Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc were RaceFans’ Star Performers of the Italian Grand Prix. Here’s why.
Stars
Valtteri Bottas
- Beat Hamilton to qualify fastest for sprint qualifying race
- Controlled sprint qualifying race to take three points with victory
- Forced to start at the back of the grid after multiple power unit component penalties
- Ripped through the lower end of the midfield with little difficulty
- Passed Leclerc and inherited fourth from penalised Perez after an unsuccessful move on the Red Bull driver
Daniel Ricciardo
- Qualified in fifth for the sprint qualifying race, six-thousandths behind team mate Norris
- Gained two places to third at start of sprint qualifying race, eventually securing second on the grid
- Made another fine start in the race to pass Verstappen
- Was the first of the leading pair to pit and looked set to keep his position over Verstappen before the Red Bull driver’s slow pit stop, going four-tenths quicker in the middle sector on his out-lap
- Held his lead after the restart for first win in three years
Charles Leclerc
- Struggled with engine braking abnormality throughout Friday but still qualified eighth, less than five-hundredths of a second behind his team mate
- Abandoned second practice running after sudden dizzy spell
- Gained one place in addition to Gasly’s retirement in sprint qualifying race to secure fifth on the grid
- Held second at the restart but couldn’t contain Norris, Bottas and Perez in quicker cars
- Promoted to fourth by Perez’s penalty
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Strugglers
Nikita Mazepin
- Qualified 20th after going off the track on his fastest lap
- Secured 17th on the grid in sprint qualifying race ahead of Kubica and Schumacher
- Hit Schumacher in the race before retiring with a “power unit failure”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
And the rest
Lewis Hamilton
- Fastest in every Friday session – except for Q3, where he was unexpectedly beaten by team mate Bottas
- Lost three positions at start of sprint qualifying race and unable to make pass the McLaren of Norris ahead
- Running hard tyres from the start of the grand prix, he gained a place from Norris on lap one but lost it running wide in unsuccessful attempt to pass Verstappen
- Passed Norris again towards the end of his first stint as his tyre choice paid off
- Emerged from the pits narrowly ahead of Verstappen but was knocked off at the Rettifilo
Max Verstappen
- Could not match the Mercedes pace in qualifying, yet still happy with third, three tenths from Hamilton
- Inherited pole position from Bottas after passing Hamilton at the start but being unable to catch the other Mercedes
- Couldn’t contain Ricciardo’s rapid McLaren at the start of the grand prix
- Very slow pit stop cost him several places and left him fuming at his team
- Was judged predominantly to blame for the clash with Hamilton and given a three-place grid penalty for the next round
Sergio Perez
- Served a valuable function for team mate Verstappen, giving him in a tow in Q2 and Q3
- Struggled for relative pace throughout qualifying, only just reaching Q3 and qualifying ninth
- Ordinary start in sprint qualifying race dropped him behind Stroll and took 10 laps to pass the Aston Martin en route to eighth on the grid
- Made more progress in the race, but was naïve to assume he’d be allowed to keep his position over Leclerc after going off-track while fighting the Ferrari driver, and received an inevitable penalty
Lando Norris
- Blamed a “small mistake” in Q3 for missing out on third in qualifying
- Gained a place in the sprint qualifying race but was passed by team mate Ricciardo
- Lost contact with his team mate in the opening phase of the race as he fought with Hamilton
- Immediately re-passed Leclerc at the restart to resume second
- Was probably quick enough to challenge Ricciardo but obeyed McLaren’s instructions for the pair to hold position and manage the pace to ensure their rivals couldn’t attack
Lance Stroll
- Frustrated by traffic in qualifying but took 12th right behind team mate Vettel
- Passed by Perez in sprint qualifying race but used soft tyres to hold off Alonso and take ninth on the grid
- Only lost a position to the recovering Bottas on his way to seventh place
- Was fortunate to avoid a penalty for his slightly slow reaction to waved yellow flags
Sebastian Vettel
- Just missed out on Q3 by three-hundredths of a second
- Flat-spotted both front tyres at start of sprint qualifying race, dropping behind Stroll and Alonso to 12th on the grid
- Lost places to Ocon and Latifi at the beginning of the grand prix and was shoved off-track by Ocon later in the race
Esteban Ocon
- Struggled for pace on Friday, qualifying just behind team mate Alonso in 14th
- Stuck behind Vettel in sprint qualifying race and unable to find a way past
- Went off-track at the start and relinquished the position gained over his team mate. But being required to do the same to Latifi, who he’d passed well before the corner, seemed excessive
- His move on Vettel at the Roggia deserved a penalty (though Ocon was understandably confused given the stewards’ failure to do the same for Leclerc two years earlier)
- Passed Latifi after the restart to salvage a point for tenth
Fernando Alonso
- Disappointed to qualify 13th after lock up in Q2 cost him a second push lap
- Still qualified ahead of team mate Ocon
- Gained two places in sprint qualifying race to secure tenth on the grid
- Retirements ahead lifted him to eighth at the finish
Carlos Sainz Jnr
- Out-qualified team mate Leclerc to take seventh in qualifying
- Heavy crash at Ascari in second practice
- Lost out at start of sprint qualifying race and focused on regaining confidence, taking sixth on the grid
- The Safety Car wiped out his 10-second deficit to Leclerc halfway through the race
- Was starting to slip back from his team mate again when the chequered flag fell
Pierre Gasly
- “Maximised potential” of car in qualifying to secure sixth pace
- Crashed out of sprint qualifying race after hitting Ricciardo in the crunch of the Rettifilo chicane, causing his front wing to collapse at Curva Grande, dooming him to start from the back of the grid
- Technical problems in his repaired car forced him out early
Yuki Tsunoda
- Appeared to have secures passage to Q2 but was instead eliminated after time deleted for track limits at final corner
- Gained a couple of places at the start of sprint qualifying race but contact with Kubica led to front-wing change
- Passed three cars after sprint qualifying race resumed to take 16th on the grid
- Was unable to start the race due to a braking problem
Robert Kubica
- Eliminated in 19th in qualifying after complaints of being held up by Mazepin
- Spun around at Roggia chicane after contact with Tsunoda in sprint qualifying race, recovering to 18th thanks to Safety Car
- Passed by his recovering team mate four laps from home
Antonio Giovinazzi
- Secured second successive Q3 appearance with tenth place in qualifying
- Made up one place in sprint qualifying race to secure impressive seventh on the grid
- Started well, splitting the Ferraris, but ran wide at Roggia and rejoined incautiously, tipping himself into a crash he was lucky to recover from
- Finished a distant 13th after an extra pit stop
Mick Schumacher
- Out-qualified team mate Mazepin as well as Kubica
- Lost out to Mazepin at the start of sprint qualifying race and struggled with overheating tyres, eventually passed by Kubica
- His race was ruined by Mazepin who knocked him into a spin
George Russell
- Said the team “turned the car upside-down” after first practice
- Fortunate to squeeze into Q2 after Tsunoda’s lap was deleted
- Lost positions at start of sprint qualifying race but fought back to 15th despite “massive understeer” caused by damage to front wing
- Benefitted from those ahead of him pitting before the Safety Car to move up to ninth at the restart for his third points score in four races
Nicholas Latifi
- Pipped to a Q2 appearance by team mate Russell
- Passed and held off team mate in sprint qualifying race to take 13th on the grid, therefore qualifying ahead of Russell for first time
- Pitting before the Safety Car didn’t help his cause and dropped out of the points when Ocon passed him at the restart
Over to you
Vote for the driver who impressed you most last weekend and find out whether other RaceFans share your view here:
2021 Italian Grand Prix
- Who was to blame for Hamilton and Verstappen’s collision at Monza?
- Friday qualifying needs earlier start after “nearly dark” Monza session – Ricciardo
- Drivers suggest sprint qualifying format changes after processional second race
- Sainz pleased for McLaren despite “worst possible” result for Ferrari
- Red Bull were advised Perez should let Leclerc past – Masi
David
14th September 2021, 10:50
why there’s no word about stroll-vettel incident in the first lap? vettel’s race was ruined by his teammate, who pushed him off the track after cutting the chicane. vettel had a fantastic race, aston had a very good chance for a double point finish, but stroll ruined it. you should have definitely mentioned it, stroll was the one who broke his teammate’s wing flap
David
14th September 2021, 10:51
…had a fantastic start, my bad
nickthegreek (@nickthegreek)
14th September 2021, 12:32
yes, exactly my thoughts when I read the Vettel part
JS (@js)
14th September 2021, 18:08
@nickthegreek I totally agree, same thoughts here.
Michael
15th September 2021, 11:23
I don’t think it was deliberate… but he should have been more careful with his teammate alongside. There was a solid 7th and 8th available there for Aston Martin
Jere (@jerejj)
14th September 2021, 10:54
Stars: RIC, NOR, & BOT
Strugglers: PER, HAM, & MAZ
RP (@slotopen)
14th September 2021, 13:00
Hamilton is definitely a struggler. The Mercedes was the fastest car last weekend. Rather than inherit a victory from Bottas he got knocked out racing with Verstappen, who should have been far behind him.
hyoko
14th September 2021, 13:13
Never will be a struggler in this website no matter how awfully poor its weekend
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2021, 3:09
To be fair he doesn’t have poor weekends often, but monaco, really? However if you go back and look at the archives, he’s been rated 1 or 2 stars out of 5 in some 2016 race on here, which to me counts as a struggler ofc.
oople
14th September 2021, 11:04
I’m tempted to put Latifi into the Stars.
Got unlucky with the safety car – could have scored points instead of Russell?
PanosX13X (@panosx13x)
14th September 2021, 11:06
I would add Perez to the strugglers.
Balue (@balue)
14th September 2021, 19:55
+1
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2021, 3:10
He redeemed himself in the race, he was pretty racey at monza.
claudioff (@claudioff)
14th September 2021, 11:21
Ricciardo also got the fastest lap.
Ross
14th September 2021, 11:23
Norris was quick enough to be second.
BasCB (@bascb)
14th September 2021, 13:41
Yeah, I really don’t see why Norris is not mentioned amongst the stars. Instead of mentioning that he managed to defend for Hamilton for 17 laps of the sprint race and then for much of the race, before defending from a quicker Perez it only mentions how he lost time to Ricciardo due to defending …
Also, he was not “passed by ricciardo” really. But at the start of the sprint race, Ricciardo DID manage to get ahead, and ahead of Lewis, while Norris was bottled up behind the slow starting Hamilton but acutally managed to pass him. Also, Norris had to pass Leclerc, who got ahead by the timing of the SC, because he had not stopped yet.
I think it should be Norris clearly in between the stars, while Leclerc did a solid job I but would have dropped back further behind the others without the timing of the SC.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
14th September 2021, 14:04
not sure, but could it be related to the fact he nearly got 2 track limit warnings? He was pushing it to the limit a bit too often.
BasCB (@bascb)
14th September 2021, 17:32
Surely pushing it TO the limit is in the job description of a race driver though @thegianthogweed.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
14th September 2021, 21:32
Yes I suppose I used the wrong words. I should have said he was pushing beyond the limit a bit too often.
BasCB (@bascb)
15th September 2021, 8:18
Was he though @thegianthogweed? This weekend it seemed more like Alonso when they first brought in the “three strikes” thing – he used it to go off track exactly the amount of times you can before it would hurt!
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
15th September 2021, 17:55
if every driver started deliberately taking advantage of using 3 track limit warnings to push the limits, i think something would have to be done about it. Yes, one is a warning, but doing exactly the same thing a few more times gets you a black and white flag, which to me shows they all are a negative thing quite clearly.
Mitchell
15th September 2021, 20:42
I believe Danny Ric got 2 of ’em too, to be fair. And after all, Norris used one of those track limits violations to build speed for taking on Leclerc at the SC restart
magon4 (@magon4)
14th September 2021, 11:45
Leclerc?
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
14th September 2021, 13:14
@magon4
Why not?! He was only marginally slower than Sainz in quali (he did have problems with his engine braking though), but passed him at the start of the sprint and was generally quicker. He stayed with the leading group for the whole race, despite the Ferrari’s power deficit (according to AMuS between 20-30 bhp) and even had the raw speed to finish on the podium, after Verstappen and Hamilton collided. If it wasn’t for the weak power delivery out of the final corner, Leclerc would’ve finished in P2.
It wasn’t a 100% perfect weekend by him, as he was narrowly outqualified by Sainz (+0.05) and missed the first chicane when trying do defend against Bottas, but they weren’t relevant in the outcome of his race.
magon4 (@magon4)
14th September 2021, 15:32
@srga91 He was solid, sure. Good, even. Just didn’t see a stellar performance, is all.
bosyber (@bosyber)
14th September 2021, 18:18
I also think Norris might have as much if not more right to be there really @magon4 and @srga91, see @bascb explain why above
drmouse (@drmouse)
14th September 2021, 11:49
Massive congrats to Ricciardo, he had an amazing weekend, as did Lando. I am so chuffed for them and everyone at McLaren, they deserve it on merit!
I agree Bottas did really well. However, I do wonder how much of that was due to him having a brand new, more powerful engine. This is a track which really rewards power.
Mazepin really needs to improve. He looks ridiculous out there, and there are better drivers in the junior formulas waiting for chance in an F1 seat right now.
Perez…. What was he thinking, not giving the place back? And isn’t that after they were already investigated for being slow to give a position back on Saturday? I don’t think naive is strong enough…
Jere (@jerejj)
14th September 2021, 12:26
@drmouse, I don’t entirely blame Perez as this was the 2nd time he got unfairly forced off despite being considerably enough alongside to have the right for space.
drmouse (@drmouse)
14th September 2021, 12:35
@jerejj
In F1, if you overtake off track, you give the place back or get penalised. 2 wrongs don’t make a right, if they forced you off illegally, that’s for the stewards to decide and they will penalise them for it as appropriate. It is far more than “naive” to carry on and assume the stewards will let the 2 transgressions cancel each other out, especially when it was highly likely he would have re-passed in a few corners time had he given the place back.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
14th September 2021, 13:03
@drmouse He could have given the place back immediately, but given that he didn’t i think this was tactical from the team’s point of view. Bottas overtook Leclerc soon after Perez did, so he only had a short window to give the place back before he would also have to let Bottas through. I think Redbull would rather leave Perez in front to make sure Bottas didn’t gain more places and potentially win the race. There was also the chance that Perez would pull more than 5 seconds gap to Leclerc to offset the penatly.
It annoys me that intentionally taking the penalty rather than following the rules is sometimes a viable option, but that’s the way it is just now.
drmouse (@drmouse)
14th September 2021, 13:44
@keithedin
Thinking about it, you’re probably right, this was a calculated and intentional breach of the rules by RBR who felt they would have lost more by giving the place back than they would from an expect 5s penalty. You’re right, too, that it’s really annoying but to be expected.
Steve Rogers (@yossarian)
14th September 2021, 12:03
I’d add Norris to the stars. The only difference between him and Ric all weekend was the fact Hamilton had a bad start in the sprint, costing him a slipstream down to turn one. Other than that it could have easily been him winning on Sunday.
BasCB (@bascb)
14th September 2021, 13:43
I agree, @yossarian, well and then Norris had to pass Leclerc, who was ahead of him due to the timing of the SC. And his defensive drive as “rear guard” was key to the 1-2 win IMO, at least as much as Ricciardo getting ahead of Max at the start and pacing his race really well.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
14th September 2021, 14:08
Remember Norris got 2 warnings for track limits. That was a negative that could put him below Ricciardo IMO.
Balue (@balue)
14th September 2021, 19:57
@yossarian Exactly. He was a star again.
Balue (@balue)
14th September 2021, 20:07
His pass on Leclerc was simply superb
erikje
14th September 2021, 12:26
I replay the pit communication but could not find the “fuming” part.
Can you elaborate at that?
@keithcolantine
erikje
14th September 2021, 13:25
Found this piece.
https://youtu.be/8l0I60z0DDY
He said the F word once after the bad pitstop.
“Fuming” .. A bit over the top Keith.
Try to be a bit more objective.
David BR (@david-br)
14th September 2021, 14:59
Twice actually. If you’re going to bother to offer researched proof, at least be accurate yourself! He says what the f* and then ‘I can see that for f*s sake!’ Sounds fuming to me and just about anyone else I’d imagine. I don’t see the problem in reporting that – it was a f* up. The question is whether that irritation transmuted into the misjudged and penalized lunge on Hamilton (answer: yes).
erikje
14th September 2021, 17:38
Only one as a reaction on the pitstop.
That’s not “Fuming” but people who obviously dislike verstappen have no problem with stretching the reality.
David BR (@david-br)
14th September 2021, 19:03
I don’t dislike Verstappen! And actually I thought his response was fine/understandable! I disagree about ‘only one as a reaction on the pitstop’ though – he was clearly still swearing when back on track only because of the long pitstop. Fuming is accurate I think, nothing to do with dislike. I don’t ‘like’ the way he always assumes a corner is always his, but that’s another matter.
David BR (@david-br)
14th September 2021, 15:01
Actually three times! :)
He got in an extra f*s sake at the end… After his engineer said ‘I’ll leave you to it’ (probably not as in: leave you to crash out of the race…)
magon4 (@magon4)
14th September 2021, 15:33
Four times :) :) :) :)
David BR (@david-br)
14th September 2021, 12:45
Bottas and Ricciardo yes. Leclerc as a star over Norris is a bit of an outlier. I’d put Norris second.
Not exactly strugglers, but Hamilton and Verstappen both had dips in form at Monza, the rivalry seems to be making them a bit scrappier in judgment, neither imposing themselves on the weekend.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2021, 3:17
Indeed, several websites rated them 5\10, I personally disagree, I found only 1 website which made sense (apart from this, which put none as struggler nor star) and that is racing news 365, which gave an 8 to verstappen and 6,5 to hamilton, which sounds fair considering the subpar weekend by hamilton and verstappen’s bad sunday start (compared to ricciardo) and the incident, don’t think it has to be penalized too much, if hamilton passed would’ve been critical.
Horacio
14th September 2021, 14:25
. Could not match the Mercedes pace in qualifying, yet still happy with third, three tenths from Hamilton
. Inherited pole position from Bottas after passing Hamilton at the start but being unable to catch the other Mercedes
. Couldn’t contain Ricciardo’s rapid McLaren at the start of the grand prix
. Very slow pit stop cost him several places and left him fuming at his team
. Was judged predominantly to blame for the clash with Hamilton and given a three-place grid penalty for the next round
Clearly sounds like a struggler to me….
bosyber (@bosyber)
14th September 2021, 18:20
Yeah, I do guess there was some place in the struggler’s lane for him, not sure I’d put him as a struggler, he did in the end put in a very good Q3 lap and started the sprint well.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2021, 3:18
It leaves out a lot of info, verstappen is nowhere near a struggler, he did the maximum he could in quali and in the sprint race, and even in the race, save for the incident (debatable) and the start on sunday.
TFLB (@tflb)
14th September 2021, 14:25
Very generous star rating for Leclerc I think… he didn’t do anything special and with fresher tyres than those around him should have put up a better fight after the restart. Also I think Norris should probably be a star… excellent teamwork, and he did look as if he had the pace to challenge Ricciardo in the few laps after the restart if he’d been allowed to.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2021, 3:18
He destroyed his team mate, example in the first stint of the race he was the one keeping pace with leaders.
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
14th September 2021, 20:01
Keith AG should be spin, not crash
Balue (@balue)
14th September 2021, 20:14
Would add Sainz to the strugglers. Crashing hard and just lucky not to start from the back for the Q race, and subsequently poor position in the race, and far behind a sick team mate in the race.
rodewulf (@rodewulf)
15th September 2021, 18:13
@balue
I mostly agree. But, out of curiosity, have you ever said Sainz had been unlucky? To this date I’ve only seen the opposite.
Balue (@balue)
16th September 2021, 10:13
@rodewulf Can’t really remember if I have or even when he’s been unlucky. Mostly been lucky his whole career getting a new drive when dropped by teams, and by having gotten on the medias good side.
Again there’s an article about Sainz today, and guess what? He talks about his crash in the race with Giovinazzi in Monza: “I was lucky to get away with it because the impact was relatively heavy”
Balue (@balue)
16th September 2021, 10:13
https://clone.racefans.net/2021/09/16/sainz-pleased-for-mclaren-despite-worst-possible-result-for-ferrari/
rodewulf (@rodewulf)
16th September 2021, 16:49
@balue
He does indeed, and it’s not quite clear the reason for it. We saw everywhere on media such claims that he has been the driver who adapted to the car the fastest among those who changed teams in 2021, but after two crashes in practice for the last two racing weekends and relatively subpar results they had to revise it a little bit. They had just reinforced this impression mid-season, but in reality his struggles were there, albeit diluted along the season and not impacting too much his results. Sainz has been having his own merits on that due to some good strategy calls he participated in, but he can’t count himself unlucky most of the time, as he admitted in fact.
But apart from Ricciardo, he never had been that special in adapting to his new car quickly in comparision if one analyses it carefully. Vettel has been clearly better than last year driving for Ferrari (easy quest as he was abysmal, although he still had a “safe enviroment” to do worse but he didn’t); after initially struggling relative to his own standards, Alonso is once again squeezing the last bit of performance from a slower car specially during races, and so on – Sainz’s adaptation never really had been that incredible when you consider other factors than championship points.
I think pundits let themselves become overly impressed by an apparent superconsistency in Sainz performances as we can’t exactly say at which point of the season he struggled. However, his lows had been still there but gave the impression to be pulverised along the season. Now it’s coming back to haunt him, though, because by the same reason he looked unscathed early on the season by the team change, now he’s starting to look somewhat stagnant within his team relative to performance gains, specially if “true” Ricciardo is really back to the game. At least he admits it now, that’s the first step to really improve.
Balue (@balue)
16th September 2021, 19:14
Yes, but pundits are just taken with a handsome guy talking himself up more than anything. People are hero-worshippers by nature and will fool themselves to make it happen. Here is a son of rally champion with the same name saying how great he is, and people let themselves fall for it, twisting the facts to make it fit.
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
14th September 2021, 21:07
Well he took a new engine which clearly helped him a lot. Not just in Q3, but also in the Sprint and race.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2021, 3:20
This was probably a good idea for bottas in hindsight: if he needed an engine in any case before the end of the year, he only lost 10 points here and would’ve been a little slower with the old engine, here and in following tracks, including russia, where he’s usually strong.
Dave
15th September 2021, 11:43
Stars: People who think that crash was a racing incident.
Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
15th September 2021, 14:32
@keithcollantine I think you meant third for the sentence below for Bottas (he ended up on the podium)
Passed Leclerc and inherited fourth from penalised Perez after an unsuccessful move on the Red Bull driver