F1, Italian Grand Prix: Race Predictions

The fastest circuit of Formula One did indeed live up to its expectations. The exhilarating qualifying session left everybody watching, breathless. As we now turn to the main event, every member of the sea of red bathing the stands in Monza would be hoping that the positions at the top don’t change at all.

Ferrari locked out the front row, with Kimi Räikkönen clinching his first pole position at Monza since 2006. To top it off, Sebastian Vettel followed his teammate to P2, ahead of championship rival, Lewis Hamilton.

Italian Grand Prix Qualifying Classification

The average speed record has been in place for a long time and it was finally beaten this year. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton came through the line with a new lap record to its name, but that did not last as long as the Briton would have hoped.

Both the Ferrari cars quickly one-upped him and Kimi Räikkönen took the spoils with a timed lap of 1:19.119. The new record now states a speed of 163.785 mph around the circuit of Monza. That was not the only record that the Finn shattered as he also became the oldest pole sitter in the history of Formula One since Nigel Mansell in 1994

The other surprise element of the session was Sergio Perez losing out on a Q2 entry because his team chose not to send him out for another run. While they believed the Mexican’s set time to be safe from others below him, he was pushed down by only a thousandth of a second as Romain Grosjean dropped him into the elimination zone.

Let us have a look at five race predictions for the Italian Grand Prix:

#5 Gasly justifies Red Bull seat

Pierre Gasly has become one of Formula One’s rising stars. He has time and again delivered results for Toro Rosso and the Italian Grand Prix qualifying was no different. As nip and tuck as the competition were, the 22-year-old held onto his nerves and ensured his team the entry into the Q3.

To make his performance seem even better, his teammate, Brendon Hartley was eliminated in the first part of qualifying and was stuck in P18. Gasly is only into his first complete F1 season and is already bringing in results for the team. It can be expected that the French driver retains his place in the points on Sunday as he starts in 9th place.

#4 Stroll’s love affair with Monza continues

Lance Stroll was hailed for his performance at the Italian Grand Prix last year when he qualified fourth and finished the race seventh. Once again, the Canadian driver was able to sneak into the top ten but this time it happened without the rain. This was the first time in 2018 that a Williams driver managed to get their car into the third part of qualifying.

Lance is slotted into 10th place and even with Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg fighting from the back of the grid, he is likely to fight tooth and nail for his position in the points. The Williams are in dire need of points as they linger dead last in the constructors’ standings and everybody in the garage would be rooting for the 19-year-old.

#3 Victory for Vettel

Sebastian Vettel would be starting on the front row behind Kimi Räikkönen but it is likely that the positions would get swapped on Sunday. The German trails behind championship rival, Lewis Hamilton, by 17 points and the team would be looking to minimize the gap as much as possible.

With eight races to go in the calendar, points advantage in each of those races is essential if Vettel is to hold up the trophy by the end of the year. He would be looking for opportunities, especially throughout the initial few laps to sneak past his teammate and grab the win for himself.

#2 Max Verstappen in the mix

It is always unwise to discount Max Verstappen who would be starting behind both, Ferrari and Mercedes, in P5. The 20-year-old is astonishingly quick at the start and would be lying in wait for any chances to grab the position from Valtteri Bottas in fourth.

The Dutch racer was pushed down the order as his best-timed lap in Q3 was almost a second and a half slower than Kimi Räikkönen in P1. It showed how much Red Bull Racing seems to be lacking as compared to their rivals but come race day, the energy drinks team can be expected to put up a better performance.

#1 A Ferrari one-two

Ferrari have been riding a strong wave ever since the summer break ended and they are not showing any signs of backing off. The Prancing Horse team would be hoping for two in two in terms of victories, especially in front of their beloved fans.

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel, both, would be making no mistake come tomorrow, and even with Lewis Hamilton on their tails, the boys in red are likely to finish in front of the others. The Scuderia’s pit crew have three fastest pit stop awards to their name in 2018, and another strong strategical performance can land the victory in their laps without any hurdles.

Edited by Sagnik Monga