Sunday is last, but this Friday Bottas goes to bed with the feeling of poleman. Mercedes fly in Monza, the Temple of Speed, and they remember that their engine is still at a distance from anyone who threatens to compete with them, with almost half a second of advantage over Red Bull Honda. Even so, not many expected that the Finn who left the team would prevail in the classification to the seven-time champion who is fighting for the World Cup. But that’s how it was Valtteri beat Hamilton by a slim margin of 19 thousandths that he found, as if by magic, when his engineers found him a slipstream.
But there is no magic: Bottas changed all the parts of the power unit and dragged a penalty on the grid on Sunday (not from Saturday). The advantage of having a brand new engine on a thorough track is enormous. But as much as he runs on Friday, and even if he can win the ‘F1 Sprint’ on Saturday, the Finn will deviate in the race that distributes the good points to make way for Hamilton in his crusade against Verstappen. Without wanting to abuse cycling terminology, the one that best defines the art of sprinting, Valtteri is just the pitcher of Mercedes.
The third best time of Mad Max, Almost half a second behind its rivals, it also opens the door to a possible Honda engine change that will allow it to reach the final third of the season with horsepower and reliability, when the title will be decided. Monza allows you to go back. It was no surprise that the McLarens clung to Verstappen’s wake. and ended, separated by thousandths, fourth and fifth. Norris and Ricciardo are strong candidates for the podium this weekend once the final grid is set up, with penalties. Gasly leaves behind them, in front of the two Ferraris.
Sainz comes out seventh and Alonso, 13th
But it wasn’t a bad day for the Maranello cars, far from it. Sainz and Leclerc settled from the start in the top-10 despite the usual stresses, traffic and the like, and they went comfortably into Q3. The pulse was won by the Monegasque initially, but in his last attempt the Madrilenian invented a tenth that places him seventh, just ahead of Charles. Without the engine they deserve, the SF21s are defending themselves at home, not dragging like they did in 2020. They will fight for points, because McLaren is too far away this weekend. Checo comes out ninth and a worthy Giovinazzi, tenth. The Italian plays the position.
Alonso did not pass Q2 and will start 13th in Saturday’s race, ahead of his teammate. The Alpine gave in to the Aston Martin, two single-seaters powered by Mercedes on the motor circuit par excellence, that doesn’t speak highly of Renault. The good news, that the Spaniard can fish in the sprint, as he did at Silverstone, and give a show, which is what this sport was invented for. The strategy offers two possibilities: go out with the soft tire to attack or with the middle to defend. It wouldn’t make much sense to defend a 13th.