Round 15 of the 2023 season saw the paddock embrace the Tifosi at the history Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. The Scuderia took a respectable P2 finish with Charles Leclerc in 2022, but with the sheer dominance of Red Bull, it looked to be an uphill battle to repeat that this year. Find out if home soil saw Ferrari turn their fortunes around:
Top of the class:
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz – Qualifying: 1st | Race: 3rd
Charles Leclerc – Qualifying: 3rd | Race: 4th
They may have lost positions in the race, however, this was by far Ferrari’s best team result of the season. Naturally, this being the team’s home race, the Scuderia threw everything at this race after a timid campaign so far. By bringing efficient aerodynamic changes and fresh power units, the team was ready to fight with Red Bull at the front.
It was the #55 side of the garage celebrating on Saturday after taking pole position, the second consecutive one for the team at Monza. He would also take home P3 on Sunday with a battling drive. The Spaniard finished less than 12 seconds off winner Max Verstappen, which was the closest margin the team had been all season after Charles’ podiums in Baku, Spielberg and Spa
Carlos also managed to legitimately lead the race for 14 laps – the most by a non-Red Bull driver at any single race so far this season – he also defended valiantly against Max, and Perez even fought off Charles to take the final place on the podium.
Charles also had a decent weekend, but this was one where he was simply less superior than Sainz. He did close up the gap at the end of the race, making Carlos work for the P3, but the Monegasque did not have the answers on this occasion.
It would have been easy for Ferrari to simply accept Red Bull’s ultimate superiority around this track and focus on securing the best possible (3-4) result, but to the team’s credit, they made a real race of things – even between their own cars.
The haul of 27 points was likely the best Ferrari could have achieved, although there have been missed opportunities earlier in the season where they had the resources to take the fight to Red Bull, notably Azerbaijan and Montreal. The result, however, sees Ferrari take P3 from Aston Martin in the Constructors Championship. Considering their surprise rivals hit a dip in form, this was the perfect weekend to capitalise.
Alex Albon – Qualifying: 6th | Race: 7th
Also making an appearance in this list is Alexander Albon. 12 months ago, he was struck down with appendicitis and forced to skip the Monza round. This year, he continued to impress in his Williams, utilising his skills in pace management and a slippery aerodynamics package to come home in P7.
The result equalled his best finish of the season, which came at Montreal, a track with a similar profile to that of Monza. Not only securing this result, but firmly placing Williams in the heart of the midfield fight. He may have lost out on P6 to a Mercedes, but Albon kept behind the McLarens who have been revitalised after their Austria upgrades.
The six points gained at Monza sees Williams leap to 21 points, 10 ahead of rivals Haas for that converted P7 in the Constructors, these points have all been scored by Alexander.
Honourable mention for this race goes to Valtteri Bottas. it’s admittedly been a pretty miserable run for Alfa Romeo this season, as they’ve got just 9 points on the board and no points since Canada. Valtteri changed that with a decent run to P10 from 14th on the grid, a fitting way to celebrate the special livery the team brought for their adoptive home race.
The struggle bus:
Alpine
Pierre Gasly – Qualifying: 17th | Race: 15th
Esteban Ocon – Qualifying: 18th | Race: DNF
Zandvoort was a particularly strong weekend for Pierre Gasly last time out, taking a perhaps unexpected podium in the rather chaotic encounter. What a crushing reality check this round was for Alpine, the poor straight-line speed of the Renault engine and reliability, the team’s Achilles heel, sprung up again.
A double-Q1 elimination meant that the drivers were consigned to occupying row 9 on the grid, the race was about as dismal as qualifying on Saturday. Pierre came home a lowly 15th whilst Ocon retired with steering issues midway through.
As a manufacturer, this result is simply not good enough for the team. Whilst their calls for engine concessions to catch up on the rest of the pack, the Anglo-French outfit finds themselves in no-man land in the Championship adfit from McLaren ahead and Williams et al. behind.
Lance Stroll – Qualifying: 20th | Race: 16th
The team’s dip in form post-Austria is rather alarming, but the #18 side of the garage has dropped to a much greater degree than his teammate. Eight points finishes before summer, and Monza was a crash back to earth.
To give Lance a bit of a break, his Friday running was ruined by reliability and subbing for reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, but the lack of pace in qualifying limited any hope of a decent result, Stroll was 9 tenths slower than 15th.
Sunday wasn’t much better for the Canadian. He only finished ahead of both Haas drivers, whilst Fernando Alonso took home points.
The team lost P3 in the Championship to Ferrari after their strong performance, and on current form, I can certainly see McLaren coming for that P4.
Dishonourable mention for this race goes to Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri for robbing the driver of the opportunity to race at Monza yet again. Two seasons ago it was brake failure, this time around it was the engine. Reliability and mistakes are rather clouding our ability to judge Yuki against stand-in teammate Liam Lawson, but these issues are also hindering the team’s chances of lifting themselves from the foot of the standings.
After an exciting double-header, the paddock bids farewell to racing in Europe with a trip to Singapore next on the horizon. The Marina Bay Circuit plays host to round 15 on the weekend of 16th & 17th September, check out who will shine under the lights with the race starting at 1 pm UK time.
