Italy: The prospects for the race

Can Charles Leclerc (finally) deliver a Ferrari victory to the Tifosi at home?

Since 2010, the tifosi have been waiting for a Ferrari victory, and we are ready to bet that everyone thinks that this will be the one. Their best chance is named Charles Leclerc, who will start from the first position. Leclerc certainly didn’t need to push his SF90 to its limits during free practice and qualifying, but he will have a tough task to hold off the Mercedes and especially a certain Lewis Hamilton, who seems eager for revenge.

Beware of the vengeful Lewis Hamilton

Even though the drivers’ world championship seems decided as the Mercedes dominated the first half of the season, Lewis Hamilton remains an outstanding competitor. Beaten in Belgium and unable to compete with the Ferraris during free practice, the British driver did not appreciate the completely absurd moment we experienced during Q3. He will be determined to beat his opponents and stand on the top step of the podium here in Monza, the temple of speed.

Can Renault reach the podium?

Renault delivered a strong performance during the qualifying sessions where Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg will take up the third row on the starting grid. Ahead of them stand the formidable challenges of Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, but with a good strategy and a little help from fate, Renault could continue its momentum and finally secure a podium finish.

Even though Renault will need to have a perfect race, there is still hope as the cars have been performing well throughout the weekend.

McLaren and Sainz in ambush

Always as efficient, the Spanish driver will undoubtedly be seeking points for this race. More consistent and performant than his rivals since the start of the season, Carlos Sainz will be able to attempt a move depending on strategies and race events. There’s no doubt that the McLaren driver will give his all to bring valuable points to his team.

Penalties or not?

What is certain is that Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Pierre Gasly will start from the back of the grid for having added new components to their power units. After the Q3 chaos, the 9 drivers were summoned by the stewards, but only three were reprimanded. They are Carlos Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, and Lance Stroll.

The stewards avoided an embarrassing situation for Formula 1 but strongly recommended that the FIA seek a solution to this type of situation. A situation we never wish to experience again as it turned into ridicule. The media center and journalists even laughed about it during Q3.

The weather and racing strategies

The weather is expected to be uncertain this afternoon around the Italian circuit. Conditions should be mild, although showers could occur and change the situation. The track will be wet as it rained heavily last night in Monza and Lombardy.

Regarding the tires, several strategies are available to the drivers this weekend. The fastest strategy proposed by Pirelli is to stop after 22 laps with soft tires (red bands) to do a second stint of 31 laps on medium tires (yellow bands).

Another strategy recommended by the Italian firm would be to stop on the 19th lap with the soft tires and then switch to hard tires (white bands). This strategy aims to optimize the performance window of the soft tires but must be compatible with a car that performs well on hard tires. We observed during free practice that some drivers preferred hard or medium tires depending on the car’s competitiveness.

Of course, if the rain intervenes on the track, these strategies become obsolete. Only the driver’s intuition can determine the right tire choice.

The remaining tire sets per driver for the race

From our special correspondent in Italy.