Italian Grand Prix – Leclerc under pressure, offensive Verstappen, overtaking: The GP in question

What time does the race start?

3 p.m. For 53 rounds.

Will Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) hold up under pressure?

That’s the question ! He already has that of running in front of his public, in addition to the obligation to take points from Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to postpone the expiry of the title after Singapore, the next Grand Prix.

The worrying thing is above all that he has only converted two of his pole positions into victory this year, and that he cracked the lead at Le Castellet. The first test will be the start, with a 458 meter run to the first corner.

Another surprise winner?

Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) are the last two winners to date at Monza. We didn’t see them coming, to say the least. So who will succeed them this Sunday? George Russell (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren), second and third at the start, are the perfect candidates.

What series can Alpine pursue?

That of consecutive arrivals in the points. The Dieppe brand scores every time since the Spanish Grand Prix and Fernando Alonso is well placed to add a prize-winning 11th result. He starts 6th, while Ocon is 14th.

How likely is Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to win?

100%! That doesn’t mean he’s going to win, but he has all the cards in hand, without fearing the slightest weakness on his RB18. Because if we saw the upper flap of the No. 33 of “Checo” Pérez vibrate during free practice 1 and 3 at the opening of the DRS, the reigning world champion never experienced an alert this weekend. end. And before qualifying, he made the important decision to add downforce to his machine, which carries the biggest fin in the peloton without suffering too much. In the story, it just sacrificed top speed.

“I just need to free myself from the cars between us. Then I’ll have a good chance”, he launched. A real warning for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari…

What result is Max Verstappen (Red Bull) aiming for in Singapore?

He is 109 points ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and his teammate, “Checo” Pérez, and he will have to have 138 on the evening of the Singapore Grand Prix to pocket his second title. He must therefore take three points from them on Sunday to bend the case in the city-state.

What is special about Monza?

The cars carry the smallest fins in order to boost the Vmax and limit the drag. As a result, the drag reduction is lower when opening the DRS. Which then increases the speed by about 15 km/h. Two times less than usual, and not enough to ensure overtaking.

The 2021 race offered 16 overtakes without DRS and 6 with.

What strategy for the race?

It’s the clearest of the year: a stop for everyone, except the safety car. PIrelli puts forward a slight degradation to explain this, as well as a long pit lane (417 meters). We should see the competitors start in “soft” and finish in “hard”.