While Max Verstappen is looking likely to defend his world championship after a four-race winning streak, the race for second is still very much on.
Charles Leclerc is locked in a tight battle with Sergio Perez, George Russell and team-mate Carlos Sainz for second spot, and the Ferrari driver will be hoping to solidify that place in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix.
The Scuderia have not had much success in their home race in recent years, and they will face some stiff competition from resurgent Mercedes in their quest to turn their fortunes around at Monza.
Talking Points
Ferrari need to find some form at home
At this point, it’s safe to say that Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are out of the running for both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, with Max Verstappen and Red Bull simply too good and too consistent to catch.
But the Scuderia better be careful, because Mercedes are breathing down their neck for second spot as they’ve capitalised on Ferrari’s lack of form.
Leclerc finally got back on the podium for the first time in four races in the Dutch Grand Prix, but he was still decidedly off the pace compared to Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell, who finished second.
Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz also had a disappointing race as he similarly lacked in pace and dropped down to eighth – his lowest finish of the season – after a five-second penalty.
So it goes without saying that Ferrari simply need to provide some Italian Grand Prix 2022 highlights in their home race at Monza. While it won’t do much for this season, they need to start building momentum during the last few races for next year.
More Verstappen dominance at Monza?
Max Verstappen has been on a massive tear of late. He’s won four races in a row – the first time he’s achieved the feat in his career – and is odds-on to win his second successive championship.
The Dutchman did get a decent challenge from Lewis Hamilton last time out in the Dutch Grand Prix. The Brit had a legit shot at winning, but the Red Bull driver still came out on top.
That just seems to be how things go nowadays. With 10 wins in 15 races this season, Verstappen is simply on a different level from his competition. Even when he starts in 14th as he did in the Belgian Grand Prix, he still finds a way to come storming back to the top.
And while the Italian Grand Prix 2022 betting odds have Verstappen as the overwhelming favourite, whether that dominance will carry over to Monza remains to be seen, though. Verstappen does not have a particularly good record at Monza; he’s retired there in each of the last two races and his best-ever finish there was fifth in 2018.
But this is as good a time as any for Verstappen to end his Monza struggles. He is in the form of his life at the moment, and it doesn’t seem as if anyone is capable of stopping him.
Mercedes look to offer stiffer competition
It seemed earlier in the season that Ferrari would be the team that would offer the biggest challenge to Red Bull’s dominance. But as the season has progressed, it has been Mercedes who have offered the stiffest competition.
George Russell has been a revelation in his first season with the Silver Arrows. He has been mister consistent on the grid, finishing in the top five in every single race bar the British Grand Prix, where he suffered his lone retirement of the season. And after five third-place finishes, the young Brit finally climbed a step on the podium as he finished second in the Dutch GP.
Not to be outdone, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton has been resurgent after some early-season struggles. The 37-year-old is still searching for his first victory of the season, but as mentioned earlier, he was very much in contention for the chequered flag at Zandvoort.
With Ferrari failing to get out of their own way for most of the season, Mercedes have simply minded their business and continued their steady improvement. They now pose the most realistic threat to Red Bull and will look to keep that momentum going at Monza.
History
The Italian Grand Prix has thrown up some surprising results in recent years. Last season, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo came from nowhere to claim his first chequered flag in three seasons. And the year before that, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly shocked the F1 world has he claimed the first victory of his career at Monza.
Charles Leclerc won in 2019, which was Ferrari’s first victory in their home Grand Prix since Fernando Alonso in 2010. During the years in between, Lewis Hamilton dominated Monza as he won the race five times. With those five wins, Hamilton remains tied with the great Michael Schumacher with the most Italian Grand Prix titles.
What are the odds?
To the surprise of no one, Verstappen is still quite clearly the man to beat at Monza. SBOTOP odds have the Red Bull driver as a 1.40 favourite over any other driver to win the Italian Grand Prix for the first time. Perhaps the more interesting odds are the team head to head between Ferrari and Mercedes. Despite the Silver Arrows consistently outperforming the Prancing Horse in recent races, the two teams are dead even at 1.91 apiece to come away with the most points.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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