After having equaled last Sunday at Zandvoort in the Netherlands the number of successes in a row established by the German Sebastian Vettel, the untouchable Max Verstappen has the opportunity to win a 10th victory in a row in Formula 1 on Sunday in Italy, more than any other driver before him. A decade-old record. “I would never have imagined being able to win nine races in a row”, had also savored the Red Bull driver on Sunday, on the evening of the 13th round of the season (out of 22). “After nine consecutive victories, I hope to be able to continue this momentum”.
If he failed, the counters would be reset and the defending champion would have to wait until next season to hope to break this record again. In Monza’s Temple of Speed, well fast – or lucky! – will be those who manage to dominate the unsinkable “Mad Max”. In the championship, the question is no longer whether Verstappen will be crowned for the third time in his career – but rather when: before the meeting in Monza, 138 points separate Verstappen from his runner-up and team-mate Sergio Pérez – while 258 points can still be gleaned from the last nine races of the season.
“At Monza, it will be above all a question of obtaining the podium that we deserved last weekend”, for his part defended Pérez, the best of the “others” in the general classification. Due to a five-second penalty received for speeding in the pit lane in the Netherlands, the Mexican, initially 3rd in the race, was downgraded to 4th place. But beware of the Taurus of Asturias. Second in Zandvoort, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) found his way back to the podium after four races without food. At 42, the double world champion (2005, 2006), 3rd in the drivers’ championship, has never been closer to his 33rd victory in the GP than this season.
In front of its fans deprived of the manufacturer’s title since 2008 and driver since 2007 (with Kimi Raïkkönen), the Scuderia Ferrari, only 4th in the constructors’ championship, will aim for “perfection”. Or at least the podium: “Charles (Leclerc) and Carlos (Sainz) are two of the best drivers in the world and we must give them the means to express their talent”, assured Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur. For lack of success for the moment in F1 this season, the Tifosi expected this weekend at Monza will however be able to admire a special livery, variegated with yellow on the usual red, in the colors of the Ferrari hypercar victorious at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in last June. The opportunity also “to celebrate the DNA of the company in motor racing” – yellow being the original color of the Scuderia.
The Lombard route could also be the time to see an outsider shine, like the Australian Daniel Ricciardo in 2021, who had given McLaren its first success since 2012. Now a starter at AlphaTauri instead of the Dutchman Nyck de Vries, Ricciardo will miss however the Italian sleeve. Victim of a broken hand during practice last Friday at Zandvoort, he will once again be replaced by New Zealander Liam Lawson.
Among the French, Pierre Gasly will certainly have in mind the 2020 Italian GP, the scene of his first victory in the premier category – at the wheel of an AlphaTauri. If he has never won a Grand Prix since, the Norman signed his first podium at the weekend with the Alpine team, which he joined at the start of the season. Taking advantage of the penalty inflicted on Pérez, he recovered 3rd place, bringing comfort to the French team which is going through a difficult period.