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The race management sanctioned the British Mercedes driver with a stop-and-go after unauthorized use of the pit lane, and in the end he struggled to reach seventh place. Since his teammate Valtteri Bottas only finished fifth, the two Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel (default) and Charles Leclerc (accident) and the Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (default), the winner did not come for the first time from Australia in 2013 or 146 races. of the Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull teams.
Gasly, who fought a dramatic duel with Sainz for the win at the end of the race, became the 109th winner in Formula 1 history and the first Frenchman since Olivier Panis in Monaco in 1996 to win a Formula 1. I could win races. For Alpha Tauri it was the second victory in history, Vettel obtained the first in 2008, also in Monza, in Toro Rosso.
“That was a crazy race”
The cheers from the team and from Gasly after the victory were equally great. “It’s unbelievable. I have no words. That was a crazy race. Of course we benefited from the red flag. It was a tough fight with Carlos. So much has happened in the last few months and now I’m winning at Monza. I’ve always said that a Frenchman finally has to win a Grand Prix again, which is me, he’s crazy, ”said the 24-year-old.
Sainz was not entirely happy with second place, as he was very close to his first win. “After crossing the finish line, I was disappointed in second place, one more lap and I could have won. In a normal race, second behind Lewis (Hamilton, note) would have been great, ”said the future Ferrari driver. Sainz also emphasized: “I am very proud to have moved from sixth to second place.”
Vettel blows the brake
Everything went according to plan, especially for Hamilton in the beginning. While the Briton made optimal use of his pole position early on, his early pursuers at the World Cup became the big losers. Bottas missed the go-ahead, was passed in the following corners by Sainz, Lando Norris, Sergio Pérez and Daniel Ricciardo and dropped from second to eighth. Even Verstappen failed in the general attack that had been announced. The Red Bull driver only found himself in eighth place after the first lap.
At the front, Hamilton extended his lead to ten seconds, while Vettel’s race ended early at the rear. On lap six the German Ferrari’s brake line exploded. Vettel had to exit the chicane and through the polystyrene grandstand.
Vettel’s failure
Sebastian Vettel came to an end early in the race. Brakes no longer played a role in the German Ferrari.
“I do not like it anymore. I don’t know how it happened. It must have been the worm from the start. Fortunately, I got enough exercise. It’s annoying when you can’t ride at all. I’ll be in the simulator on Tuesday, the car will at least stop, ”the four-time world champion sarcastically explained.
Punishment for accident of Hamilton and Leclerc
But that was far from ending the turbulence in the race. On lap 20, Kevin Magnussen had to park his Haas in an unfavorable spot and triggered a safety car phase. Hamilton and Antonio Giovinazzi were the only drivers to change tires, although the pit lane was still closed at this point. Both drivers received a ten second penalty for stopping and starting.
Many drivers then made their regular pit stops, which ruined the field behind Hamilton. Stroll was second ahead of Gasly and Leclerc. McLaren drivers Sainz and Norris were only seventh and eighth. Bottas and Verstappen were only in ninth and twelfth place.
As soon as the race reopened, Leclerc had a serious accident. Monegasse crashed into the Parabolica curve lane and smashed his Ferrari, but thankfully he was unharmed. However, the race had to be interrupted after 27 of 53 laps.
Charles Leclerc accident
The 999th Grand Prix in Ferrari’s history ended with a double retirement. Charles Leclerc flew spectacularly, but was unharmed.
Pure excitement after reboot
Hamilton intervened with the race direction against his penalty, without success. After 21 minutes, the Grand Prix continued with a new beginning. Hamilton remained in the lead, ahead of Gasly, Raikkonen and Giovinazzi. Soon after, however, the World Cup leader pitted and served his penalty. Hamilton was the last to get back on track, 23 laps from the end, 23 seconds behind the leaders.
As Hamilton turned one fastest lap after another with the courage of desperation, Verstappen had to pit his Red Bull over a technical defect. At the top, Gasly led an F1 race for the first time in his career. Sainz grabbed Raikkonen, who was clearly inferior in the Alfa Romeo, and hunted for Gasly in second place.
Final phase in Monza
Pierre Gasly stood his ground at the end, defended his lead against Carlos Sainz and achieved his first ever Formula 1 victory at the finish line.
The Frenchman got everything out of his Alpha Tauri, but his lead continually melted away. Sainz was unable to reduce the gap to less than a second for a long time. The Spaniard only hit the DRS window on the last lap. It came to a real showdown between Sainz and Gasly. The French felt the pressure, but kept a cool head and saved the narrow 0.415-second lead over the finish line.
Hamilton congratulates Gasly
Later there were congratulations for the winner of the premiere. “I am happy for Pierre, he deserves it. He got off to a good start and was very consistent in the race. Victory was possible, but I’m happy for third place, ”said Stroll. “I want to congratulate Pierre after all the difficulties he had. It’s nice to see it develop, ”said Hamilton.
The Briton described his own race as “unhappy”. “But I also enjoyed going back and forth. At 26 seconds, that was perhaps my longest pit stop, ”said Hamilton, who is still clearly in the lead in the championship standings. Ahead of the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello next weekend, Hamilton has a 47-point lead over his now second teammate Bottas. Verstappen is 54 points behind in third place.
