2024 Italian Grand Prix: Top 5 Winners and Losers at Monza – Leclerc’s Triumph and Red Bull’s Struggles
Italian Grand Prix 2024 Updates: Top 5 Winners and Losers at Monza
Known as “La Pista Magica,” the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza produced another exciting race weekend. The Tifosi were overjoyed to see Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secure a dream victory. Not everyone, though, was as successful.
Let’s examine the top 5 winners and finishers from this remarkable competition.
Winner: Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc saw a second instance of “dreams coming true” this year, when he triumphed at Monza, the home of Ferrari and their devoted Tifosi, after winning his first race at home in Monaco. The Monegasque won for the second time this season and the eighth time overall thanks to flawless tire management.
In addition, it was his third podium in a row after two third finishes. He now trails championship leader Max Verstappen by 86 points and is only 24 behind Lando Norris.
Loser: Lando Norris
As Red Bull was having trouble at Monza, Norris saw it as an ideal chance to close the gap with title contender Verstappen. It got off to a great start when he secured back-to-back pole positions for the first time in his career.
Although he got a fantastic start, he lost two positions on the first lap, bringing his record of never leading the first lap when starting from pole position to seven.
Even though he closed the gap with Verstappen to eight to sixty-two, a victory would have made the deficit fifty-two, the equal of two Grand Prix victories with the fastest laps. In the end, he crossed the finish line in third place, his fourth podium in five races.
Winners: The Tifosi
The Tifosi travel in large numbers to Monza each year in the hopes of seeing a Ferrari driver take the top step of the podium.
Even though McLaren and Mercedes were formidable, there was still optimism after qualifying. On Sunday, the Scuderia’s fast race pace and audacious decision to make a one-stop maneuver helped Leclerc win, causing the raucous Tifosi that filled the grandstands to erupt.
Loser: Kevin Magnussen
After starting in 13th place at Monza, which was his best start since 2018, Kevin Magnussen finished in P10, earning his first point at the Italian race in ten years.
Although he was demoted from ninth to tenth place after the chequered flag due to his accident with Pierre Gasly, it would have been even better if there had been no penalty. In addition, the penalty points he received as a result of the punishment put him above the limit, and as a result, he is now prohibited from competing in Baku races.
Before being allowed to return to the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix, the Haas racer will have to observe from the sidelines.
Winners: McLaren
It may seem odd to you that McLaren is listed as the winners even though they were not expected to win the Italian Grand Prix, but bear with me.
Although it is never ideal to lose a race, they managed to gain a fair number of points while their rivals Red Bull suffered, thanks to their less dangerous strategy of stopping twice with both cars.
With 85 points apiece, Piastri and Norris have tied for the lead after five Grands Prix, giving them the advantage. In the constructors’ championship race, McLaren is only eight points behind Red Bull, the current leaders of the championship.
Loser: Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda, who was given the go-ahead to implement RB’s upgrade package (they hurried it through and only had one), had an unforgettable weekend.
For the second time in three races, the Japanese driver was eliminated from qualifying, although teammate Daniel Ricciardo advanced to qualifying.
He was then compelled to retire from the race on Sunday due to injuries sustained after he was struck by Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas.
Winner: Alex Albon
Alex Albon generally delivers, and he did it again at Monza on a weekend when Williams knew they had a vehicle suitable for that track.
He had a great qualifying run, making it into the third round in each of his four races at Monza, and he finished the race in fine style.
His one-stop work, good grain management, and ability to hold off Fernando Alonso all while staying near enough to Kevin Magnussen to take over the Dane’s spot after the latter’s 10-second penalty was applied to claim ninth place, were all displayed by him.
Losers: Red BullMax
Verstappen, the three-time world champion, expressed regret for yet another challenging weekend, stating that Red Bull should “basically change the whole car.”
Verstappen’s poorest qualifying result since missing the second round in Singapore came in at position P7, one spot ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
On a circuit where he won for the tenth time in a row the previous year, he closed the gap to the winner by one position to P6. With Perez in P8, the team leads McLaren by just eight points in the constructors’ title.
Winner: Franco Colapinto
Franco Colapinto, the newest addition to Williams, received a lot of plaudits after placing 12th in his Grand Prix debut at Monza.
The Argentine was quickly called up to take Logan Sargeant’s place permanently. After qualifying in the 18th position, he demonstrated exceptional handling of the hard tires to successfully execute a one-stop plan.
The 21-year-old accomplished an amazing performance considering that, prior to the weekend, he had never driven more than eight straight laps in the 2024-spec Williams. He finished eighth, just 13.852 seconds behind Albon.
Loser: Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri’s post-race look revealed the inner anguish he was experiencing following his heartbreaking failure to win his second Grand Prix.
For the seventh time in a row, teammate Norris outqualified the Australian, but he more than made up for it with one of the greatest passes in racing history, taking the lead and winning the race.
But when he boxed for the second time, he lost the lead, and even though he had tremendous pace to close the gap behind Leclerc, who was winning every lap, he ran out of laps to take the lead again.
