Italian GP Takeaways: Forza Ferrari!

Wednesday, 04 September 2024 at 07:30

After Charles Leclerc's first win of the 2024 Formula 1 season at his home Monaco Grand Pirx, he took a second one on Ferrari's home turf at Monza sending the Tifosi into a frenzy.

That was the second time Leclerc triumphed at the Italian Grand Prix, the first back in 2019, in his first season as a Scuderia driver after a monumental battle with seven-time F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton.

First, I have to say, taking my editor's hat off, and as a hopeless Tifoso, it warmed my heart to see Ferrari take that win at Monza, especially as it was unexpected given Ferrari's fluctuating form in 2024.

It is always a great moment when Ferrari wins at Monza, with the thousands of their home fans flocking to the podium for celebrations - a glorious scene for F1.

Aside from that, Monza delivered an exciting and interesting weekend, with talking points up and down the pitlane. So let's delve into last weekend's Italian Grand Prix with some Takeaways.

Leclerc and Ferrari paint Monza Red

Winning the Italian GP took a lot of effort to achieve, starting with Ferrari's pitwall and ending with Leclerc who dove masterfully to make a one-stop strategy work, and in between, also Carlos Sainz was credited by Fred Vasseur for providing feedback on tyres that helped the strategists do their job, a forte of the Spaniard.

The Scuderia had a shaky start to the weekend, as early on, it seemed that Mercedes and McLaren were the two top teams with Red Bull struggling. But come race day, Mercedes' pace evaporated, Red Bull continued to struggle, while McLaren shot themselves in the foot once again (more on that later).

Ferrari, on the other hand, seized the opportunity presented to them. Leclerc passed Lando Norris, who was busy and unsuccessfully fending off Oscar Piastri, to take second.

From there on Ferrari found out that their SF-24 - with its major upgrade - was easy on its tyres and rolled the dice with a one-stopper, which paid off massively.

While Ferrari are still behind in terms of pure pace, the way they managed their race at Monza was commendable, perfecting the strategy, pit stops... you name it, while Leclerc did not put a foot wrong all race long despite the pressure of racing in front of the Tifosi and the high stakes.

Leclerc is hopeful the next couple of races should favor Ferrari. Will that be the case?

McLaren's dilemma

Stella: If swapping [drivers] is the right thing to do, we will do it

McLaren are in a very fortunate situation where they have the fastest car on the grid with two excellent F1 drivers in the cockpits, Norris and Piastri. But the fortune has brought unfortune upon the team, because they are simply failing to manage their drivers and the races properly.

The story goes back to the Hungarian Grand Prix, where McLaren ordered Norris to hand over the lead to Piastri.

As a reminder, Norris started from pole, but like at Monza, Piastri passed his teammate on Lap 1 and took the lead. The Briton retook the lead after the pitstops, but McLaren switched the drivers, the Australian taking his maiden F1 win.

With Red Bull and Max Verstappen struggling, McLaren are expected to pile the pressure on them in both Championships.

While the 2024 F1 Constructors' Championship seems as good as lost for Red Bull, Verstappen still has a chance to clinch his fourth Title, and despite his struggles, McLaren are helping him.

Before the race, McLaren CEO Zak Brown bragged about having two #1 drivers that are allowed to race, but by the end of the season, Brown is highly likely to eat his words.

When Verstappen is starting a race from seventh on the grid, McLaren should make sure they deepen his wounds by allowing Norris to score maximum points, and that does not happen by allowing Piastri to race him off the line.

GrandPrix247 editor-in-chief Paul Velasco was spot on when he touched on this matter in his latest Outside Line column. McLaren should order Piastri to support Norris.

It is music to Piastri's ears to hear his McLaren bosses saying racing is allowed by "Papaya Rules". He is programmed to win.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle summed it up nicely after the race at Monza, he said: "I think we got confirmation there that Piastri has zero interest in Lando Norris' world championship."

Now Norris also shoulders some blame. He needs to up his game in terms of racecraft, not to mention his woeful starts. He holds the upper hand over his teammate in qualifying, but the way Piastri passed him on Lap 1 of the race showed who was the better racing driver.

Now in terms of strategy, and granted McLaren had to go for a two-stopper due to their excessive tyre graining, going down that path with Norris and playing it safe made sense, but why not try a one-stop race for Piastri who is not in contention for the Championship.

What's the worst that would happen? If it worked, Piastri would have won. If not, he would have dropped and Norris would've taken second, closing the gap more to Verstappen.

They may have a winning car, but McLaren are no winning team yet.

Red Bull... How times have changed

When Red Bull unleashed their RB20 at the start of the 2024 F1 season, we all predicted another clean sweep with Verstappen trotting to his fourth consecutive F1 Crown.

As the season progressed and with McLaren stepping up, it was clear that Verstappen would have to work hard for his fourth Championship, but it has become ridiculous how Red Ball dropped the ball.

Their upgrade since Imola did not work, and they are struggling to understand why, with Christian Horner and his drivers pointing out it is a balance issue while another story doing the rounds claims they are having correlation issues between their wind tunnel and the track.

“There is an imbalance in the car, that when you sort one problem you get another; you sort the front and you cause a problem with the rear; you sort the rear and get a problem with the front; it is not connected.”

The above statement by Horner shows the extent of Red Bull's troubles. When a boss of a team like Red Bull says something like this, it means panic is prevailing at Milton Keynes. It is similar to the situation Mercedes were in back in 2022 in the first year of the ground-effect regulations.

Is Adrian Newey's exit the reason behind how the RB20 became a lemon? His exit was announced early in May, and the upgrade was later that month, so that suggests it was done under his watch, so did he mess that up?

Is the loss of the "Magic Brake" the reason behind Red Bull's suffering?

We can contemplate and come up with reasons all day long, but the fact remains that the RB20 is now the fourth fastest car on the grid, quite a drop within a few months, and from what we have seen in the past couple of races, they are yet to find a way to stop the freefall.

When asked why Red Bull kept Sergio Perez despite his struggles, Horner said they did not have a better option, but here is how I imagine things went down.

Horner: Checo, your performance is a concern, and we need to discuss your future.

Checo: Really, you want to fire me because I am struggling to drive a car Max can't even drive?

Horner: ...

Italian GP Quick Hits

monza FP1 f1 crash mercedes monza kimi antonelli

Kimi Antonelli made his F1 debut in FP1 with Mercedes at Monza, and the next day after his crash, he was confirmed as Hamilton's replacement in 2025.
His crash in FP1 was silly, and even for a rookie. He shouldn't have been pushing the way he was, and to be honest, Mercedes' decision to sign him is not convincing.
They have the data after all, but let's see.
Another rookie stepping into F1 at Monza was Franco Colapinto at Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant who overstayed his welcome in top flight.
Colapinto delivered a solid weekend - not spectacular, but solid.
That was another surprise, as James Vowles did not buckle under pressure by Toto Wolff who was pushing for Mick Schumacher to get that drive, whom Vowles slammed as not special, before offering a clumsy explanation/apology.
It is brave when you piss off your power unit supplier, but is it smart? Paul Velasco labeled Vowles' Schumacher statements refreshingly honest, I agree.
But to survive in the F1 Team Principals shark tank, you have to be a liar... Sorry diplomatic.
Mercedes may have improved recently, but it seems they are yet to fully get on top of their W15's performance.
The way they lost performance from practice, going into qualifying, then the race at Monza is proof they still can't make their car consistently fast.