Charles Leclerc and Ferrari were unable to win their home race, the Italian Grand Prix. Another lapse in strategic judgement allowed the victory to slip away and be reclaimed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Verstappen now has a 116-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers’ championship, while Red Bull leads Ferrari by 139 points in the Constructors’ championship. However, while one team laments missed opportunities, another rejoices as it cruises to gold in 2022.
I had to be cautious on the first lap, but we got off to a good start and were clean through the first chicane, which was the most important thing for me. Then we quickly climbed back to P3 and even P2. Then I could focus on Charles, and I noticed we had less tire degradation.
“Overall, if you look at the pace of our car this weekend, especially today, I think we were strong. The pace was good on every tyre, and we were comfortably the quickest on the track. You have to try and be as perfect as you can be, and we have been pretty good on most occasions this season.”
Mercedes-Lewis AMG’s Hamilton finished fifth
“This morning, the team said anywhere between sixth and fourth was possible, which always feels like a stretch when you’re looking ahead at the race – but I had a lot of fun working my way up to P5. The start was a struggle, with a heavy fuel load and the tires overheating in traffic, but we started to make progress as the race unfolded.”
“With the engine penalty, we knew this was going to be a tough weekend, so I’m pleased to come away with a P5 finish and to have gotten everything out of the car.” This wasn’t our best track, but we did everything we could as a team, and I’m hoping for some better weekends before the season ends.”
Williams, Nyck de Vries – 9th
“I’m feeling really good about today, and I believe it was critical to get a good start and a clean run into lap one.” I caught a DRS train, which helped me stay with the pack. However, I believe the pace was excellent, and we made sound decisions regarding strategy and tyre management.
“Driver of the Day makes me so happy, and I’m very pleased and thankful that I was given the opportunity, and I grabbed it with both hands; it was a great day for the team, and while grid penalties helped us, we did a great race, so I’m very happy for everyone in the team and for myself.”
“Hopefully, I’ll get a shot next year, but this is a dream come true, and I’m very impressed with what we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time, so I’ll go enjoy it now.”
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