews
- Norris can’t claim full reward despite most dominant display this season
- Piastri defeats Leclerc with a little help from Norris as roles reverse at McLaren
- Norris inflicts Verstappen’s first defeat at home to kick-start his title chase
- Fate hands Hamilton his lost Spa win back – at his team mate’s cost
- Norris’ sacrifice makes Piastri a winner as McLaren put Red Bull on notice
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
2nd September 2024, 8:06
As a massive Leclerc fan, I found the middle of the season extremely tough. The win in Monaco was special, but really a procession. The next few races solidified my bleak belief that whilst Charles is top class, his consistency will not be enough to win a championship.
Charles has his great days, supreme high points and Monza was undoubtedly one. The strategy reminds me of another great drive, in Japan.
I was sat in the grandstand at the first chicane yesterday, the raptious atmosphere pre race was everything you’d expect it to be. I was surprised Piastri pitted again when he did; McLaren extended their lead on the Ferrari’s with both car at the end of the stint – in keeping with the rest of the year. Charles was always going to gamble a one stop, I’d have thought that was obvious when the temperature dropped just after the start.
A great win, compounded by poor strategy from McLaren, who once again show how difficult going from infrequent challenger to routine winner.
Experiencing a Ferrari win at Monza following a driver with significant ups and downs over the past 5 seasons was a total joy. A memory I’ll treasure forever.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
2nd September 2024, 8:16
Congratulations! I was pleased to see Leclerc and Ferrari win at home.
MichaelN
2nd September 2024, 10:00
That sounds like a great experience, and what a year for ‘special wins’ for Ferrari; Monaco, Le Mans and Monza! Good times.
AlanD
2nd September 2024, 11:03
“whilst Charles is top class, his consistency will not be enough to win a championship”
It may be that Hamilton moving there will be the thing that pushes him to a higher level, first by the desire to be seen as the faster driver in the team, and secondly by seeing how Hamilton approaches races. He was partnered with Vettel for four(?) years but it was only in that first year that Vettel looked remotely competitive so LeClerc’s opportunities to learn from the other side of the garage were probably limited.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 13:16
I think most fans, other than McLaren fans, were happy to see this victory. I also think this victory will standout as more special to Charles than even the Monaco victory in his memory.
Urvaksh (@thedoctor03)
2nd September 2024, 13:57
Congratulations. I was at that exact same spot in 2006 (the first race of now 20) that I watched live and it was the most beautiful experience of my life. Watching a hero of mine win (and then announce his retirement, which made it bitter sweet) was a true joy and a reminder all these years later why we are all F1 fanatics :)
David BR (@david-br)
2nd September 2024, 15:21
@rbalonso Great to hear you had such a good time! Fan of Leclerc too, he’s an emotional driver, clearly gets despondent at times, but I still think he’s good (consistent) enough to win a title in a car that can pose a serious challenge.
Mooa42
2nd September 2024, 8:43
I might be on my own here, but I think McLaren made the right call at the time, if there had been a late safety car Charles and Carlos would have been sitting ducks and could have ended up 6th and 7th, McLaren played it safe and 2nd and 3rd is pretty good for a safe strategy.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
2nd September 2024, 8:45
If there’d been a late Safety Car I doubt Ferrari would have left them out on old tyres to be sitting ducks, they’d have pulled them in for fresh tyres at which point they’d have been in the third or fourth region.
Craig
2nd September 2024, 9:50
The thing is at the time these calls typically are the right call to make and only become the wrong call with hindsight of things that couldn’t have been known at the time. Much like Russell’s call at Spa, Ferrari’s strategy was a bit of a hail mary that just happened to work out.
AlexS
2nd September 2024, 10:16
It most probable that Mclaren made the right call. The cars are not equal, the pilots setup are not equal.
They for example did the right thing against the Ferrari of Sainz that stopped latter than Leclerc.
The outlier here his Leclerc and his Ferrari being able to do 38 laps like a robot. His 53rd lap was at same speed as his 32nd when more or less the Mclarens stopped for their 2nd pitstop.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
2nd September 2024, 11:45
Agreed, 2 stops wasn’t wrong. It’s possible that Piastri would have fallen of the cliff and been passed by Leclerc anyway, but the timing was strange. Leclerc just began to catch him, but Piastri was still going strong and more than 5 seconds ahead at the point he pitted. They could have waited a couple of laps to see how everything would develop or even used Piastri to back Leclerc into Norris. But the way they executed the end of the race was amateurish.
AlexS
2nd September 2024, 12:32
If they have waited a couple more laps thy would be committing to the 1 stop. They were at end of window for 2 stops. But it seems form their car feeling Norris and Piastr they did not expected the tires to last.
Sainz and Leclerc when asked by the Ferrari pitwall they both say yes to 1 stop.
Piastri and Norris when asked by Mclaren pitwall said no to 1 stop.
So they felt from what car was giving them they could not do it.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
2nd September 2024, 21:47
They were late anyway. I think the timing of Norris second stop was closer to the optimal lap. They probably waited as long as they thought it was still possible to catch Leclerc, but they measured it wrong/Leclerc was faster than expected. Had they waited much longer Piastri would have also come out behind Norris.
Many factors for them to consider, so it was hardly a mistake. Still I would have tried to mirror Leclerc. Had it backfired and Piastri really dropped off they could have used him to back Leclerc into Norris.
Matthijs (@matthijs)
2nd September 2024, 8:44
I few races ago it felt ludicrous if Red Bull would throw this championship away. But now I almost feel that McLaren and Norris are throwing their championship away. With more luck, more skill and better strategies, Norris would/should have been within striking distance of Verstappen already.
MichaelN
2nd September 2024, 9:47
Right, the WCC has been in play for a while but the way the WDC is going it’s really starting to look like it’s up for grabs. And it should be. I don’t think it’s too controversial to say that Norris lost a heap of points:
Had they played the team game in Monza, a 1-2 was on the cards. That’s 9 points lost.
Norris was poor in Belgium, where Piastri finished 2nd and he 5th (behind Verstappen). Since he lost to Verstappen, I won’t credit him extra points here.
A Todt-like principal would have never allowed Piastri to win in Hungary, that’s another 7 points lost.
The race in England is a bit of a toss up, but since he lost to Verstappen, I won’t credit him extra points here.
Norris should have won in Austria, so rather than losing 10 to Verstappen, he would have gained 7; a 17 point swing.
The McLaren had the pace in Monaco, so even if you just swap the cars around, put Norris in 2nd, he lost 6 points.
Suddenly you’re looking at a gap of about 25 points in stead of 62. With so many races to go, and a real chance of gaining 10+ points on Verstappen per race, that’s a real WDC opportunity. It still is one right now, but it’s much harder work. And Norris doesn’t have the record to justify expecting him to perform at his peak in all the remaining races.
Ben
2nd September 2024, 11:03
I agree the gap should be closer, but the only reason it isn’t is because Lando isn’t performing at WDC level.
He pushed too hard in Austria and lost 10 points to Max.
He was unsure on strategy in Silverstone and lost more points to Max.
He wasn’t ruthless in Hungry and lost 7 more points there. ( Vettel, Verstappen, Hamilton etc would have won here)
He was off the pace in Spa and lost more points to Max.
He was too weak on the opening lap yesterday which cost him a potentially huge amount of points to Max.
He’s had the car for the last 7+ events now, but only has one dominant win. Miami was extremely lucky due to the safety car as even then he was well behind Piastri in the race.
Lando has always been moaning about how others have had it easy in the fastest car. I hope this humbles him a little bit because next year if they are in the championship hunt from round 1, I’m putting my money on Piastri.
AlexS
2nd September 2024, 12:34
The Austrian race was quite puzzling. Lando seem to have been in rage.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 14:00
A deserved rage. Max was driving like rhymes with blyat.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 14:01
like a*
sumedh
2nd September 2024, 9:04
Interesting to note that what Carlos is doing was a factor in Charles’ decision. Will miss this next season.
Chert
2nd September 2024, 9:28
I don’t think LeClerc would’ve won even with a one stop strategy if he wasn’t able to pass Norris for 2nd place in the first lap. It is therefore partly Piastri’s fault by making that aggressive move at turn 4 which caused Norris to almost spin and lose momentum for LeClerc to also overtake him. McLaren lost the race and the 1-2:at that point. McLaren are also to blame by letting their drivers race each other and not prioritize the driver closer to Verstappen in the WDC. McLaren should:ve also swapped their cars around even on the last lap to maximize the result for the Driver’s championship since they will still get the same number of points for the Constructor’s championship. All in all, bad decision-making for McLaren this weekend may cost Norris the WDC, maybe even the WCC with Ferrari now also in a position to challenge for it with them and Red Bull.
AlexS
2nd September 2024, 10:23
That don’t make sense., since Mclaren got their 1-2 back after first pitstops.
Now in what if that Leclerc in 3rd went long in his medium like he wanted and had a say instead of a 38 lap in hard like 32. He will be much faster in that last stint.
With Leclerc speed -remember he was able to be in dirty air of Piastri, the faster Mclaren for 10-12 laps at beginning so he was probably faster than him-
I think the race was up for grabs,Monza is not Singapore or Monaco where you can determine the race pace.
GechiChan (@gechichan)
2nd September 2024, 10:56
Agreed, the first lap overtake defined the entire race, because it separated the 2 McLarens and they were no longer able to control the pace and push Leclerc to go for the undercut.
I like Piastri, he’s a great driver for his age and experience, and he should be given a chance next year, but not now when they can smell RBR blood and only Norris can catch Max. It feels like Zak & Stella are afraid to look bad by enforcing team orders and just let points slip from both championships. It might bite them in the rear when it’s all said and done. Even if they win the WCC, the WDC is what people and the media remember.
Chert
2nd September 2024, 11:54
Exactly. Both Norris and Piastri would’ve increased their gap to LeClerc in the first stint. Both of them or even just Norris in the lead at that time would’ve still finished ahead of LeClerc by having considerably less of a time gap to catch up and overtake him even with their two stops compared to LeClerc’s one stop. A 1-3 finish for McLaren would’ve been certainly better for both championships compared to their actual 2-3.
AlexS
2nd September 2024, 12:27
How they would have increased the gap even if the faster Mclaren which was Piastri could not more than put Leclerc out of DRS?
Chert
2nd September 2024, 15:08
Piastri in 2nd would have served as a rear guard so that Norris in clear air can disappear into the distance. That’s if McLaren implemented team orders in the first place.
But don’t get me wrong. It’s great that LeClerc and Ferrari won at Monza. It’s good for the sport. I’m just saying that McLaren are mishandling their challenge for both championships. It would also be great for the sport if somebody else other than Red Bull/Verstappen and Merc/Hamilton can win the championships for a change.
Jungle
2nd September 2024, 11:56
Tell that to Frank and Patrick!
RJ
2nd September 2024, 11:37
I completely agree and I’m surprised that nobody else has pointed out that Piastri actually lost the race with that ill- conceived first-lap pass. His action made room for the Ferrari to move into second position and that in turn gave Leclerc the two seconds advantage on the finish line.
Very poor judgement, and I always find those drivers who race their teammates instead of racing rival teams to be quite stupid. No race vision and understanding of the greater good.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
2nd September 2024, 21:56
That doesn’t make sense because hadn’t Piastri passed Norris on lap one he’d never done it later. So it was his only chance to win, he grabbed it and the only thing that cost him the win was the brilliant second stint by Leclerc.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 14:03
You sound like a bitter Lando fan. It’s Lando’s fault for getting passed in the first place. McLaren shouldn’t call off racing between their drivers when the odds of Lando winning the WDC were so remote going into Monza.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 14:06
PS – Had Lando not choked so many times earlier this season, he’d be in a position where they would have team rules that forbid Oscar from racing him like this, but Lando did and these are the consequences.
Chert
2nd September 2024, 15:31
If Piastri was the one closest to Verstappen in the WDC rather than Norris, I would certainly say that McLaren should issue team orders to prioritize Piastri over Norris.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:08
Fair enough.
oweng (@oweng)
2nd September 2024, 10:19
As a motorsports fan I’m glad McLaren are racing how they are. The great battles down the years are often between teammates. I much preferred the Hamilton/Rosberg era of Mercedes than the Hamilton/Bottas one for example.
Let them race and put the onus on giving them a car capable of fighting for both titles from race 1.
Jungle
2nd September 2024, 10:46
Great season isn’t it?
Matthijs (@matthijs)
2nd September 2024, 10:49
I agree with you that for us fans it is much more entertaining to see teammates race each other. But this philosophy actually cost McLaren the championship in 2007 and might cost them the championship this year again. It was easy for Mercedes to have Hamilton and Rosberg race each other, because Mercedes would win the championship either way.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
2nd September 2024, 22:03
In 2007 both Ferrari and McLaren let their drivers race and take points of each other. What cost them (Alonso) the championship was that unlike Ferrari they let the situation escalate in to the embarrassing shenanigans in Hungary that let Alonso to be demoted what cost him probably second place in the race and the title.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
2nd September 2024, 11:04
No thanks (to the last bit) – I’d rather have a contender emerge half way through the season, like this!
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
2nd September 2024, 14:42
I think McLaren is thinking they have the front row but they know NOR doesn’t start well so they allow PIA to race as the rest of the field is coming as NOR eventually gets up to speed. The alternative is to have PIA somehow figure out how to match NOR’s start pace so they can go side by side.
Kribana (@krichelle)
2nd September 2024, 11:30
It was a tough race to manage for Mclaren, but considering that we expected Red Bull to do better here than in the previous races, Mclaren might feel okay with their results. The problem is that, they have not maximised the points gain, and you never know if Red Bull will fix their issues. Red Bull can lose the constructors championship lead and 2nd place next race if they double DNF and Ferrari get a 1-2 with both Mclaren’s in the top 8 and Leclerc has done really well at Baku.
Jungle
2nd September 2024, 11:42
And Sainz won at Singapore last year! Don’t think Merc are too far off now either. Could be some epic battles for the rest of the season…whether they are track specific who knows?
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
2nd September 2024, 13:05
If this form was repeated, there is a prospect that both Ferrari and McLaren could pass Red Bull in the Constructor’s Championship. Max could still be WDC though. I wonder when the last time that happened is? I mean the World Champion’s team only being 3rd in the Constructors.
I know this is all speculation at this stage but it’s not unrealistic.
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
2nd September 2024, 14:01
I found it very puzzling the way McLaren did their race yesterday. The strategy team must have been well aware that a one-stop is preferable at Monza, and yet they never seemed to consider it seriously – or consider that their opponents might try one. Leclerc did a great job no doubt, but Sainz also pulled one off (he did lose more time, but he also had to contend with cars passing him), and I’m sure Hamilton could have made it to the flag also – though for him there was no advantage to sitting behind Sainz.
As Hamilton indicated, McLaren seemed to run pretty hard in the second stint, trading fastest laps while Charles behind them was driving more conservatively. They might argue that they were racing, but that would still not make it very smart. Pitting Norris was a good move, he was already struggling, and would almost certainly get back into third at the least. Pitting Piastri, on the other hand, was unforgivable. There were 15 laps to go, and he had a healthy 5.5s advantage of Leclerc. At that point you just have to tough it out.
FlyingLap (@flyinglapp)
2nd September 2024, 19:36
Zak Brown doesn’t have the cut-throat, ruthless behaviour of Wolff or Horner, or Ron Dennis. And without that attitude McLaren will win fewer races and titles than they should.