ROUND 16: 🇮🇹 Italy
FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2024
Circuit stats
- Circuit name: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
- First Grand Prix: 1950
- Number of laps: 53
- Circuit Length: 5.793 km
- Race Distance: 306.72 km
- Lap record: 1:21.046 Rubens Barrichello (2004)
- 2023 winner: Max Verstappen
With 8 Grand Prix and 3 Sprints to go Lando would need to outscore Max by 7.75 points on average every remaining race weekend. Considering Red Bull’s struggles with their car and competitiveness of Mercedes and Ferrari, just a mix of consistent podiums and wins would give Norris a good shot at WDC. Even today he closed the gap by 8 points, and there’s still Singapore and Qatar coming up, so I’m expecting a bigger swing in favour of McLaren. It’s baffling they aren’t using every opportunity to give Norris every possible point right now. I understand not wanting to strip Piastri of his first win in Hungary, but today their unwillingness to issue team orders cost them easy points.
On the other hand, good for Piastri. Unless McLaren takes a clear stance on prioritizing Lando, Oscar has no reason to act like his
doormatnumber 2 driver. It would be hard for him to shake that reputation, and who knows how the WDC fight will look like in 2025.Zak said in the pre race show that he has “2 number 1 drivers” so that is how they drive.
Now speculation mode on: I think behind the scenes Piastri’s manager Mark Webber is pulling some serious strings so his driver will not be treated as a number 2 driver…or should I say…Multi21 driver. Webber’s been in that situation and he’ll make very sure it ain’t happening under his watch again.
Yeah, when Oscar overtook Lando today in lap 1 the Austrian commentary was like “that’s a Mark Webber move”.