He now has the opportunity to surpass Sebastan Vettel's nine wins on the trot as the field heads for Monza.
Italian Grand Prix
Sunday 3 September
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
To Win Race Outright
Max Verstappen 2/9
Previous Race
Verstappen delivered the goods at his home Grand Prix with a vocal crowd serenading their hometown hero as he claimed his ninth win of the season. The Dutch ace led for most of the spectacle at Zandvoort, with teammate Sergio Perez only leading for a couple laps due to an early try change.
While Verstappen enjoyed a fantastic outing, Perez didn’t have the best time of it as a late mistake saw him give up two positions with Fernando Alonso (second) and Pierre Gasly (third) taking full advantage of the Red Bull man’s error.
Carlos Sainz would follow Perez across the line as he salvaged some valuable points for Ferrari after teammate Charles LeClerc had retired from the race. The top 6 would be rounded out by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
Lando Norris was next across the line with Alexander Albion had his sandwiched between Norris and his teammate’s, Oscar Piastri, Williams. While the final points scoring sport went to Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
Track
The circuit has gone through several redevelopments since it was opened in 1922, mainly in a bid to improve safety.
The 5.793km long track is situated in the Royal Villa of Monza park – this park has provided a fantastic backdrop for many a classic Formula 1 action shot.
Drivers will go head-to-head over 53 laps, which sees them cover a total of 306.729km.
Although the track has been turned into a much more sedate beast over the years, it still has some treacherous aspects to it.
Whilst Monza holds significantly fewer corners to challenge the drivers compared to the lakes of Spa, it still poses a few of the most infamous turns in F1. Parabolica, in particular, possess a threat; this 180-degree bend is famous for inducing the odd high-speed crash.
Another challenge for drivers is the Variante Ascari sequence which is a culmination of turns eight, nine and ten.
The two DRS activation zones are located on the start/finish straight and the straight between turn seven and eight.
Last year’s edition of the Grand Prix was won by Max Verstappen while Charles LeClerc brought his Ferrari home in second and George Russel claimed third.
It seems the field takes the rain with it as it travels this year with showers forecast for Sunday’s race day.
Value Bet – Podium Finish – Pierre Gasly – Yes
Gasly won at this venue back in 2020 where he took full advantage of a number of safety cars due to crashes from some big names.
He managed to bring his Alpine across the line in third at Zandvoort last weekend and I’ll be having a small crack on him replicating the dose here.
To Win Race Outright
Max Verstappen – Yes
It’s getting pretty boring tipping the race winner as Verstappen has to be the shout each week due to his dominance this season.
The Red Bull main man broke his duck in Italy last year and I can see him making it back-to back wins at Monza.
