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AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly claimed an unlikely Italian Grand Prix victory after a thrilling race in which world champion Lewis Hamilton received a 10-second penalty and both Ferraris failed to finish at their home circuit. on Sunday.
It was Gasly’s first victory in Formula One. The 24-year-old Frenchman finished 0.415 seconds ahead of McLaren driver Carlos Sainz and 3.358 seconds ahead of Racing Point’s Lance Stroll on a completely unexpected podium. All three drivers had never won a race and each had only one top three finish to their name.
Hamilton appeared on course for a comfortable win from pole position, but received the penalty for entering the pit lane after it was closed to allow crews to clear Kevin Magnussen’s hit car that had stopped nearby.
Hamilton, however, maintained his championship lead of 47 points, and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas moved into second place after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had to retire with a mechanical problem. Verstappen is now 54 points behind Hamilton, who remains the favorite to win a seventh title to tie Michael Schumacher’s record.
Hamilton finished seventh, 17,245 behind Gasly, who was thrilled when he crossed the line to become the first French winner in any GP since Olivier Panis in 1996.
“It was such a crazy race. The car was fast, and it went through so much in the space of 18 months. First podium last year, now first win at Monza. I have no words,” said Gasly, who was dropped by Red Bull last year.
Gasly celebrated wildly with his team but then after the trophy presentation, he was seen sitting alone on the top of the podium. He had a moment to reflect on his accomplishment, as he sipped a sip of champagne surrounded by duct tape.
Ferrari’s lousy weekend continued as Sebastian Vettel had a brake failure on lap 7 and limped into the pits with his right rear brake disc on fire. It was the four-time champion’s first retirement at Monza in his fourteenth start.
His teammate Charles Leclerc had come in fourth, but lost the rear of the car when accelerating through Parabolica on lap 25 and crashed into the barriers, causing the race to be red-flagged.
At that time, Hamilton’s penalty had been announced. Hamilton had an 11-second lead when he pitted immediately after the safety car was deployed after Magnussen broke down, but was unaware that the pit lane was closed when marshals recovered Magnussen’s Haas.
Antonio Giovinazzi received the same sanction.
Hamilton served his penalty shortly after a 27-minute delay while the barriers were repaired. The British driver started last on lap 29, more than 30 seconds behind Gasly.
“My career was not meant to be today, but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,” said Hamilton. “It was a long pit stop, but once I was finally able to catch everyone, I enjoyed that little battle.
“We didn’t do a great job with the pitstop. I didn’t see those boards and I took responsibility for that, and it’s something I’ll learn from. Getting seventh and still getting the fastest lap are good points, so I’ll definitely take it.” .
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