The Championship battle continues as Ferrari hope to spoil the party with a home race victory at Monza

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Last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix, Max Verstappen gained the upper hand in the title battle as he won his home race in front of the adoring fans at Zandvoort.

The Dutchman will look to keep his advantage at the top of the drivers’ standings as Formula 1 travel to Monza for the final race of the European triple-header.

Sticking with the last race at Zandvoort, the carnival-like atmosphere made the race extremely special as Zandvoort appeared on the calendar for the first time in 36 years after last year’s race was cancelled.

Max Verstappen qualified on pole position with a stunning lap and he was joined by championship rival Lewis Hamilton on the front row. Antonio Giovinazzi produced a moment of brilliance as he put his Alfa Romeo car into seventh on the grid, but would drop outside the points during the race.

Off the line, the Red Bull driver lead into turn one and held the position until the very end as he crossed the line to win the Dutch Grand Prix in front of his home crowd. The top five remained unchanged as Hamilton finished second, Valtteri Bottas in third, Pierre Gasly in an impressive fourth and Charles Leclerc in fifth.

Heading into the weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, Monza, the home of the Tifosi, is certainly an iconic circuit that has witnessed many magical moments in the last couple of years.

Pierre Gasly’s victory in 2020 was a surprise to everyone but proved once again that The Temple of Speed produces long-lasting memories.

The 5.793km circuit has been on the F1 calendar since 1950 and sees the drivers going at full throttle for 75% of the lap.

Ferrari are the constructor that has recorded the most wins at the Italian track, but recent dominance by Mercedes could disrupt the Scuderia’s party.

With Max Verstappen also at the top of the drivers’ standings, Hamilton will want to return to the top and have a bit more luck after his penalty in last year’s race.

Top 10 Predictions

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1. Lewis Hamilton

The Brit will be determined to make regain the championship lead after Verstappen’s race victory last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix. With Mercedes at the top of the constructors’ championship and Hamilton without a victory in the last two races, he will look to bring his A-game to Monza.

2. Max Verstappen

After a successful maiden home Grand Prix, the Dutchman will continue his heated battle with the Mercedes of Hamilton, but in the end, Verstappen will fall short and cross the line in second place which will see his championship rival reclaim the top spot.

3. Charles Leclerc

A positive weekend for Ferrari is due and it will come at their home race at Monza. Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz has one more podium than the Monegasque driver, but they will have two apiece after the Italian Grand Prix with Leclerc finishing in third place.

4. Valtteri Bottas

His time at Mercedes comes to an end after this season and Bottas will be determined to end his career at the Silver Arrows in a positive manner. Finishing fourth is the best that it’ll get for the Finn as he narrowly misses out on the podium.

5. Sergio Perez

The Mexican’s fightback at the Dutch Grand Prix proved why Red Bull employed him in the first place. However, Perez needs to show that he is capable of comfortable races after a decent qualifying performance, but with sprint qualifying this weekend, it could throw another spanner in the works as the Mexican has another challenging race.

6. Lando Norris

One point in Zandvoort last time out was as best as it got for the Brit after a terrible qualifying that saw him miss the top 10 shootout for the first time this season. Norris will return to Q3 at Monza however and a routine P6 finish will follow.

7. Carlos Sainz

In the dying embers of the Dutch Grand Prix, Sainz was overtaken by his fellow compatriot Fernando Alonso for sixth place. The Spaniard will race for the first time in scarlet red colours in front of the Tifosi and will secure another points finish and another seventh place.

8. Fernando Alonso

Alonso seems to have a lot of things going for him at the moment as the season progresses. The Spaniard showed his class and experience will a couple of lap one overtakes at Zandvoort and it will be the case again as he narrowly misses out on Q3 but still manages to get some points on the board.

9. Esteban Ocon

Similarly to his Alpine teammate, Ocon has made steady progress and of course earned his first-ever Formula 1 victory at the Hungaroring. The Frenchman will finish behind his more experienced teammate but gain valuable points for his team.

10. Daniel Ricciardo

The Honey Badger has settled into McLaren relatively well and will look to continue to improve at his new team. With that in mind, point finishes are crucial for Ricciardo to show that he is making progress and finishing 10th at Monza will be as best as it’ll get for the Australian.

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