FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

Verstappen warns against radical changes after Hubert accident

Max Verstappen has urged Formula 1 to resist the urge to make sweeping changes to tracks in light of the "freak and unlucky" Formula 2 accident that claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert.

Following Hubert's passing after an incident in the F2 race at Spa-Francorchamps last Saturday, some of the focus has been over the role that the asphalt run-off at Raidillon played in the crash.

Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart has been among those suggesting that asphalt run-offs lead to drivers taking liberties when they have run off-track by keeping on the power, rather than backing off.

Current Renault Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg partly agreed with this view when speaking ahead of the following weekend's Italian Grand Prix, and advocated for different approaches to increasing the safety of various corners.

"There are tarmac run-off areas that do invite us to keep pushing as they don't have immediate consequence. I think it needs to be policed and you need to find the right balance somewhere.

"Maybe it also the case where we need a customised solution for corners like Eau Rouge which is quite unique in that you don't really see that corner until you come up over the hill and see what is going on.

"Sometimes things get a bit hectic and out of control on lap one or early in the race when everyone is bunched up.

"Sometimes you see that happening more in the junior series, where they are still very motivated and maybe a bit too excited. Maybe there is a solution that for every corner is a little bit different."

However, speaking likewise ahead of the Italian GP, Verstappen dismissed the idea that there was a need for substantial changes.

"There are many tracks on the calendar where if something bad happens, it can be really bad. So we'd have to start changing a lot," he said.

"When you have a fatal accident it's easy to say you have to start to open up the corner but I think it was a bit of a freak and unlucky accident anyway. There are many dangerous corners on the calendar and it's part of F1 and racing in general, unfortunately.

"It was just very unlucky what happened. It's the same if someone spins in the middle of the track and somebody drives into you. It can always be a really bad accident. To now suddenly say we have to start changing the tracks, I don't agree with that.

"Of course it's very sad what happened. Spa is always going to be a bit dangerous around Eau Rouge, and it's a bit of a blind corner.

"[But] then why are we racing in Monaco? Because for me that's also a very dangerous track if you look at it. But we do it, that's what we are used to and unfortunately accidents happen."

In the aftermath of Hubert's crash, Spa-Francorchamps chiefs confirmed there was already an existing plan to introduce gravel traps at Raidillon, although added that they were "not planning to modify the actual layout" of the corner.

[MIKA27]

F1 likely to reject grid penalty alternatives for 2020

The FIA, the F1 organisation and the teams have been discussing ways of streamlining the grid penalty system for 2020 and beyond, although it seems unlikely that there will be radical change.

Grid penalties for infringements such as power unit and gearbox changes have been called into doubt in recent years, not least by F1 sporting director Ross Brawn.

Recent meetings of the Sporting Working Group have looked a range of possible alternatives, including ballast, fuel usage restrictions and even – for 2021 onwards – a financial penalty in the form of a reduction in the cost cap for the team concerned.

However, all of the mooted alternatives have a downside. Extra weight is unpopular, while the financial suggestion has not gained traction because teams believe that they could potentially feel the hit months after the actual offence, in the form of a reduction in spending on R&D – one that could even impact development of the following year’s car.

The consensus is that grid penalties are still the best solution, at least for 2020, although they remain under study.

Ways of ensuring that they are distributed equitably, with the full hit taken each time rather than drivers climbing back up the grid due to others also having penalties, are being explored.

“It is something that we are certainly looking at,” said FIA race director Michael Masi. “And grid penalties [are an] ever-going evolution.

“It is not a process where we change in determining how we do that during the year. It is part of the sporting regulations, but we have discussed together with the sporting directors, looking at other proposals for 2020.”

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner acknowledged that it was hard to find a better alternative to the current system.

“I think it’s difficult to find another solution,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com. “If the penalty is too little the chance that you do something just by spending money and getting an advantage… It’s easy to do.

"It’s like when you get a fine for example for an unsafe release. You know what 5000 Euros is worth to the teams in F1 – nothing. If you can get a tenth of an advantage for 5000 Euros, you do it every day.”

Steiner explained why he felt solutions like handicapping drivers with more weight or less fuel would not work.

“I think that is even more confusing that grid penalties, because a grid penalty is explained at the beginning of the race, then you’re OK, but if you have ballast or less fuel, for commentators to explain why all of a sudden that car is slower than the other one [is difficult]. Therefore at the moment they haven’t found a better solution, so it’s a status quo.”

[MIKA27]

FIA aims to expand electronic policing of track limits

The FIA is looking to expand the use of electronic policing of track limits in a bid to further deter drivers from trying to gain an unfair advantage.

The loop system used at Raidillon for the Belgian Grand Prix, allied to a stance of having any lap time deleted in practice and qualifying for abusing it, proved a success as no driver triggered it all weekend.

Formula 1 race director Michael Masi believes that making use of electronic technology to better judge track limit infringements was something that would be rolled out elsewhere at certain corners.

"There are plans to use it in other areas, possibly for different purposes," he said. "There are a few different solutions for a few different areas, depending on the style of corner realistically. I think in F1 no one actually triggered it all weekend.

"I think we need to put more electronic loops in, because it seems to have a force field for them [the drivers] not to go near it!"

Masi had adopted a policy of deleting practice times as well as qualifying lap for track abuse limits in a bid to ensure that the policing was consistent through the race weekend.

But that stance is not something that will necessarily be adopted at all venues though, especially because some potential trouble areas only get highlighted during Friday running.

"One of the things we have learned this year is that areas were track limits issues in 2018 are not track limit issues in 2019, and other areas that have never been a track limit issue have become one," explained Masi. "Changing cars is probably the large part of it.

"An element of it is also looking at what happens in Friday practice. So if there has been a change it has been delivered at the drivers' meeting and then published as a result of that.

"I would not like to say there is a one solution fits all in terms of how it will work, but it is just looking at each different circuit and circumstance on the basis of what it is."

[MIKA27]

Will weather rain on Ferrari’s parade?

The tifosi arrive at Monza’s Temple of Speed this year with high hopes of a first Ferrari victory since 2010 – and on paper, they have reason to be hopeful, courtesy of the Prancing Horse’s power unit advantage. But if the forecasted rain hits, it may be wise for the red-bedecked fans to keep the champagne on ice…

Mercedes’ hybrid turbo V6 has been the class of the field since the engine regulations were overhauled for the start of the 2014 season. But this year, there is a new beast in town, and this one is bolted into the back of the SF90, giving Ferrari a supreme top speed advantage, particularly in the initial phase of the straight.

They made that advantage count last time out at Spa, but Mercedes’ ability to look after their tyres better than their rivals hauled the Silver Arrows into victory contention in the latter stages of the race. There are fewer corners at Monza, so Ferrari’s advantage should swell – but that’s in dry conditions. And while the paddock was basking in glorious sunshine on Thursday afternoon, those conditions aren’t set to last.

On Friday, light rain showers with light winds are expected throughout the day. Ordinarily, this would be frustrating for teams, as the wet stuff disrupts their low-fuel and race preparation data gathering programmes. But with Sunday set to be wet, the teams can at least learn something. They will, though, have to wait till Saturday morning’s final practice to do qualifying preparation, as the whole day is set to be dry.

The Mercedes threat

Ferrari’s pace in the wet is reasonable, as was evidenced at Hockenheim, but their power advantage will not be as great in the rain and their downforce deficit to Mercedes means we could actually have a closer-than-anticipated battle for the lead. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, though, still reckons Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc are still favourites.

“It’s going to be very, very hard this weekend,” said the five-time world champion. “The weather is going to be up and down, so that might make it easier or harder. I hope that we have a close race like we did in the last one – not getting close right on the last lap, but during the race I hope we get to have some kind of battle.

“But sometimes you come into the weekend and the team predict that we’re going to be ahead, and then we end up behind. Some weekends we predict we’re going to be behind and we end up ahead. So I really don’t quite know until I get out there and we start to see the times coming up.

“I just approach [the weekend] the same, trying to outdrive the car, even when there are scenarios like the last race where we weren’t particularly as quick as the Ferraris, but we could outdrive a little bit and put it in close range with the car that is fastest.”

Mercedes had two power unit failures at Spa, following the introduction of their latest specification engine, though both were on customer cars – Williams and Racing Point. While there has only been a few days between races, Hamilton says he has no concerns over his power unit for this weekend’s race.

“I’ve spoken to Andy [Cowell, engine boss] this week,” he said. “I’ve had a long, long journey and experience with this team and HPP [High Performance Powertrains], they’ve done an incredible job. We’ve been at the forefront of this technology for the past six years. We’ve been the leaders, and everyone has been trying to catch up for years. And now this year we have instances like the last race, we’ve had a few races where we’ve not necessarily always been quickest, but it’s not all to do with power.

“I’ve been really happy with our engine. I think we’ve taken big strides forward, and of course for the guys that are working on the engines, they are trying to figure out exactly what happened in the last race. We only have three engines [per season without a penalty], and they have to go a long, long way and punch out a huge amount of power. It’s not always going to be perfect. I hope my engine’s good.”

Can Red Bull figure?

Traditionally, this would be a race that Red Bull, who are sporting a dramatic new-look Monza-spec rear wing this weekend, would look to get out of the way and move on from, as while Honda have made gains, the unit is still not on a par yet with Ferrari and Mercedes.

If it’s a dry race, than it’s likely that will turn out to be the case, not least because Max Verstappen is set to start from the back of the grid after taking Honda’s spec four engine, triggering a series of grid penalties. But if it rains, there are certainly opportunities.

“You can overtake here,” said Verstappen. “The problem is that we’re not that competitive compared to Ferrari and Mercedes whereas we showed on other tracks that I started from the back and we finished on the podium. That’s because we had really good pace and we would have a different strategy with the tyres.

“I don’t expect us to be starting from the back then going for a podium. But if we can get back to like fifth, in a normal race without any weird incidents, then yeah, I think it’s a good result for us.”

“If it rains, for sure [it improves our chances],” he added. “But we will have to wait and see how much it’s going to rain. Yesterday I learned it will rain quite a bit. Today it’s not as much, so it’s a bit tricky to say at the moment. But for sure, if it rains then hopefully it will make us a bit more competitive around here.”

His Red Bull team mate Alexander Albon echoed his team mate’s expectations if the rain comes, saying the wet stuff is their best chance to take the fight to Mercedes and Ferrari and adding “Max was really strong in the rain at Hockenheim” in reference to the Dutchman’s stunning victory in a thrilling race.

All eyes on the weather forecast, then, folks!

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Collaboration with Leclerc key to overcoming Mercedes

Historically, Sebastian Vettel’s not always been the most cooperative of F1 team mates (just ask his old Red Bull sparring partner Mark Webber). But ahead of an Italian Grand Prix which Ferrari head into as favourites, the German driver underlined that close team work between him and Charles Leclerc was key to the Scuderia getting themselves on an even footing with Mercedes in 2019 and beyond.

Leclerc set a blistering qualifying pace in Belgium to out-qualify the Mercedes drivers by over 0.75s, before narrowly managing to convert that speed into his maiden F1 win in the face of some impressive race pace from Lewis Hamilton.

With Ferrari’s SF90 expected to be even better-suited to Monza than it was to Spa, there is reason for Vettel to be hopeful of a chance to win the Italian Grand Prix for the first time since 2013. But Ferrari, according to the four-time champion, have bigger fish to fry than simply chasing a Monza victory.

“Our car is not where we want it to be,” said Vettel. “[We don’t] have the car and ability to win every race so far and that is our objective, so I think it serves [Charles and I] if we push in the same direction, because I believe one day we will have that car and then we can fight it out.

“From a team point of view, I think the most important thing is that we work together, not against each other… Otherwise it would be a bit of a waste of energy.

“Obviously we've started off in a good place for the second half and hopefully we can keep that up. But we know also being realistic that Mercedes are the clear favourite. As I said, they've been in a position to win every race this year. That's something we haven't been, and we need to get there. That's the point.”

Still, that Monza victory would be nice, especially given that a Ferrari hasn’t won around la pista magica since 2010. So what does Vettel think his team’s chances are this weekend?

“We’re not the clear favourites,” he said. “There are signs that we are aware of and put us in a good position, but I think we have to be carefully optimistic and realistic. There are a lot of elements during a Grand Prix that can make a difference. One lap [in qualifying] is one thing, but obviously there are a lot of laps on Sunday, plus the weather, plus plus plus...

“It’s difficult to predict but certainly I think here is the time to sort of over-deliver. It's a big weekend, so hopefully we can make it count this time. I think we have a good chance so we'll see. We're ready.”

Ferrari outscoring Mercedes in Belgium, and for only the second time in 2019, meant they marginally shut down the gap to their rivals in the constructors’ championship, the difference now standing at 145 points, with eight races – and 352 potential team points – left to score.

[MIKA27]

‘No urgency’ on sealing 2020 deal, says Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg finds himself as one of the key pawns in the 2020 driver market chess match following the news that he’d be replaced at Renault for next year by Esteban Ocon. But the German insisted ahead of the Italian Grand Prix that he was in no rush to sign on the dotted line for any team just yet.

Rumours of the Mercedes-supported Ocon heading to Renault came to pass ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, with Hulkenberg reportedly finding out just a few days before arriving in Spa that he would be out of a drive for the following season.

But with a decent set of options apparently on the table – including potential openings at Haas, Alfa Romeo and even Red Bull – Hulkenberg appeared decidedly unruffled when asked in Monza how his 2020 plans were shaping up.

“Not concrete yet but there are definitely obviously talks going on,” he said. “I think it will still be a while. Like I said last week, the situation is what it is now, but it needs to be the right deal with a good sporting perspective. I'm in no urgency or hurry to sign anything. I think there are options out there.”

Some decent performances in the next few races, after a challenging 2019 thus far with Renault, certainly wouldn’t do Hulkenberg's 2020 chances any harm. And having taken points in Belgium for the first time since Silverstone in mid-July, Hulkenberg said that he had no reason to doubt that Renault could maintain their promising Spa pace at Monza this weekend.

“It was a tricky weekend [in Spa] but quite rewarding at the end, getting four points back on the board, that was quite positive,” he said. “We'll try to take this momentum here. Obviously it's a new weekend, new approach. We'll see how the car performs here but no reason to be sceptical about it.

“We'll just be pushing and working hard, and for me, in terms of my mind-set, I just want to get the maximum out of it every weekend. So take it weekend by weekend, enjoy it and maximum attack.”

[Baccy]

All I hear when watching F1 these days... "I'm under INVESTIGATION, you're under INVESTIGATION, we're all under INVESTIGATION, this broadcast is under INVESTIGATION, then we're going to have an INVESTIGATION of the INVESTIGATION" Geez!?

[LLC]

Another very enjoyable race today. It’s been a better season so far than the last couple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MIKA27]

Italian GP: Leclerc fends off Mercedes duo to win

Charles Leclerc resisted an intense attack from Lewis Hamilton and a late charge from Valtteri Bottas to win the Italian Grand Prix and earn back-to-back Formula 1 wins.
Leclerc fought single-handedly for victory at Ferrari's home race after team-mate Sebastian Vettel had a spin early on while running fourth.

Hamilton gave chase for more than 20 laps in the middle of the grand prix before Bottas took over Mercedes' attack at the end, but Leclerc kept both at bay to win again just seven days after claiming his maiden grand prix victory.

Leclerc kept Hamilton at arm's length through the first stint but came under attack after stopping one lap later than his pursuer – and taking hard tyres to the Mercedes driver's mediums.

Hamilton's earlier stop brought him out within striking distance of Leclerc straight away and two engaged in an ultra-intense cat-and-mouse chase for more than 20 laps.

During that time, Hamilton got close enough to launch two serious attacks.

First, on lap 23, Hamilton used a minor delay as Leclerc passed Nico Hulkenberg's Renault at Parabolica to force the youngster to defend into the first chicane.

Leclerc defended again into the chicane chicane but moved back across to the right, made light contact with Hamilton and forced his rival onto the run-off.

Leclerc was given a black-and-white flag warning for that move, and was perhaps fortunate to get away with what Hamilton described as "dangerous" driving on lap 36.

A small lock-up from Leclerc sent him over the run-off at the first chicane and gave Hamilton a run out of the corner.

As Hamilton looked to the outside through Curva Grande, Leclerc jinked to the left to block his path – leaving Hamilton vexed.

Over the next few laps Hamilton remained in close proximity but failed to launch another attack before locking his front left into the first chicane at the start of lap 42.

Hamilton took to the escape road, allowing Bottas through into second after the Finn had crept up to the lead two with his long first stint giving him an eight-lap offset on fresh tyres.

Bottas picked up the chase, three seconds adrift of Leclerc, and almost got within DRS range with six laps to go before losing a bit of time in the final sector.

His best chance came three laps from the end when he got to just half a second behind Leclerc, but Bottas ran deep into the first corner and dropped back.

Bottas got within DRS range again on the final lap, but made a small mistake at the second chicane and Leclerc won by 0.8s.

Hamilton finished a distant third after pitting for fresh tyres to set the fastest lap and score a bonus point, meaning his championship advantage over Bottas stands at 63 points.

While Leclerc held on to win his first Italian GP as a Ferrari driver, Vettel had a miserable race and finished outside of the points in 13th.

He ran fourth early on but spun after striking the kerb on the entrance to the Ascari chicane on lap six.

Vettel then rejoined the track while cars were flash past and clipped the Racing Point of Lance Stroll, who was seventh, into a spin.

Stroll got going again but rejoined as Pierre Gasly was exiting Ascari, which forced the Toro Rosso driver through the gravel.

Vettel received a 10-second stop-go penalty for his unsafe return to the track, the harshest possible penalty short of disqualification, while Stroll's was deemed slightly less severe and he was hit with a drive-through.

In the absence of Vettel – and also Max Verstappen, who started at the back following an engine change and had his race compromised by a first lap clash – Daniel Ricciardo clinched Renault's best result of the season in fourth.

Ricciardo had fallen behind teammate Hulkenberg in the early laps but quickly repassed his teammate and assumed fourth when Vettel spun.

He held a commanding advantage over Hulkenberg until the end of the race, while Hulkenberg held onto fifth ahead of Red Bull's Alex Albon to give Renault a massive haul of points.

Behind Albon, Sergio Perez benefitted from a well-timed virtual safety car around his pitstop window to finish seventh, despite starting 18th.

Verstappen made it back to eighth after stopping on lap one for a new front wing, having broken his when the field bunched up at the first corner.

Antonio Giovinazzi scored points in his home race in ninth, while Lando Norris completed the top 10 having started 16th.

Three drivers retired from the grand prix, two shortly after making their pitstops.

Carlos Sainz lost a likely strong points finish when his McLaren's front right wheel was not attached properly at his pitstop.

Daniil Kvyat, also running well inside the top 10, pulled his smokey Toro Rosso to a halt exiting the first chicane after his own stop.

Kevin Magnussen was the final retiree. He had already dropped out of the points when he locked up at Turn 1 and took to the run-off.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari president hails Leclerc for "best gift" Monza win

Ferrari president John Elkann has hailed his rising Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc’s Italian Grand Prix victory as an “unforgettable day” and an “extraordinary emotion”.

Leclerc withstood a fierce attack from Lewis Hamilton and then a late charge from Valtteri Bottas to win Ferrari’s home race, one week after claiming his first F1 win at Spa.

After the grand prix, in which he kept Hamilton at bay for more than 20 laps despite the Mercedes being in DRS range, Leclerc was left screaming with emotion over the radio.

His celebrations were interrupted by a congratulation from team principal Mattia Binotto.

An exhausted Leclerc said “I have never been so tired” after emerging from the car, and Ferrari issued a short statement from Elkann in praise of Leclerc’s efforts.

“Winning in Monza, at home in front of our fans, is an extraordinary emotion,” said Elkann. “It is the best gift with which we can celebrate our 90th birthday.

“Bravissimo Charles, and congratulations to Mattia and the whole Scuderia for this unforgettable day.”

Leclerc’s win was all the more impressive as he had to carry Ferrari’s fight on his own following an early spin for teammate Sebastian Vettel.

A second victory in a row has hauled Leclerc above Vettel into fourth in the championship, three points Max Verstappen.

Leclerc admitted he made “a few mistakes” during the grand prix, one when he nudged Hamilton wide into the second chicane while defending the lead and another when he locked up at the first chicane.

“But at the end I finished first, so I am very happy with this,” said Leclerc. “I need to be careful with the mistakes but none of them made me lose position today.”

The defeated Mercedes duo lamented their fruitless chase of Leclerc and admitted he and his Ferrari were too quick to overhaul.

Bottas said he was “gutted” after a longer first stint set him up for a late attack, having assumed second when Hamiton locked up and ran wide at the first chicane.

“I was trying everything to get him, but no way to get past,” said Bottas.

“When I got close I was having front locking through loss of downforce and they were so quick on the straight.

“We tried everything we could with engine modes and everything.”

Hamilton was unhappy with Leclerc’s driving at times over the radio but said after the race: “He did a great job, congrtulations to Charles and Ferrari.

“I did the best I could but following so closely for such a long time, the tyres went off a cliff.

“They were just quicker – they were so quick in the straight so if we got close we could not get past.”

[Baccy]

Thank god they didn't steal the win from Leclerc the way they did Seb in Canada. I almost knew they were going to penalize Charles when he held his line into the chicane as Hamilton tried to go around the outside. Leclerc won the head to head battle and for once the stewards didn't interfere MUCH, although I thought the black and white flag was ridiculous. Just LET THEM RACE!

[Baccy]

I just saw Lewis in a post race interview stating that the younger generation of drivers "get away" with more and my jaw hit the floor, but Lewis is always making outrageous statements. I guess we need play him the video of him cleaning out Nico in a Kamikaze move at a Spain a few years back and he got no penalty, or we could also show him the move he put on Ricciardo at Monaco a few years back and got away it. Just stop whining and race Lewis.?

[MIKA27]

15 minutes ago, Baccy said:

I just saw Lewis in a post race interview stating that the younger generation of drivers "get away" with more and my jaw hit the floor, but Lewis is always making outrageous statements. I guess we need play him the video of him cleaning out Nico in a Kamikaze move at a Spain a few years back and he got no penalty, or we could also show him the move he put on Ricciardo at Monaco a few years back and got away it. Just stop whining and race Lewis.?

This is why I cant stand HAMILTON. 

[MIKA27]

Leclerc's defence "maybe over the line" - Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks Charles Leclerc's defensive driving was perhaps "over the line" in the Italian Grand Prix, as he said Lewis Hamilton was instrumental in preventing a crash.

Hamilton was forced to take evasive action twice in the fight with Leclerc for the lead at Monza – once running wide at the second chicane to avoid an incident and then later having to back off as his Ferrari rival blocked him through Curva Grande.

Although Leclerc was handed a black-and-white warning flag for the first incident, Wolff suggested that his action could have perhaps been worthy of more.

"They [the stewards] are in a very difficult situation, to come up with the right decisions, that are not always clear cut," said Wolff after the race.

"I know you want to have some more spicy stuff and I just said to Martin Brundle, I have enough of my own problems to solve that I don't want to have [F1 race director] Michael Masi's problems on top of that.

"The racing was very hard, maybe over the line - and Lewis I think was instrumental in not making it an incident.

"But at the end of the day, what do you do? You give a leading Ferrari in Monza a five-second penalty? Out of the question….because then we need a police escort out of here."

Hamilton suggested that the approach to driving etiquette and penalties being handed out had now changed – and he was baffled about why Leclerc got away with only a warning.

"That's racing, I guess. I had to avoid colliding with him a couple of times. But that's how the racing is today," he said. "We've constantly asked for consistency.

"There was a rule put in place and it wasn't abided by today. They used a different consequence. I don't really know why that was the case. I guess the stewards woke up on a different side of the bed."

Wolff suggested that the use of the black-and-white flag had opened a can of worms with drivers now pushing the limits more than they would have in the past because they know that they will likely get a warning first.

"There will be more cars touching, it will be more of a common practice," he said. "In my opinion it's going to go to the point that it will end up again in a collision, and then we're going to bail out of it again, or crawl back. This is the modus operandi. Until then, we let them race."

[MIKA27]

Monza penalty leaves Vettel three points from race ban

Sebastian Vettel has been handed three Formula 1 licence penalty points for his "dangerous" incident in the Italian Grand Prix, leaving him one serious incident from a ban.

Vettel spun at the Ascari chicane early in Ferrari's home race, then rejoined as the chasing pack was filtering through the fast right-hand middle part of the corner.

He was fortunate to avoid heavy contact but he did collide with seventh-placed Lance Stroll and sent him into a spin.

In their official report, it was noted that "the stewards considered this to be a dangerous incident".

Vettel was therefore handed a 10-second stop-go penalty for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner, and had three penalty points added to his licence, taking his tally to nine points in a 12-month period.

Three points is the maximum penalty points the stewards can apply to a driver's licence and it is reserved the most serious driving offences.

If a driver accumulate 12 penalty points in a 12-month period, they receive an automatic one-race ban.

Vettel must complete the next three F1 races without accumulating three points or more as he will not lose any of his current penalty points until after the Japanese Grand Prix.

"I lost the rear, couldn't catch it," said Vettel of his mistake to Sky. "As simple as that. I'm obviously not happy and after that the race was obviously gone.

"I struggled a couple of times to get the car going and struggled to get in the right direction so I couldn't see him."

Stroll received a drive-through penalty and two penalty points in his licence for a similar albeit not as severe piece of unsafe rejoining.

After his spin, he was getting going again on the exit of Ascari as Pierre Gasly rounded the corner.

The stewards noted that Stroll "left the track due to the collision" with Vettel but still felt he was responsible for rejoining unsafely and forcing Gasly off the track.

[MIKA27]

Stroll "quite upset" with Vettel over Monza run-in

Racing Point Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll says he was "quite upset" over Sebastian Vettel sending him into a spin after rejoining the track rashly during the Italian Grand Prix.
Vettel spun while entering the Ascari chicane on the fourth lap, and found himself parked on the grass inside of the chicane's right-hand corner.

Upon rejoining the track, he tapped Lance Stroll's RP19 into a spin, despite the Canadian attempting to take evasive action.

Speaking after the race, Stroll said of the incident: "I'm quite upset about what happened, to be honest. He was in a position where he shouldn't have just come back on the circuit that aggressively.

"I did everything I could to avoid it, I was really cautious, saw the yellow flag, lifted off and whatever. I obeyed the rules in that circumstance and he just came back on the circuit in the middle of Ascari and there was really nothing I could do even at the speed I was going, which was quite slow.

"He was blocking the whole circuit at that point and then he clipped me and I spun and I was pointing the wrong way."

The contact with Vettel left Stroll on the left-side exit kerb, and as he attempted to return to the racing line the Racing Point driver forced the approaching Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly into the gravel.

Like Vettel, Stroll insisted that he hadn't seen the incoming car, and said he "was just trying to get out of the way".

"I couldn't see who was coming from my right so I had to do a dangerous manoeuvre to get back on the circuit myself and then I got penalised for pretty much the same thing [as Vettel]. It was just a disaster really.

"I had no visibility on my right side so I was just trying to get back in the race at that point.

"For sure but there's nothing really you can do at the moment with these cars, it's just a bit of a guessing game."

Gasly recovered from the run-in to finish 11th, with both Vettel and Stroll also ending up outside of the points.

The Toro Rosso driver described it as a "pretty close one", saying: "It's better that nothing happened, because it could've been a lot worse.

"But, it's also like, yeah, it cost us quite a lot at the end of the race, when we finished only three seconds from P9."

Both Vettel and Stroll were penalised soon after, with the former receiving a 10-second stop and go penalty and the latter only taking a drive-through.

Vettel was also handed three penalty points to Stroll's two, as the stewards ruled his infringement to be a "dangerous incident".

Asked by Motorsport.com about the discrepancy between the penalties, Stroll said: "I wouldn't have been there in the first place if he didn't do what he did, and I was on the racing line and he was on the grass from what I saw, and he re-entered the track.

"I had a portion of my car on the line, it was double-waved yellows, and I was just trying to get off the racing line."

[MIKA27]

Why Vettel got a harsher penalty than Stroll

Formula 1 race director Michael Masi says Sebastian Vettel was handed a bigger sanction than Lance Stroll for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner because he collided with another car.
Vettel spun at Monza’s Ascari Chicane on lap six of the Italian Grand Prix and ended up on the grass, but sideways to the track.

As he moved forward to rejoin the circuit he ended up clipping Stroll’s Racing Point car, with the Canadian being tipped in to a spin.

Moments later, Stroll’s attempt to rejoin caused another incident as he drove in to the path of Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly, who had to take avoiding action and ended up running off the track and through the gravel.

The FIA looked into both incidents and Vettel was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, while Stroll was given a drive-through.

Masi said that it was the contact aspect of Vettel’s manoeuvre that triggered a bigger sanction.

“Basically the difference between the two, with Sebastian’s one, it was one for rejoining unsafely and then the second part of that was for causing a collision,” explained Masi. 

“Whereas with Lance and Pierre, that was just an unsafe rejoin of the track. That’s the difference between the two penalties handed out."

While both drivers suggested that their angle to the circuit, allied to F1’s headrest, meant they could not see when cars were coming, Masi reckoned that there was no excuse for not moving until they were completely sure it was clear.

Asked by Motorsport.com for what advice he would give drivers in the future if they are caught in a similar situation, Masi said: “When in doubt, be cautious would probably be the one.

"The teams have a bit to play in everything. The honest part is when in doubt be a bit cautious.

“But everything happened so quickly. It wasn’t as if it was a huge time lag. It was literally bang, bang, bang. It was the concertina effect.”

[MIKA27]

McLaren fined for Sainz's unsafe release at Monza

The McLaren Formula 1 team has been fined €5000 for the unsafe release of Carlos Sainz during the Italian Grand Prix.

Sainz looked set for a sixth-place finish before he made his pitstop, during which the front right wheel was not attached properly, forcing the Spaniard to retire from the race just seconds later.

The stewards deemed the incident an unsafe release and thus fined McLaren, although they noted Sainz stopped the car as soon as he realised.

"The Stewards determined that the car was released in an unsafe condition in breach of Article 28.13 c) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations," the stewards said. "We note that the driver stopped the car as soon as the problem with the right front wheel became evident."

Sainz labelled the pitstop a "bit of a disaster" after the race.

"It was a bit of everything," he said when asked to explain what had happened.

"The light turned green and I thought the car was ready to go, then [it] turned red again, we lifted the car again, they fitted the tyre again, we got the car down again and it looked like we were ready to go but then...

"It was all a bit of a disaster, but these things happen. We are all human and we can all make mistakes. Maybe there was something broken somewhere. We need to analyse, learn and improve."

Despite the disappointment, the McLaren driver felt that was no reason to blame the team, as he reckons strategy and pitstops have been one of its strongest points in other races.

"It's a shame, because sixth place looked more or less secured the ways things were going today," Sainz added.

"The Renaults were faster and [Red Bull driver Alexander] Albon couldn't pass me when he caught me with the soft tyre and I thought he would be faster with the mediums. I had some problems after the contact with Albon. We lost a piece at the back of the car and we were losing two or three tenths per lap.

"But everything was going well. Then came the pitstop and it was a bit of chaos and there was a bit of a misunderstanding and we couldn't make it.

"But the pitstops and the strategy have been very good this year. Today maybe we lost eight points because of it, but we've gained a lot more points thanks to strategy and pitstops this year than we we lost today, so it's time to analyse, to learn what we could have done better, but we don't need to be too sad."

[MIKA27]

Leclerc: ‘If there’s one race you have to win with Ferrari…’

A sea of tifosi, dressed in brilliant red and proudly holding a massive team flag, welcomed their newest hero Charles Leclerc after he produced a masterful drive ahead of both Mercedes at Ferrari’s home, Monza. The Italian Grand Prix was beyond anything Leclerc had ever imagined, he said after his victory.

This was a nailbiting, spellbinding race as Mercedes launched a two-pronged attack on Belgian Grand Prix winner Leclerc, the Monegasque driver left on his own with team mate Sebastian Vettel falling from fourth to 14th after a spin at the Ascari chicane and a dangerous attempt to rejoin the track.

So it was all up to Leclerc to keep the Silver Arrows at bay after that, nursing his hard tyres as far as possible, and pushing them when needed. The grunt of the Ferrari power unit, the latest spec installed for Monza, was his crucial weapon in the fight. The reception from the fans as he sprayed champagne off the towering podium showed just how important this win was.

“I think if you have to win one Grand Prix with Ferrari it’s the Italian Grand Prix,” he said. “From the beginning of the week it’s been absolutely crazy, I came here with my first win, and to win straight away the second one here in front of all the fans that have welcomed me extremely well after the first victory, is just unbelievable.”

“I did a few mistakes, but at the end I finished first, so- very happy with this. But I need to be careful with the mistakes, obviously none of them made me lose position today,” he said, before speaking in Italian in a move that surely won any leftover hearts at Monza.

The podium was a dreamland for the Scuderia, red as far as the eye could see and jubilant fans streaming all the way down the start-finish straight to get a glimpse of Ferrari’s latest home hero.

“No words to describe it,” said Leclerc. “I’ve never imagined, I’ve never dreamed of something like this before. It’s above everything I’ve ever imagined in my career to have such a podium.”

With that, he leapfrogged Vettel in the drivers' standings and has Max Verstappen – just three points ahead – in his sights. Next up is the challenge of Singapore, a far cry from Monza.

Mercedes stayed on his tail throughout, first Lewis Hamilton, who opted for soft tyres in an attempt to put the pressure on the hard-shod Ferrari. But that attempt was fended off, Hamilton buckling and missing the apex of Turn 1, going into the run-off area to avoid his team mate Valtteri Bottas, who skated past on lap 42.

Bottas did his best to keep the screws on Leclerc, but he only got into DRS range for three of the next 11 laps, and he could only bring the gap down to 0.825 seconds at the chequered flag.

“It was extremely difficult, [the Mercedes] were very quick, they were quicker than us, I think, today,” explained Leclerc. “More than that, they had two cars to fight us, so one car went long – Valtteri went a bit longer – Lewis pitted more or less at the same time as me. So it was very difficult for us after that, but we managed the race very well and I’m very happy to take the home win – the win home.”

Leclerc admitted that he made errors in his defence of the lead, having forced Hamilton off-track in exchange for a black-and-white flag at the second chicane, then missing the apex of Turn 1 to take a trip over the speed breakers, which the stewards didn’t mind.

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo: Renault performance at power-rewarding Monza ‘a real statement’

The 2019 Italian Grand Prix saw Renault enjoy their best result at Monza since all the way back in 2008, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing a comfortable fourth, while team mate Nico Hulkenberg was just one spot lower – and according to Ricciardo, the team’s success in Italy was no fluke.

Ricciardo and Hulkenberg locked out the third row of the grid on Saturday. But rather than falling away in race conditions and getting passed by one or both of the Red Bulls behind them, the Renaults held their own, Ricciardo benefitting from Sebastian Vettel’s spin that dropped the Ferrari driver down the order, and from pitting under a Virtual Safety Car, to come home a season-best fourth, 12 seconds up the road from his team mate – and much to the Australian’s delight.

“I think today, the VSC gave us a little bit of a buffer, and a bit of comfort and we could kind of cruise till the end,” said Ricciardo. “But I really believe we were a fourth-place car today. Obviously Seb gave us a bit of a help. I saw he spun, I don’t know if he had a problem. But once we were in fourth, I felt we definitely had that pace.

“We’re coming up to different circuits,” Ricciardo added, “high-downforce Singapore, street circuit, bumpy and whatever. But even though this is unique, it’s Monza and you take all the wing off, I definitely think there’s still something we can learn from this.”

“We knew we were on good form and in good shape for here,” agreed Hulkenberg, who like Ricciardo took his best result of the year. “We delivered, we rewarded ourselves with I think the most points we've ever scored, since I've been in the team at least. Pace was good, operational-wise everything was good and fine. It feels great after a difficult year to finally have a really good weekend.”

Finishing ahead of both Red Bulls will have been particularly pleasing for the team’s former driver Ricciardo. And having raised plenty of eyebrows last year when he decamped to Renault, whose power units had been so publicly criticised by Red Bull during his time at the team, Ricciardo was quick to dedicate the result – Renault’s best since returning to Formula 1 in 2016 – to the team’s engine department in Viry in France.

“I want to give a special shout-out – obviously I’m happy for the whole team, but to the boys in Viry, building the engines,” he said. “I think to get the best team result here in Monza on a power circuit since 2008 is a real statement. They’ve copped a lot of grief in the last few years and they’ve made some big gains this year on the power unit, so this one’s for them.”

Renault’s 22-point haul in Monza – on a day when McLaren scored just one – sees them leapfrog Toro Rosso for fifth in the constructors’ standings, meaning they now trail McLaren by 18 points with seven races remaining this year.

[MIKA27]

Albon admits Sainz move 'a bit optimistic' after eventful Italian GP

As Alex Albon kicked up the gravel on the exit of Curva Grande, it was clear that the Italian Grand Prix was not going the way of Red Bull. The Thai-British driver admitted that the move was “risky” as he unpacked a mixed Grand Prix at Monza, where he ended up in sixth place with the Renault pair ahead.

In his second race at Red Bull, Albon was left to start eighth after the bizarre end to qualifying. Ahead were both Renaults and McLaren's Carlos Sainz, and all three proved very tough opposition on the long straights of Monza – where the Red Bulls aren’t so formidable.

So on Lap 3, when Albon was right on the rear wing of Carlos Sainz, he decided to make his move through the Della Roggia chicane, ending up right alongside the McLaren as the two barrelled into the entry of the first Lesmo right-hander. That was where it went wrong for Albon.

“Yeah, it was a bit… sketchy,” he explained. “I was quite happy with the move into Turn 4, that bit was good! He got the run on me, which [is] fair play, I had to go a bit deep to do that move.”

The Red Bull driver admitted that it wasn’t the plan to end up on the outside of the first Lesmo, but it was a case of needs-must due to the Red Bull's relative lack of top speed.

“I know it was a bit risky. Maybe. But the problem for us is that we weren’t great on the straight so a lot of our moves had to be done deep into the brakes or into the corners. That was our whole race. Maybe it was a bit optimistic, but we’re talking fine margins. If I had that much more space I would’ve stayed on the track,” he said.

Albon took a short trip through the gravel on the outside of the corner, dropping back to P12, and it led Sainz, who was trying to rescue the rear of his own car, to apologise.

“He went really deep into Turn 4, very late braking with that Red Bull like always we see from Max [Verstappen] and everyone who drives that car. I was quite surprised he went for it. Then I managed to get the run to the inside of Turn 6. I had a bit of a nudge from the rear and I think it was just enough to get him a bit out of line, which I apologised [for] over the radio.

“It was hard racing and I honestly lost the car a bit, there was nothing I could’ve done differently,” he said.

The incident was noted by the stewards, but neither driver was reprimanded. Sainz hasn’t stayed out of trouble completely this weekend, of course, having been reprimanded after a chaotic final qualifying session – while McLaren received a €5,000 fine for an unsafe release that caused Sainz to retire from the race.

Albon’s difficulties didn’t end there, meanwhile, as he took a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage while battling with Kevin Magnussen. That left Albon to finish a decent P6 – and the next race could yield even better results.

“Singapore’s next, a few more corners so it should be good,” said Albon. “I’m quite happy with [my start at Red Bull], there’s more to come, more to learn, but otherwise it’s a good start and hopefully I can pick it up towards the end of the season.”

Albon now sits ninth in the drivers’ standings, one point ahead of former team mate Daniil Kvyat, and equal with fourth-place finisher in Monza Daniel Ricciardo.

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES: WE THREW EVERYTHING AT THEM

Mercedes report from the Italian Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship, at Monza.

Valtteri Bottas: “I was trying everything to get close enough to Charles to make a move on him in the final laps, but the Ferraris were very quick on the straights this weekend, so it was difficult to get close enough. I was pushing as hard as I could, but every time I got really close, I started to lock-ups the fronts.

“While it’s disappointing that we didn’t win, our performance today was actually quite promising. We came to Monza expecting this to be one of the most difficult races of the season for us, but we could really challenge the Ferraris, so that’s good to see.

“It was a good race overall from that perspective and I think we can leave Italy with a positive feeling. On paper, the upcoming races should play a little more towards our strengths and I’m looking forward to a good fight with Ferrari and Red Bull over the next weeks.

Lewis Hamilton: “Congratulations to Charles today, he did a great job, especially considering the pressure Valtteri and I were putting on him. The Ferrari was very quick in a straight line, so it was difficult to stay close to them. I think it just wasn’t our day today, it’s always disappointing to follow another car so closely but not be able to take the lead.

“But in the end, we’re leaving Italy with more points in the Constructors’ Championship and ultimately that is what matters. I’m not looking to the next race thinking it will be easy for us; instead we’re going to go to the factory next week and go through the same process, looking for ways to improve our car, improve our processes over a race weekend, and I hope that I can do a better job in Singapore. I personally cherish this battle between Ferrari, Red Bull and us, so I want it to continue.

Toto Wolff: “First of all, congratulations to Charles, he drove a strong race and overall Ferrari had the strongest package this weekend. We threw everything at them today and as I said before the race, if you gave me second and third in Monza, I would have taken it. Of course, we wanted to win but you can see how happy the Tifosi are about the first Ferrari victory here in a while.

“Spa and Monza turned out to be as difficult for us as we expected, but we still achieved solid results and come away with a good batch of points heading into the flyaways, extending our lead in both championships. Singapore is up next, and we should be strong there, but so should Red Bull. We are looking forward to showing what we can do in the upcoming races.

Andrew Shovlin: “It’s frustrating that we managed to spend almost the entire race with a car right behind Charles today and failed to find a way to get through but that is sometimes the way it goes. We had to try and undercut with Lewis when a gap appeared behind the Renaults but with the low degradation here, it’s not as powerful as at some other tracks.

“Lewis made a good move into Turn four, but Charles defended aggressively and realistically, that was Lewis’s best chance to win. Lewis pushed the tyres hard for most of that stint, so it wasn’t a surprise when they started to drop off at the end. We were able to send Valtteri long to build an offset in tyre life, but it wasn’t enough to give us the speed to pass and after that we didn’t have anything else to try.

“We know where we need to work; our qualifying pace has dropped from where we were at the start of the season and we need more speed in a straight line. We’ve known that for some time now but having weekends like the two we have just had will motivate everyone in Brackley and Brixworth to get on top of these weaknesses. It’s Singapore next which is a very different challenge to this place, and it is also a tricky circuit to get right but we are hungry to get back to winning so will be working hard this week to make sure we can arrive in the best possible shape.

[MIKA27]

HONDA: A DIFFICULT RACE FOR US

Both Aston Martin Red Bull Racing cars scored points in a challenging Italian Grand Prix that saw misfortune for Toro Rosso at Monza.

Grid penalties for Max and Pierre – for fitting the Spec 4 power unit this weekend – saw them starting at the back of the grid, while Daniil lined up in 12th place and Alex in eighth. The opening spell of the race saw a number of incidents that hampered three of our four drivers, with Max first picking up front wing damage at Turn 1 on the opening lap and needing to pit immediately for a replacement.

Alex was running seventh and attacking Carlos Sainz for sixth when the pair ran side-by-side through the first Lesmo, with Sainz forcing Alex wide into the gravel on exit. As a result, Alex lost two places and rejoined in ninth position.

As he made progress back through the field he was then handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, but after pitting on lap 26 Alex recovered to finish sixth. Daniil and Pierre were both in the hunt for points in the opening laps, before a bizarre incident saw Pierre innocently forced off track.

On lap six, Lance Stroll drove back onto the circuit after contact with Sebastian Vettel at the Ascari chicane, but did so right in front of Pierre who was forced into the gravel and did well to keep the car out of the wall, but lost a number of places. With the Virtual Safety Car deployed for a stricken McLaren, Toro Rosso pitted both cars on lap 28, but Daniil was then unfortunately forced to retire the car on track with smoke coming from the back.

At the time of writing, we are waiting for the car to be returned to the garage so that, along with the Toro Rosso engineers, we can identify the nature and location of the fault. Pierre managed to climb back up to 11th place but couldn’t find a way past Lando Norris to take the final point for tenth. After his early issues, Max required a second stop one lap before the Toro Rosso pair came in and then charged through the field to eighth place to pick up four points from 19th on the grid.

Toyoharu Tanabe, Technical Director: “Today’s race was difficult for us, with some unfortunate incidents and a penalty for Albon, who lost some places after the incident with Sainz in the early stages. He did well to make up some places after this and finish sixth. Verstappen started from the back of the grid, having taken the penalties for fitting our Spec 4 PU, but did a good job to fight back after pitting for a new nose early on. Gasly also started from the back of the grid with PU change penalties.

“He moved up a few places, but then, after he was pushed off the track by Stroll, he dropped back down the order and finished just outside the points. As for Kvyat, he had to retire the car at the side of the track and currently, along with the Toro Rosso engineers, we are investigating the exact nature and location of an oil leak. We still acquired plenty of data from running all four cars with our Spec 4 PU for the first time, which will be useful as we prepare for Singapore.”

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO: A VERY DISAPPOINTING RACE WEEKEND

Toro Rosso report from the Italian Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship, at Monza.

Pierre Gasly, 11th: “Starting from P17 we knew we had a tough race ahead of us. It was quite an eventful day, we had a really good start and ended the first laps in 13th position. Things were looking pretty good until Stroll went off the track and re-joined just as I was passing, so I had to avoid him by going into the gravel and lost two positions and a lot of time. It cost us at the end of the race, as we finished only three seconds from P9. It wasn’t ideal, but I think we showed some good performance all weekend and we had the pace to finish in the points starting from the back of the grid. I’m looking forward to a clean weekend in Singapore without any penalties to be able to extract the most I can there.”

Daniil Kvyat, DNF: “It was shaping up to be an amazing race today, we were fighting Red Bull Racing at the time of my retirement, so good points were on the table for us. However, this is our sport, unfortunately, and sometimes you can do a great job but something in the car gives up and you have to pull over. I was putting in the same lap times with those around me and was on fresher tyres, so I was confident I could finish well inside the top 10. It’s a big shame to miss out on valuable points, but we have been having quite a few strong Sundays lately, so we know we can fight for good results. Let’s think of Singapore now.”

Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer: “It was a frustrating afternoon for us as a team. We had a car that showed tremendous pace when we were in clear air and we were capable of scoring some pretty big points. Our first laps were good and we managed to take advantage of a few incidents. Unfortunately for Pierre, he lost a lot of time having to run off track to avoid a collision with Stroll as he was coming back onto the track. That cost Pierre some positions and potential for a better result. As for Dany, he had a really strong race, we planned to go long and use the pace of the car in the middle of the race in clear air, and he was pushing hard. The virtual safety car came at the right time, so we pitted both cars and would have taken a big advantage from that, but once Dany left the pits we saw some smoke and then in the data we realized he had an oil leak. We decided to stop him on track to preserve the car for future races. It was unfortunate as P7 was possible for Dany. On the positive side, the car is showing good pace, so we are happy to head to Singapore, a track where historically we’ve shown good performances. We’re confident we can take our learnings from earlier in the season and roll out with a good package to be competitive there.”

Franz Tost, Team Principal: “We started the race from P12 with Daniil and from P17 with Pierre. Both drivers had a reasonably good start and we finished the first lap in 12th and 14th position. Everything was under control in the first few laps, we started on Prime tyres to stay out as long as possible, to then switch to the Options later. Unfortunately, Pierre’s race was negatively impacted by Stroll, who forced him to go through the gravel trap to avoid a collision, losing a lot of time and possibly car performance as well. During the virtual safety car, we decided to bring both cars in to change to the Option tyre and everything worked well. When Daniil re-joined the race, he was in P6 and had great pace, so I think he could have finished in P6 or P7 if he didn’t have to retire due to an oil leak. Pierre then got stuck behind Norris and wasn’t able to overtake him, so he could only finish in 11th position. It was a very disappointing race weekend for us as we expected much more, so we have to analyse everything to come back stronger and more competitive in Singapore.”

[MIKA27]

RED BULL: A GOOD RECOVERY BY BOTH DRIVERS

A tough, combative Italian Grand Prix saw Alex score eight points for sixth place, while Max battled from the back of the Monza grid to take eighth place and four points at the chequered flag.

Both Bulls were involved in minor incidents soon after the lights went out at the start of the race. Alex didn’t get the best getaway and he dropped to P10 on lap one. Max, too, had a tricky start, tangling with Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen and Haas’ Romain Grosjean into the first corner.

That necessitated a visit to the pit lane for Max, where he took on a new nose cone and swapped his starting medium tyres for softs.

At the front, pole sitter Charles Leclerc of Ferrari held his advantage and took the lead ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Behind them Sebastian Vettel in the second Ferrari lost out to Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg early in the lap and dropped to P5.

Alex was soon climbing the order but he again hit trouble on lap three. He passed eighth-placed Carlos Sainz into the Variante Roggia, but the Spaniard fought back and Alex was forced off track at the next corner. The clash dropped him back to P11.

The next major incident came on lap five when Vettel lost control at Ascari. The Ferrari driver spun in mid-corner and slid off track. He quickly rejoined, though in a manner that forced the onrushing Lance Stroll to also spin. The Racing Point driver then also mirrored Vettel’s unsafe return to the track and Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly was forced to go wide into the gravel.

The incidents resulted in Vettel getting a 10-second stop/go penalty, while Stroll received a drive-through penalty. Both drivers made their way to pit lane to serve the sanctions and dropped to the rear of the field. It meant that by lap 16 Max had climbed to P14 and Alex was up to P7 after executing a clinical pass on Alfa’s Antonio Giovinazzi.

Hamilton was the first of the leading pack to pit, on lap 19. The Mercedes man opted for medium tyres and rejoined in fifth place. Ferrari covered with Leclerc pitting on the next lap for hard tyres.

He emerged ahead of Hamilton but the Mercedes driver quickly began to close the gap. Leclerc passed Hulkenberg around the outside of Parabolica to regain third place and that allowed Hamilton attack into turn one and again into the second chicane. Leclerc defended hard, however, and Hamilton was forced to cut the chicane. The Ferrari driver’s defence earned him a black and white flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Alex made his sole pit stop on lap 26, rejoining on medium tyres in P12, which soon became P8 as the pit window took effect. Max soon followed his teammate to the pits, on lap 27, and this time he took on hard tyres as he prepared for a race to the flag from P13.

At the front, Hamilton was putting Leclerc under heavy pressure and on lap 36 the Monegasque driver made a mistake. He outbraked himself on the approach to turn one and was forced to cut the first chicane. Hamilton tried to pounce into the second chicane and Leclerc again defended robustly to hold off the challenge.

Further back, Alex was now gaining ground on Hulkenberg and with 15 laps to go he had cut an 11-second deficit to the Renault to just seven seconds. Max, too, continued to march forward and in the closing stage he found himself in eighth place.

Hamilton’s pursuit of Leclerc came to end with 13 laps to go. The Briton outbraked himself into turn one and was forced to cut the chicane. That allowed Bottas to sweep past and claim second place.

Max got inside DRS range of Racing Point’s Sergio Pérez but the Mexican proved to be a tough opponent and as the laps ebbed away he couldn’t find a way past and his march forward ended in P8.

It was a similar story for Alex. With five laps remaining he had reduced the gap to Hulkenberg to two seconds. But time was running out and though he pushed to the maximum Alex crossed the line in sixth place, just 1.1s behind the Renault driver.

Ahead Leclerc comfortably held off Bottas to take his second career win and victory for Ferrari on home soil. Hamilton took third after making a late pit stop for new soft tyres that allowed him to claim fastest lap. Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg were fourth and fifth respectively. Behind Max the final points positions were taken by Giovinazzi and Norris.

Alex Albon, 6th: “There were positives for me even though the race didn’t go as planned. It isn’t the easiest track for us and we had quite an unlucky weekend in the qualifying. I didn’t have a great start and had to fight my way back through the field. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace on the straights to overtake so I had to do my manoeuvres on the corners. That resulted in a lot of side-by-side action and at one point I just lost a bit too much grip going that wide so it started to get messy. I had a few offs and took a five-second penalty. However, my race pace is getting better with the car and I feel I have made a good step up from Spa so personally speaking I am happy. Hopefully, Singapore will be better for me as there will be more downforce and more corners. I think there is a lot more to come and I’m feeling more competitive.”

Max Verstappen: 8th: “I got front wing damage under breaking into Turn 1 as everyone slowed up and I clipped Sergio’s rear tyre. We then pitted for a new front wing and the race was still on as I had really good pace in clean air. I managed to pass quite a few cars but we got unlucky with the virtual safety car as it came out the lap after I pitted and three or four cars which I had already overtaken were back in front of me. I passed them all again but it was pretty painful on my tyres and then at the end, I got stuck behind Perez for the second time in the race. I just couldn’t get past him as he was so quick on the straights. We have made some steps forward with the pace of the power unit but we will, of course, keep working hard to improve even further. With what happened at Turn 1 coming through to eighth isn’t too bad and these things are always more likely to happen when you start at the back. The last two races were always going to be difficult for us and now I’m looking forward to having a more normal race weekend and starting closer to the front.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “It was a good recovery by both drivers in what turned out to be a difficult race. Alex lost a couple of places on the first lap and was fighting his way back through the field but he got run wide with Carlos Sainz which dropped him back behind a couple of cars. He started making up positions before unfortunately picking up a five-second penalty whilst passing Magnussen, which he had to serve at his pit stop. Overall, it was a good recovery drive from Alex to come back up to P6. As for Max, he started the race from the back of the grid due to the engine penalty and he, unfortunately, incurred some front-wing damage at the first chicane. This meant he had to pit for a nose change on the opening lap, which the boys did in under 10 seconds and then the virtual safety car came out one lap later which was unlucky. Once he was in clear air, Max’s pace was equal to that of the leaders and he was able to make up some good ground despite a slight issue with the rev limiter in the tow which made it very difficult for him to overtake. Nonetheless, coming from the back of the grid to P8 with an extra pit stop and with Alex in P6, we leave Europe and now look forward to the final stage of the season starting in Singapore.”