by VALERIO BARRETTA
F1 Monza, the report cards of the promoted
1. Charles Leclerc. Do you remember Zibì Boniek, the handsome man who excelled at the gala nights of the Champions Cup? Well, Charles Leclerc is something similar, he often hits the mark in the big events: of seven successes in F1, four came on historic circuits (one in Spa, two in Monza, one in Monte-Carlo) and he almost missed as many or lost them in a foolish way (Silverstone 2021, Silverstone 2022, Monte-Carlo 2021, Monte-Carlo 2022). A race on the level of Zandvoort in terms of driver management and strategic clarity of the team, but in this case the engine and updates put the Ferrari driver in a position to play for something big in front of the fans. He has (almost) always given his all, in fact for this year we’ll even remove the almost: he has become surgical in gum managementwords that until 2023 were scarier than the San Andreas Fault in California, and that instead with this Leclerc are also positively declined in Ferrari. Thirty-eight (!) laps on the hard, 23 more than Piastri, 17 more than Norris and four more than Sainz, who in the end manages the hard worse because – convinced it would collapse – he starts the stint too slowly: a double podium would not have been unthinkable. And in any case, hat to the professionalism of Sainz who has zero interest in favoring the team and yet acts as a shield for Leclerc against the papayas.
2. Oscar Plates. Never trust Icekid. Who knows if Norris understands it or wants to collect other figures of the bamba. No, you can’t trust Piastri, but what a show this guy is. Mega-mega-mega-overtaking on the outside of the Roggia that takes away more than two positions from his teammate and also hurts him psychologically. Once in front, he pushes like a madman (“Clean air is king“) And Norris – the one that theoretically would play the World Cup – he never sees it. Leclerc tricks him, but there is little he can do about it. Out of anger he takes it out on Stroll, giving a meaning to his presence in Monza.
3. Kevin Magnussen. And don’t say that work doesn’t pay. A year of hard work, between ramming, brawls, Pasquale Bruno-style defenses for an extra point (not even for him but for Hülkenberg!), attempted massacres: K-Mag finally got himself kicked out for a race, stuff that doesn’t even happen if you pull out an M2 Browning on the starting grid anymore. All in all, a great race, which even ended with points despite the penalty. Just as a great race was done by Williamswhich however has always gone well here, even with de Vries. This is why I am waiting to pass off Colapinto as a phenomenon, who in any case seems like Ascari compared to Sargeant.
F1 Monza, the report cards of the failed
3. Aston Martin. But I didn’t understand. Now, jokes aside, do these run, don’t they run? Are they like Brad Pitt’s car? Anyone have any photos to prove it? The only green I heard about this weekend was the Safety Car that crashed at Alboreto.
2. The excesses on Antonelli. We are divided on everything, could Antonelli have been an exception? On one side there are those who, also for vested interests, downplay it. On the other side, we read filthy criticisms from those who already had their gags ready. He was asked to bring home the session and the car, and it was also a test on how to manage the pressure of a top team: a test that evidently failed, but it is only the first of a thousand that this boy will face. He is 18 years old and above all he has every right and time to make mistakes.
1. The competing theorists. There are those who are lost and those who have already been lost for a long time, and yet they are up there in the rankings. Red Bull And McLaren in these months they seem to be playing catch-up and yesterday they seemed like amateurs. McLaren that once again does not clarify (or does not do so effectively) roles on the track and race plan, digging its own grave, and then is surprised by Ferrari’s strategy (here, however, more than McLaren’s demerits there are more merits of a Red that managed the tires better). Norris, for once who starts decently, shows however that he does not yet have the necessary nastiness to excel, but it is the team that must impose itself, because giving carte blanche to the pilots sooner or later they will throw themselves out and it’s the greatest gift they can give to Red Bull, who is more insane than Marvis Frazier against Tyson and where even pit stops are no longer a certainty. Verstappen, especially on a track like this, can’t invent much more than what the car gives him, but in the end he leaves Monza with a smile compared to Norris. But have you seen Lando in the cool down room? He looked like Robert De Niro in the parking lot scene in “Jackie Brown“, the others spoke and he alone with the desire to harmIt must, must, must come together now and immediately, because nowhere is it written that Red Bull will remain like this until the end of the year.
#Monza #Report #Cards #podium
