F1. Monza 2023 Review

By Chelsea Wintle, Aiden McLaughlin and Gavin Huet

Driver of the day

Aiden – An honourable mention for Alex Albon who is performing so well in a rejuvenated Williams, but for me, it has to be Carlos Sainz. Ferrari have had such a disappointing season that any improvement at their home Grand Prix would have been welcomed by the home fans, but not only did Sainz take pole position on Saturday, he drove magnificently on Sunday. He was under all sorts of pressure, first from Verstappen and later Perez, as well as his own teammate (more on that below) and produced a magnificent, gutsy, defensive drive that secured his first podium since Sao Paulo in November last year.

Chelsea – If my esteemed colleagues say anyone other than the enthralling Carlos Sainz, I’ll be subjecting them to a moderately-worded subtweet. Sainz dominated both FP2 and FP3, outperformed Verstappen to qualify first, and put on a dazzling performance to hold his lead through the first 15 laps of the race. His experience and genuine racing skill was on full display for the Tifosi, and he more than deserved his third place trophy.

Gavin – Carlos Sainz. The “Smooth Operator” was on form all weekend, putting his Ferrari on pole and ending the race on the podium in third place. He had a mature drive and kept Max Verstappen at bay in the early stages of the race before the Ferrari started to lose tyre grip, something the team has been struggling with all season. He then began a defence against Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull car, and finally in the last few laps he held off his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari drivers gave the tifosi a couple of heart stopping moments as they came close to ending the race empty handed, but for Carlos it all ended as well as he could have expected given the car.

Special mention to Max who, with this victory, has notched ten victories in a row, a first for F1. Not everyone was impressed with this achievement however, a churlish Toto Wolff came across as a complete casserole stating that the record is “completely irrelevant”.

Moment of the weekend
Aiden – I’m going to stretch ‘moment’ and make it ‘passage’ for one race only. How good was the Ferrari duel in the final stages? We have become so used to teams ensuring their drivers take the safe option for the good of the team and basically drivers settle for position rather than race each other. Well, team principal Frederic Vasseur probably had to go for a quiet lie down after the chequered flag on Sunday. Yes, the tifosi would have been fuming had they collided and one, never mind two of their beloved drivers had been forced out, but it didn’t come to that and provided a thrilling end to a really positive weekend for the most famous team in F1.

Chelsea – The Ferrari scrap was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. Best, because it was amazing to watch and ended cleanly; worst, because I could see it all going horribly wrong at any moment. I loved it. Charles was gracious in defeat and the better man won, but I would have paid to see the team retrospective on that race.

Gavin – The sight of teammates fighting each other for position and the close racing between the rest of the pack made Monza 2023 a standout. The racing was fast and it was close, much closer than over other weekends, with DRS giving the cars just enough to be able to consider a move and nothing more as it was designed to do. This was the best race of the year so far and what every race fan wants to see.

Hot take of the weekend
Aiden – Is it wise to throw stones when you’re on the backfoot? I suppose it depends how big the stones are and how steady your footing is. I’m not sure Lewis Hamilton had the best of either when commentating on the respective strengths of his and Verstappen’s team-mates over the years.

The interviewer can’t have believed their luck when Lewis had a bite. Hamilton is no doubt accurate when pointing out he’s had three world champions in the garage next to him, but Max easily batted it back. Shame we’ll never get to see them both in the same car to really see who’s best.

Chelsea – Liam Lawson again outperformed expectations by finishing just outside the points in 11th. With Ricciardo unlikely to return for the next two races, what happens if Lawson gets better and better? Will James Vowles look at him as a possible Sargeant replacement for 2024? Whatever the direction, Lawson has impressed many with his cool head and professional approach. I’ll be buying the merch.

Gavin – Is Charles Leclerc in danger of becoming the second driver in the Ferrari team? Ferrari claim they do not have a first and second driver and both are equal but some are more equal than others. In previous years Charles has been the one to take the fight to Red Bull and is certainly the quicker of the two Ferrari drivers, but Carlos is showing a maturity and confidence which was just not there before. Their fighting for that last podium place was a thing of beauty, but also came across as slightly desperate from Charles.

Cold take of the weekend
Aiden – If you are going to try and rob someone in Milan a few hours after the Italian Grand Prix then I suggest it’s not a Ferrari driver who has just finished on the podium. What’s next for goodness sake, Sam Cane being robbed in Reporoa after parading the William Webb Ellis trophy?

Chelsea – Is it time for Lawrence Stroll to sacrifice his precious son for the good of his business? Yes, I’ve been bingeing Succession, but Lance’s sub-par performances are getting harder to ignore. Alonso needs a teammate nipping at his heels to keep him sharp, and with Lance sitting at a quarter of Alonso’s championship points, he’s looking less like the man to do it.

Gavin – Whilst wheel to wheel racing between teammates is great for the spectator, both Ferrari and McLaren came close to showing why teams do not like it. The Ferraris went close to each other while the McLarens actually made contact. No damage was done to either car, but a later skirmish with Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes did and showed the risk as it meant that Oscar Piastri ended out of the points in twelfth position behind rookie Liam Lawson in only his second race. All the drivers were positive after the race but I think their team bosses would have had some harsh words to deliver in the debrief. Teams need those points more than the individual drivers need to be ahead of their teammates.

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