Emilia Romagna GP Report: Another exciting race in Italy
The third Grand Prix in Italy, this year, came in the beautiful region of Emilia Romagna. It was a classic track that hosted the race too. Imola is a high-speed circuit with tragic reminders of the dangers of motorsport.
Modernisation has taken place since that terrible weekend in 1994, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the drivers take on the challenges of this 4.9 kilometre track. The drivers were constantly on it like they are in Monaco. I can only imagine how much fun it was to drive.
Biggest Winner: Renault
A late Max Verstappen tyre failure meant that the safety car came out. A safety car is an excellent opportunity to get a pit stop done while other cars are going slower. Racing Point's Sergio Perez had managed to get up to third from eleventh on the starting grid through typically good tyres management and strategy. However, the decision to pit for fresh tyres gave him a faster car at the end of the race but lost him places despite the safety car conditions.
Who held on to the podium spot with his old tyres? Daniel Ricciardo. While many were disappointed for Perez, who finished sixth, it is difficult not to smile when Daniel Ricciardo is on the podium.- especially when he remembers to do a 'shoey' (drinking champagne from his boot - an Aussie tradition). Weirdly, Lewis Hamilton elected to join Daniel in performing the shoey on the podium - something the Brit previously vowed never to do. Maybe that's a sign of Hamilton being more spontaneous before retiring sooner than we think. His contract with Mercedes is yet to be signed for next season.
While it was all smiles for Hamilton and Ricciardo, the real winners are Renault. They sit pretty in a vital third position in the Constructors' Championship. With an incoming Alonso and a race package on the up, I sense that we could be seeing some more of Team Enstone on podiums next season.
Biggest Loser: George Russell
I hate to say it, but George Russell had a shocker. It was only one mistake, but that is enough. During the late safety car, the young Brit was running in contention for his first career points after another exceptional performance on Saturday. Weaving to heat his old, hard tyres, he lost the back end and crashed out of the race. George, along with most people watching, was gutted.
It was a rookie error, but that is why Mercedes have put George in the Williams seat. Many, including Lewis Hamilton, sent messages of support to Russell, reminding him of the importance of these hard days in making a Champion. George seems to have that growth mindset and will come back from it.
Fernando Alonso believes that George Russell is the most exciting young talent in Formula One right now. Fernando Alonso knows a thing or two about racing, so such a compliment means a lot.
George may have lost on this occasion, but if his stock is as high as most people believe, this is a moment from which he can grow a lot.
Moment of the Race: Hamilton's Time Trial
After snatching pole position off his teammate, Valtteri Bottas led the field away. But a poor start from Hamilton meant that Max Verstappen would split the Mercedes during the early stages of the race. Bottas was slowed significantly by a large piece of debris stuck beneath his car, which bunched the top three together, despite them pulling away from the rest of the field.
Hamilton was the first to complain of his tyres feeling second hand, which usually signals one thing, and it happened again. Verstappen pitted early, looked to gain an advantage from fresher rubber. This move forced Bottas to react with a pit stop on the next lap, allowing Lewis Hamilton to take the lead. Hamilton would then put in fastest lap of the race followed by fastest lap of the race for the following ten laps. Such searing pace brought Hamilton into a position where he would come out of the pit lane at least second place and potentially in the lead.
A returning Esteban Ocon would then cause a Virtual Safety Car to be deployed, slowing the field down and allowing Hamilton a cheap pit stop to retake the lead. It's a shame that we didn't get to see what might have happened, but you sense Lewis would have got past anyway. It was still fantastic to watch the soon to be seven-time world champion really push Mercedes' most fantastic car to the limit.
Honourable Mention: Alpha Tauri
Pierre Gasly had a stonking qualifying, starting the race in fourth position. Heart-breaking news would reach him just a few laps into the race that he needed to retire his car due to a loss of engine coolant. Motorsport is so frustrating, but that is what makes the great moments beautiful.
The Home team didn't give up though. Gasly's Alpha Tauri teammate, Daniil Kvyat, managed to finish in fourth place, following some great moves. With the Russian driver likely heading into his final four Grand Prix, this was a feel-good result. It will be a boost for the whole of Alpha Tauri that they could continue their run of form despite Pierre's disappointment.
AJontheLine Line of the Weekend: Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian put in a solid performance that could have given him and Ferrari a much-needed haul of points. Looking after his tyres, the German went long into the race and seemed as though he had made the powerful overcut work.
When he finally did come into the pit lane, he appeared to stay in his pit box for an eternity while his mechanics tried to secure his right-front tyre on the car. It wasn't anyone's fault in particular, but it had cost Seb and the team the race.
Eventually finishing thirteenth, a disappointed Vettel did his best to lift the morale of Ferrari. In Italian, he thanked the individuals who were responsible for the right-front tyres by name and told them not to worry about it. It would be easy to treat the team as badly as some at Ferrari have treated him, but Sebastian is a gentleman.
Imola was better than I expected it to be. It demonstrated that a race doesn't need masses of overtaking to be entertaining. The circuit is old school, and I hope that F1 returns soon. Speaking of returning, we do just that to Turkey. If you've got any spare time, go and watch the Grand Prix highlights in 2010 or the GP2 race in 2006. They may both foreshadow the biggest story of the weekend in a fortnight. Finally, we should do what Niki Lauda would have done and take our hat off to Mercedes. They have now won seven Constructors’ Championships in a row. When we talk about GOATs, Mercedes are unquestionably up there. Stunning.