The Gran Premio D'Italia at Monza brought thrills, surprises, and drama as drivers battled for glory in front of a Tifosi-packed crowd. From Charles Leclerc’s emotional win to McLaren's mysterious 'Papaya rules' and Max Verstappen's continued struggles, join us as we review a memorable weekend in Monza.
McLaren Started Strong on Saturday, While Red Bull’s Struggles Continued
Lando Norris delivered another stellar performance in qualifying, securing pole position for the second consecutive week. This time, he had his McLaren teammate right behind him, resulting in a very favourable front-row lockout for the team. In a surprising twist, Max Verstappen only managed to qualify in P7, while the rest of the top ten shaped up largely as predicted. Notably, Alex Albon continued to impress by taking P9, making the most of his car's potential around this circuit, while F1 debutant and Williams teammate Franco Colapinto finished well behind in P18 after a minor mistake in Q1 left him unable to improve.
Our starting Grid for Monza 2024 (image www.facebook.com/Formula1)
Oscar Piastri Proved He’s No Wingman
Any notion that Oscar Piastri's role at McLaren would be as a wingman, there to help Lando Norris secure victory in his pursuit of the drivers championship, was quickly dispelled in the opening laps come race day. Norris finally broke his pole start curse, managing to hold his lead around the first corner. However his relief was short lived; an aggressive and bold move by Piastri at the second chicane saw him risk braking late to gain the advantage, taking the lead from his championship-contending teammate and pushing Norris directly into the path of Charles Leclerc. Leclerc seized the opportunity, making an easy pass to demote Norris to third on the opening lap.
What Are the Mysterious “Papaya Rules”?
While we saw unexpected action between the two McLaren drivers we also heard the first, but not last, radio mention of "papaya rules". What exactly do these rules entail? Well, it’s not entirely clear. In the secretive world of F1, we’re unlikely to ever fully know the agreements between teams and drivers, but it seems these rules allow Piastri and Norris to race each other, as long as they do so sensibly. Do they also include a clause against swapping positions? Perhaps. Lando certainly seemed unhappy about having to do so in Hungary and could have requested such an agreement. Could his own rule be coming back to bite him? Or maybe Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, has negotiated terms to ensure his driver doesn’t endure the same number-two driver experience Webber had at Red Bull against Vettel. Which leads us nicely to our fourth takeaway from Monza…
It Felt Like Time for McLaren to Choose a Number One Driver
Undoubtedly, McLaren are having an incredible year. They’ve built a car that not only wins races but does so consistently, and they have two of the best drivers on the grid—both of whom are race winners and potential future champions. Throughout the season, McLaren has emphasised that they haven't needed to designate a number one driver, seemingly prioritising harmony between their drivers.
However, the maths no longer makes sense for that strategy. By racing together and not swapping positions, McLaren ended up losing out. They missed out on crucial Constructors' Championship points, and their only driver with even a long shot at the 2024 Drivers' Championship lost out on valuable points that could have been easily secured with a team order.
Team Principal Andreas Stella has previously suggested that a number one driver might be considered, stating "Maybe if it is the last couple of races and there is a strong championship-interest for one of the two drivers, we may revise." Surely, particularly with Verstappen's current struggles, that time is now?
Franco Colapinto Makes His Debut
While McLaren may dominate headlines after Monza, the race was also the debut of Williams Racing Academy driver Franco Colapinto. Unfortunately, his weekend began with a blunder when his name was misspelt on the pit garage, emphasising how frantic things must have been behind the scenes to get everything in place in time.
Oops..... (Image x.com courtesy of @ElReyGuiri)
Though the error was quickly corrected, Colapinto’s struggles continued, qualifying in P18 after a challenging Q1. However, race day showcased his resilience; he finished a very respectable 12th, including his impressive first F1 overtake against Pierre Gasly. Not quite as dramatic as Oliver Bearman’s debut, but a very solid start for the young Argentinian.
A Weekend to Forget for VCARB
VCARB will want to erase this disastrous weekend from memory. The team’s troubles began early when Daniel Ricciardo received a penalty for causing an incident with Hülkenberg on the opening lap. To make matters worse, a mechanic inadvertently touched the front wing while serving this penalty, resulting in an additional 10-second penalty being issued and effectively dashing any hopes for points.
As Ricciardo’s race was derailed by time penalties, their other driver’s weekend came to an early end. A collision between Nico Hülkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda left Tsunoda with damage and ultimately forced him to retire on lap 11. Although it was an improvement over last year’s disaster, where Tsunoda didn’t even make it past the formation lap at this track, it’s still a tough result for the team.
But One to Remember for Ferrari!
Charles Leclerc celebrating his Monza win with the tifosi crowd! (Image Charles Leclerc Instagram)
When it became apparent that Ferrari were going to take a different strategy from the majority of the field, it would be understandable for fans to feel a bit apprehensive. Ferrari’s strategy has not always had a winning track record... However, a brave one-stop strategy, combined with Leclerc's outstanding tyre management, really paid off for them in this race as the Prince of Monaco became the King of Italy!
Monza is always a sea of red as the Tifosi flood the grandstands, so having a Ferrari win here means the world to the fans and the team. Charles Leclerc’s emotional radio message certainly left no doubt as to what this win meant to him: “Mamma mia, yes! Another time! This season has been a heart attack, full of highs and lows, but the highs are fantastic. Thank you all; truly, all the people in the factory did a 'Holy Mary' job to give us the upgrades. There’s still a lot of work to do… anyway, at our home, as in 2019, you’re incredible.”
I hope he managed to find time to celebrate before jetting off with Leo!
Finally, the Monza Drama Didn’t Stop at the Waving of the Chequered Flag
Magnusson now faces the consequence of a season of aggressive moves (created with imgflip.com)
As the tifosi and Ferrari team celebrated, the mood was surely very different in the Haas garage. In what felt like an inevitable outcome of his current racing approach, Kevin Magnussen exceeded the permitted number of penalty points in a year and received a race ban—the first issued in 12 years. He will therefore be replaced at Azerbaijan, with the drive presumably taken by Oliver Bearman, though this has yet to be confirmed.
What were your stand out moments of Monza? Do you think McLaren made the right choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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