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Pierre Gasly became a Formula 1 race winner in a fairy tale ending to a frenzied Italian Grand Prix, and that wasn’t the only shock …
Here are our takeaways from a race at Monza that was undoubtedly the highlight of the 2020 season so far.
Pierre Gasly is the biggest story on the net
After being demoted by Red Bull and losing his close friend Anthoine Hubert in quick succession, bouncing back to claim his first podium at the end of last season was an incredible story in itself. However, Pierre Gasly has added an even more surprising chapter in 2020.
It was already a successful season for Gasly. Before this weekend, he had been one of its most impressive drivers, consistently outperforming his car and proclaiming Driver of the Day last time at Spa.
After a typically strong qualifying session in which he made it to Q3, he looked well placed to add more points to his account, but would never have dreamed of winning 25 and a P1 trophy.
It is true that a lot of luck led him to lead the race, but as the saying goes, luck is only when preparation meets opportunity, and boy was he prepared.
Carlos Sainz was in a faster car, but Gasly managed his pace perfectly to keep the gap big enough. The lesser drivers would have collapsed as the Spaniard got within DRS range of the Frenchman with just over a lap to go, but the AlphaTauri man kept his cool under enormous pressure to become the first man from his country to win. a career in the 21st century.
Given all the obstacles he has overcome, his performances in 2020 and the fact that he is only 24 years old, he is now one of the most attractive drivers on the grid for other teams. When one of the greats, be it Red Bull or another, gives you a chance, expect them to join your account.
McLaren returns in style
Hear from @ Carlossainz55 and @LandoNorris after a memorable day in Monza. 🧡 #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/lCqweNrcIL
– McLaren (@ McLarenF1) September 6, 2020
Immediately after the race, there was a sense of disappointment around the Mclaren garage as they came so close to ending their eight-year wait for a win, but ultimately came up short.
However, they finished the Grand Prix in P2 and P4 and, best of all, they may have finished there even without the safety cars and the red flag, given how strong their pace was.
Sainz and Lando Norris passed Valtteri Bottas at the start and comfortably held back there before chaos ensued, showing better pace than all non-Mercedes cars.
That was the same case again once the race was restarted. They both did quick work with Kimi Raikkonen before Sainz pulled away from Lance Stroll’s Racing Point and Norris stayed ahead of Bottas, without taking too much pressure.
The result put the British team on the verge of 100 points and gave them a comfortable cushion to return to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
They are where they are on merit, and with a Mercedes engine and Daniel Ricciardo in their car next season, it may not be long until they finally return to the top step of the podium.
Human Mercedes after all
A painful day for the Team. But we are bold enough to recognize when we make a mistake. 💪
It’s P5 and P7 on the boys’ flag. A mega comeback from Lewis after the penalty.
congratulations to @PierreGASLY and @ AlphaTauriF1! What a day. 👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/u35rPetb7Y
– Mercedes-AMG F1 (@ MercedesAMGF1) September 6, 2020
After qualifying, it seemed like nothing could stop Mercedes this season. Even with their forbidden party mode, they still blocked the front row with ease and seemed willing to continue their dominance. They did not, and only they themselves are to blame.
The race didn’t get off to an ideal start for the German team as Bottas went off the line badly and dropped in order. However, Lewis hamilton he was still leading comfortably at the front and should have stayed there until the end.
Of course, it’s not the team’s fault that you didn’t see the screens saying the pit lane was closed, but they should have informed you themselves. Even if they hadn’t been told yet, they should have been aware of the risk and kept it out just in case. Given how fast he was than the rest of the field, they didn’t need to face him immediately anyway.
Ultimately, they still lead both championships in some way, and this mistake won’t count for much when they lift both of them in December, maybe even November. Still, these are mistakes that you can’t get used to making. They won’t be that far ahead of the rest of the field forever. We wait.
Alex Alb-on thin ice
As Gasly doused the champagne, Red Bull packed up and left Monza without naming his name. Verstappen suffered an engine problem, but Alex albon he had no such excuse.
He was unlucky enough to get caught in a tangle with Gasly on the first lap and suffer damage to the floor as a result, but Romain Grosjean’s move a lap later that earned him a penalty was silly, unnecessary and seemed somewhat desperate.
Such despair is entirely understandable. As he has struggled and Gasly has excelled, criticism of the Thai rider has grown throughout the season.
The whispers that he and Gasly will be exchanged again will no doubt be even louder after the latter’s impressive victory, and Albon simply has to do better if he wants to silence them.
Red Bull may look pretty comfortable in P2, but that may not be the case again next season, especially with McLaren getting a Mercedes engine. To make sure they stay ahead, the team needs someone they can trust to score points when Verstappen can’t.
Albon just doesn’t look like that man. Gasly does, and it’s getting harder and harder to imagine Helmut Marko not touching the musical chairs once more.
Ferrari is hopeless at home
the Ferrari camp would have been disappointed at the start of the season if they had been told that, at Monza, the Italian national anthem would be played on the podium, and it would not be for them. If they had told them later that they would not get a single point, they would have had a hard time believing it.
In seven races, they headed to Monza knowing that that was a real possibility, but they still would have expected a bit of chaos to bring them some chances.
Chaos did come, but none of the red cars were in the race to take advantage. Vettel had already retired with a brake failure, while Leclerc had crashed without being able to control the notoriously difficult car.
Next is their 1000th F1 race, on a track they own, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Nothing suggests that their pace will be better there, and they will just hope they can make it to the finish line.
The fact that they would have preferred Mercedes to win today rather than AlphaTauri says it all. Red Bull’s sister team is now just 14 points behind Ferrari and it seems likely that they will be stripped of sixth place sooner rather than later. My mother
Give us reverse grids
The restart after the Red Flag was the closest we’ve ever come to seeing a reverse grid in F1, and it was incredibly brilliant.
I had everything. Lewis Hamilton showing the overtaking skills we rarely see these days; new faces up front wrestling in even cars; Kimi Raikkonen really gets into meaningful wheel-to-wheel battles again.
The sport’s main argument against changing the traditional format is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but when it takes two safety cars and a red flag to produce the first really exciting racing weekend in a month approximately. , it seems pretty broken.
There’s not much that can be done about boring races until teams catch up with Mercedes, but using reverse-grid sprinting to determine order is something, and it will make Saturdays considerably better.
No one is saying they should become a permanent fixture worn every race weekend, but after how exciting it was to see a stationary start with a confusing field, at least trying it out seems like a no-brainer.
Finley crebolder
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