Verstappen pays the piper

It’s eight o’clock in the morning Monza. Its sidewalks lit up with the red jerseys and caps of the fans ferrari who was walking towards him Race track. Along the road there were queues at the entrances. It was a big day for thousands of fans who filled the stands. In the crowd, there were few shirts ‘orange’ at the home of the rival, different from all Grand Prix, with stands full of orange regardless of the country. They are in bad land. Some have dared to wear Red Bull colors, but they will not be noticeable in so much red. It is a day of illusion. The ‘fan‘ They are not just dreaming of a win at Ferrari with Leclerc starting from pole. They believe it is possible.

The same illusion was felt in the atmosphere of a paddock full of politicians, actors, singers and more guests than many appointments. Nobody wants to miss the day when Ferrari can bring a smile to their fans with a home win that can save their year. There are stars of AC Milan as Giroud or Rafael Leaothe biggest influencer in the world, Chiara Ferragini, to his inseparable fedez (Italian singer), the actors Hugh Grant and Liam Cunninghamthe Olympic champion in the high jump, Gianmarco Tamberiformer Madrid coach Fabio Capello, and even Sylvester Stallone, among many others. Exactly, Leclerc appeared on the grid like Rocky. Towel around his neck, he floated on the massive support of the stands. He looks grown up and determined to do something great.

The President of the Italian Republic is also in Monza, with his guards, the magnificent Corazierri, over two meters tall, covered by a medieval helmet with hair on the back. And not to be missed by Andrea Bocelli, who lived a day to forget because of a musical problem that left him unable to sing the Italian anthem as planned. The singer was very angry, according to what they told MD. Just like those who are ultimately left without seeing the breathtaking finish they want due to the accumulation of mistakes in race direction and safety procedures.

The public could not believe that the race ended after the ‘Safety Car’. They dream again for a while, with something relaunched. But that return did not exist. Then a big whistle started. And when Verstappen took the microphone as the winner of the Italian GP, ​​most of the main grandstand took it from him with a deafening boo.

“No, it’s not,” said a veteran journalist in the press room. “In stadiums, okay, but in a circuit, no. It’s not football,” he added. It wasn’t Max Verstappen’s fault that race management took longer than necessary to bring out the safety car, with Ricciardo’s car immobile after stopping at a point where the crane couldn’t operate. Nor that the tractor that removed the car wasted more time than it should have. Nor was this security operation validated when it shouldn’t have been. That end could have been avoided and there are many culprits. But Max has to pay the piper.

Unconditional support

Contrary to what happens in most football fields when a team loses for the umpteenth time, no one leaves, neither before time nor after the race. People do not miss their appointment with the usual track invasion in this area. Despite the defeat, they once again showed the great heart with the shield of Ferrari that always reigns at the end of the festival of Monza, and two other large flags. And they lit their red flares. And when Leclerc started to speak, he had to stop before falling deaf “Hey, hey, Leclerc, Leclerc…”. As Marc Gené told MD, the ‘tifosi’ have unconditional support. To the poor and the mature. Sainz, to much applause, and Leclerc thanking him, came down to sign autographs for a long time on the finishing straight.

And the final surprise: everyone went crazy to see his great rival a few years ago, Lewis Hamilton, going straight to take a shower. From being booed years ago at Monza, to giving love to a crowd that needed cheering. Pure F1 on a circuit whose future is unknown after 2025. It could replace its presence on the calendar with Imola, but who knows. Tracks with so much history and unique fans should be F1’s legacy