Formula 1 moves with a heavy heart straight from Belgium to Italy for the high-speed blast around the iconic Monza circuit. Motorsport Week takes a look at some of the key talking points.
Can Ferrari win again?
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Ferrari allowed several opportunities to slip through its fingers during the first half of the season as a car that could have won four races had yet to get the proverbial monkey off its back. But Ferrari was not headed throughout the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, as the team topped every practice session, all three stages of qualifying, and won Sunday’s race, albeit with its achievement naturally overshadowed by Saturday’s tragic events. It was a timely victory for Ferrari and alleviates some of the pressure heading to its home race, where it is cheered to the rafters each lap by the passionate Tifosi. Ferrari had had a potent package on low-downforce high-speed circuits this year and Monza’s layout is perfectly suited to the strengths of the SF90. It shouldn’t just win. It should dominate. But that raises another question.
Who will it be?
Who is now Ferrari’s number one driver? Is it their four-time World Champion who dreams of emulating Michael Schumacher to deliver the crown. Or is it their young protégé who has been developed with the ambition of producing an in-house champion. It has now been a year since Sebastian Vettel triumphed at a grand prix and heads to the venue where he claimed the first of 52 wins 11 years ago firmly on the back foot. Lest we forget how Vettel’s race, and eventual title bid, began to unravel last season at Monza. This time around he has trailed Charles Leclerc through the last six qualifying sessions and nobly played the team game in Belgium as he pulled aside for his younger team-mate, who was able to preserve the tyres in a way that Vettel was not. It did not fit the theme for how previous races have played out. A win for Leclerc would cement him as the present, not the future. Vettel, though, will be keen to show he is not done yet.
Or could Mercedes spoil the party?
It has not been lost on Mercedes that it has ruled the roost at Monza in Formula 1’s hybrid era. When Ferrari crowed at Silverstone last year about bringing the flag back to Maranello, Mercedes’ win at Monza prompted a formation return on the slow-down lap “just to remind our Italian colleagues”. Ferrari expected victory in 2018 but a mixture of it capitulating under pressure from an inspired Lewis Hamilton meant the party was wrecked. Mercedes is wary that it enters Monza unlikely to hold the fastest package but a team of its stature will not simply roll over and accept defeat. It will recognise opportunities, such as the start and strategy, while the forecast for the weekend is for mixed conditions – presenting more of a chance than stable and warm weather. Never rule out Mercedes.
Can Ferrari’s customers benefit?
It is not a foregone conclusion that the best engine will necessarily be a huge benefit at Monza. Teams can play around with the set-up, drivers can make mistakes or lack confidence under the vital braking points, or outside factors can influence results. Ferrari held a substantial power advantage in Belgium but its customers missed out. Both Honda-powered Toro Rossos, the Mercedes-aligned Racing Points and a Renault scored points, while fifth should have gone to Lando Norris prior to his engine failure. Alfa Romeo could have been best-of-the-rest but Kimi Raikkonen’s race was scuppered by Max Verstappen while Antonio Giovinazzi’s strong recovery from a compromised grid spot (owing to his Q1 engine failure) ended nine kilometres from home when he shunted. Haas, meanwhile embarked on its usual slide down the order after a strong first lap.
What about Italy’s ‘other’ team?
Much of the focus is understandably on Ferrari but travel an hour or so along the motorway from its Maranello base and you’ll find the town of Faenza, home to Toro Rosso, nee Minardi, Italy’s ‘second’ F1 team. The squad is unlikely to ever reach the heights of its famous pole/win double with Sebastian Vettel in 2008, but it is enjoying one of its strongest seasons since that pinnacle. Its podium with Daniil Kvyat in Germany boosted its points standings but even so it has been a competitive thorn in a prickly midfield. Kvyat raced to seventh place in Belgium while returnee Pierre Gasly bagged ninth, consolidating Toro Rosso’s fifth spot in the standings, ahead of some more famous names and teams that should be performing better. It is not merely P5 thanks to a one-off result. It has already surpassed 50 points, so can it take another encouraging result on home turf?
