Max Verstappen’s dominance in the 2022 F1 season continued at the Italian Grand Prix as the Dutchman won his fifth consecutive race to extend his lead in the driver’s championship. Despite being given a five-place grid penalty, Verstappen comfortably stormed ahead of the rest of the competition to secure another victory, with Charles Leclerc coming in third in front of the Tifosi and George Russell delivering another impressive performance to finish in P3.
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Max Verstappen is literally unstoppable at the moment, and with six races left in the season, the Dutchman is well on his way to breaking the record for the most amount of race wins in a single F1 season. Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel both won 13 races in a year in 2004 and 2013, respectively, and Verstappen could match that record with just two more victories in the 2022 F1 campaign.
Following his incredible run of form, Max Verstappen is also potentially now just one race away from being a double world champion. With a 116-point lead over Charles Leclerc and just six races to go, Max can potentially seal the title in the next race in Singapore if he finishes on the top step of the podium and takes the fastest lap, and Leclerc finishes eighth or lower and Perez outside the podium places.
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Ferrari have been heavily criticised – and rightly so – for their strategies throughout the 2022 F1 season. However, despite not finishing in P1 at their home race, the prancing horse got their tactical calls right at Monza.
Ferrari chose to pit Leclerc under VSC conditions on Lap 12 after Sebastian Vettel’s stoppage to take a cheaper pit stop. It was the right decision considering Red Bull would have boxed Verstappen if Leclerc had stayed out. Leclerc was unlucky that the VSC ended while he was still in the pitlane, and in spite of the bold strategy call, Ferrari couldn’t match the Red Bull pace at the temple of speed and were doomed to finish in P2 from the outset, given the difference in performance.
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Nyck de Vries was voted the driver of the day at the Italian Grand Prix after the Dutchman replaced Alex Albon on short notice in the Williams after the Thai driver was forced to pull out due to appendicitis. The 2019 F2 World Champion impressed for Mercedes in the Formula E series and showcased his talent and abilities by earning a P9 finish and two points for Williams in his maiden F1 race. De Vries now has more points than Latifi this F1 season, despite racing in 15 fewer races, and the Dutchman has firmly put himself in contention to replace the Canadian at Williams next season.
“It always brings memories back,” Lewis Hamilton said after the race. “That is how the rules should be, right? There’s only one time in the history of the sport where they haven’t done the rules like that and that’s the one where it changed the result of the championship. But it is what it is.”
The ending to the 2022 Italian Grand Prix brought back memories of the championship showdown in Abu Dhabi last season, with the race in Monza ultimately finishing under safety car conditions following an untimely retirement for Daniel Ricciardo.
This time around, instead of bending the rules, the stewards and race director appropriately followed the laws set by the FIA, with safety considered as the number one priority. Although Charles Leclerc missed out on a shootout at the end to earn a famous home victory, the stewards made the right decision, considering the action on the track. It is just a shame the same rules weren’t applied last December in Abu Dhabi, which ultimately tarnished one of the greatest F1 title fights in modern history.
[Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool]
Shivaan Shah