Holy mac’n’cheese balls, what a race.
McLaren’s first win since Brazil 2012 wasn’t even the main talking point, that accolade instead going to another race ending crash between championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
It is therefore only right to grade every single driver, both finishers and non-finishers, as the brilliant 2021 season took yet another turn.
1st. Daniel Ricciardo – 10
Daniel Ricciardo is a race winner again.
More than three years since his last win in Monaco, the 32-year-old expertly controlled proceedings at Monza after getting ahead of Max Verstappen off the line.
It was a welcome sight to see the popular Aussie back on the top step of the podium, especially after a difficult first season with McLaren. He even had the fastest lap to boot, taking the point away from Valtteri Bottas on the final lap.
2nd. Lando Norris – 10
The highest finish of his F1 career to date, Lando Norris moved into second place virtue of a magnificent overtake on Charles Leclerc, the Briton dipping a wheel onto the grass as he passed the Ferrari on the inside of the Curva Grande after the safety car restart.
Thereafter he played the team game perfectly: the Briton thought he had the pace to challenge Ricciardo but instead stuck to team orders, holding station behind the Aussie to ensure McLaren scored their first one-two since Canada in 2010.
Arguably the driver of the season so far, race wins will come for the 21-year-old.
3rd. Valtteri Bottas – 9.5
After starting from the back of the grid, a third-place finish represented the best performance of Valtteri Bottas’ season.
Bottas, who told his Mercedes team that he would finish on the podium before the race had started, banked more vital points in the Constructors’ championship after beating the Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
The winner of the sprint race on Saturday, Bottas was also faster than his teammate for much of the weekend, perhaps proving a point to Mercedes after they decided to sign Russell over him for next season.
More of this please, Valtteri.
4th. Charles Leclerc – 9
4th place was about the best the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc could hope for in Monza.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the Monegasque would even send the Tifosi wild with a podium finish, sitting in second place after the safety car following the Hamilton-Verstappen crash.
The Ferrari lacked the straight-line speed of Norris’ McLaren and Bottas’ Mercedes, however, meaning there wasn’t much Leclerc could do to keep them behind.
Still, it was another strong performance from a driver in great form, also a winner with Ferrari around Monza in 2019.
5th. Sergio Perez – 7.5
Why did Sergio Perez not give the position back to Leclerc after overtaking him off track at the Della Roggia chicane.
Red Bull can complain all they like that the FIA didn’t respond to their inquiries about the move, but the fact is they should have told Perez to give the place back as well.
Finishing third on the road, the consequent 5-second penalty cost Perez – who had driven well up that point after starting 8th – a podium.
6th. Carlos Sainz – 7.5
For the second race in a row, Carlos Sainz just didn’t have the race pace of his teammate.
The Spaniard, who had actually started the sprint race ahead of Leclerc after beating him in qualifying on Friday, complained of both a lack of top speed and the rear sliding around after the race.
He also suffered a heavy crash for the second week in a row, losing the rear at the high speed Ascari chicane in FP2.
Nonetheless, sixth place still represents another decent haul of points for the 27-year-old.
7th. Lance Stroll – 8
Lance Stroll always seems to go well around Monza.
His success this weekend came at the detriment of his teammate, however, Stroll pushing Vettel wide when overtaking him at the first Lesmo on lap 1, a move that cost Vettel three places as the two Alpines also passed the German.
Stroll did defend well against Fernando Alonso behind, however, although the Spaniard was critical of the Canadian for failing to slow down for double waved yellow flags, something the stewards investigated after the race.
Stroll kept his 7th place though, a much-needed result following a scoreless three-race run.
8th. Fernando Alonso – 8.5
Fernando Alonso really is one of the best performing drivers on the grid right now.
The Spaniard, who has scored points in eight of the last nine races, produced a brilliant overtake in the sprint race on Saturday, passing Sebastian Vettel on the inside of the first Lesmo.
The Alpine struggling for pace around the high-speed Monza circuit, Alonso then improved his position in the race thanks to the collision between Verstappen and Hamilton.
9th. George Russell – 8.5
It says a lot about the drama of the Italian Grand Prix that George Russell getting points in the Williams went relatively unnoticed.
The first race since his move to Mercedes for 2022 was confirmed, the Briton had actually struggled for pace in an unstable car, starting the sprint down in 15th and then being outqualified for the race by his teammate.
Once he got into the points following the safety car, however, Russell kept the faster car of Esteban Ocon behind him to ensure he finished inside the top 10 for the third time in four races.
10th. Esteban Ocon – 7
Esteban Ocon was disappointed with his and Alpine’s result on Sunday, the timing of the safety car and then a number of small collisions disrupting his progress.
One such collision came against the Aston Martin of Sebastian Vettel, Ocon not leaving a car’s width at the Della Roggia chicane and consequently incurring a five-second penalty from the stewards.
The Alpine driver held on for P10, though, extending his scoring streak to five races and ensuring Alpine increased their lead over AlphaTauri in the Constructors’ championship.
11th. Nicholas Latifi – 8
At the 30th attempt, Nicholas Latifi finally outqualified George Russell!
It wasn’t over the traditional format, Latifi finishing ahead of his teammate in the sprint to start Sunday’s race ahead, but that doesn’t matter.
Unfortunate to finish outside the points, the Canadian had also been ahead of Russell on genuine pace until he pitted a lap before the Hamilton-Verstappen crash, that move dropping him down to 14th.
12th. Sebastian Vettel – 6.5
A second consecutive race that Sebastian Vettel has finished outside of the points, the German’s race was effectively ruined at the start by his teammate, Lance Stroll sending it up the inside at the first Lesmo in a move that cost the German three places.
A three-time race winner around Monza, Vettel didn’t quite have the pace to overtake those in front of him thereafter, suffering from an ERS problem and having to settle for 12th place.
13th. Antonio Giovinazzi – 8
When will Antonio Giovinazzi catch a break?
Fighting for his seat at Alfa Romeo, the Italian qualified a career-best seventh for the second consecutive race, only to see it all disappear again on Sunday.
Unlike last week, he got off to a great start, passing Sainz into turn 1 and challenging Leclerc for fifth before a small mistake at the Della Roggia chicane, Sainz then wiping Giovinazzi out as the Italian re-joined the track.
With rumours increasing that he is likely to be replaced, Giovinazzi really needs to start converting his good Saturday performances into points.
14th. Robert Kubica – 7
It was a valiant effort by Robert Kubica for the second weekend in a row.
Beaten by the Haas of Mick Schumacher in Friday evening’s qualifying, a mistake on the first lap of the sprint dropped the Alfa Romeo driver another place to the back of the grid, although he did pass Schumacher to start the race in 18th.
The Pole made further made up for his errors on Sunday, finishing just 2.5 seconds behind his teammate and improving on last week’s 15th place finish.
If that is to be his last F1 race, it was a solid ending.
15th. Mick Schumacher – 6.5
As has been the case throughout this season, there wasn’t much more that Mick Schumacher could have done in a car that is by far the worst on the grid.
The German actually did well in Friday’s qualifying, again faster than his teammate Nikita Mazepin but also beating the Alfa Romeo of Robert Kubica.
He struggled for the rest of the weekend, though, losing out to Mazepin in the sprint and starting Sunday’s race from last.
Schumacher’s race was then disrupted on lap 1, Mazepin making contact with the German and spinning him around.
DNF
Nikita Mazepin – 5.5
Nikita Mazepin outqualified his teammate for the first time this season, enjoying a good sprint qualifying to start Sunday’s race from 17th.
That was about as good as it got for the Russian, Mazepin hitting Schumacher at the second chicane on lap 1 and later retiring from the race with engine problems.
But hey, at least it wasn’t the Russian that spun this time, I guess.
Lewis Hamilton – 6.5
Lewis Hamilton certainly could have given Max Verstappen more space going into turn 2.
However, after the Dutchman has repeatedly run the Mercedes driver off the road this season, including at turn 4 on the opening lap in Monza, Hamilton was entitled to be aggressive and shut the door.
Excluding the incident, Hamilton had uncharacteristically struggled around Monza, starting the sprint on Saturday behind Valtteri Bottas and then losing three places after another poor start.
Having lost two points to Verstappen over the course of a weekend where the Mercedes was quicker than the Red Bull, the Italian Grand Prix could prove to be a pivotal moment in the championship.
Most importantly, though, Hamilton emerged from his crash with the Dutchman relatively unscathed, the halo again showing its worth and preventing a very nasty accident.
Max Verstappen – 7
Max Verstappen was entitled to put his car round the outside and then up the inside of Hamilton at the first chicane.
When he saw that Hamilton closed the door, however, he should have backed out, instead running over the curbs to the left of him in a similar fashion to what Hamilton had done at the second chicane on the opening lap. For him to say that Hamilton never leaves a space was also a bit hypocritical.
Nonetheless, while the incident was more his fault, he shouldn’t have got a penalty.
Up to that point, the 23-year-old had looked in a great position to extend his championship lead, before a surprisingly slow pit stop dropped him back into Hamilton’s clutches.
Pierre Gasly – 6
AlphaTauri’s record of being the only team to score in every race this season came to a sad end in Monza.
Pierre Gasly, who won last year’s race, never got going in the race, the Frenchman’s suspension not fixed properly after his crash in the sprint.
Did not start
Yuki Tsunoda – 6
Yuki Tsunoda didn’t even get to start the Italian Grand Prix after an electrical problem affected his AlphaTauri.
The Japanese rookie had again struggled across the weekend, though, being knocked out in Q1 on Friday while his teammate qualified in sixth, and then failing to make up any positions in the sprint.
