A new turn of the World Cup with another incident between the two candidates to win the title of the 2021 season, with the Halo as the protagonist. McLaren returns to the top 9 years later, with Ricciardo recovered from his initial setback.
The grid for the Italian Grand Prix changed once more before the formation lap even took place: Yuki Tsunoda’s car was towed by its mechanics in what would end up being an abandonment, doubled for AlphaTauri after Pierre Gasly barely lasted a single lap on the track.
With Lewis Hamilton as the only driver in the top 16 to ride the hard compound, anticipating an attempt at overcut, Daniel Ricciardo was the smartest at the start time, overtaking Max Verstappen and taking the lead at the first change. Similarly, Lando Norris was able to contain the stakes of a fierce Hamilton who came to get ahead but only momentarily.
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In Spanish key, Carlos Sainz was involved in an incident with an Antonio Giovinazzi whom he could not avoid and whom Charles Leclerc called “kamikaze.” A 5-second penalty made the only Italian driver on the grid disappear from the equation after his spin, while Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez began their respective comebacks.
To simmer
Stability became the protagonist of the race, with few changes on the track except for the pilots who started from behind and the strategy coming into play, as it was “very difficult to approach” as Verstappen confirmed to his team over the radio. Another penalty fell to Alpine’s side, with Ocon penalized on hitting Vettel for not giving Vettel braking room.
The stops were immediate: on lap 23, Ricciardo entered and mounted the hard one; Verstappen did the same just a lap later, but his stop came at 11 seconds in what was to be the first stone on his way. Hamilton, still on track, noticed Norris and delved into Red Bull’s wound, circling the championship before stopping to change his tires on lap 26.
Long live the Halo
However, the most important of the race and in relation to the championship was going to come right after: the combination of stops left Norris, Hamilton and Verstappen really close and, in a matter of seconds, the two title contenders ended up locked in the loophole of the second corner with # 33 over # 44.
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Replays showed a rear tire of the Red Bull car hitting Hamilton’s helmet, damage that could have been much greater had it not been for the Halo. The defending champion’s attempts to back down were in vain, forcing him to abandon his car just as Verstappen had previously done.
Leclerc inserted between the two McLaren was the panorama that left the race after this catastrophe, although the Monegasque lasted shortly before being also inevitably overtaken by Pérez and Bottas. A 5 second penalty in the direction of ‘Checo’ he ruined any podium attempt by the Mexican, despite the fact that # 11 endured Bottas attacks time and time again.
A Virtual Safety Car due to the abandonment of Nikita Mazepin in the middle of the track was one of the few alterations that the Italian event suffered, with McLaren dealing an incredible blow to the championship and wrapped in a euphoria that will last until the return of F1.