Leclerc destroys McLaren and Monza goes crazy

The noise prevented the F1 engines from being heard. The burst of joy from the Italian ‘tifosi’ was overwhelming. After many hardships, in a career that seems destined for double the McLaren, Ferrariwith a great strategy very well executed by Leclercthey suddenly destroyed the ‘rocket’ that was the orange car. Charles Leclerc won for the second time at Monza beating Oscar Piastri (2nd at 2″6) and Lando Norris (3rd at 6″1)in an event where Carlos Sainz was not so lucky with the decisions on the wall, finishing 4th, on the edge of his desired podium to say goodbye to the Italian fans as he deserved.

It was a race full of strategy, marked by a high grade in the form of ‘graining’ (rubber chips sticking to the casing of the tires), which greatly affected everyone. There are many candidates for victory, but the big battle is finally between the two McLaren and the Ferrari. The orange cars and the Italians played a great game of chess with opposing moves to win. Ferrari put McLaren on the ropes with a different approach, reaching the final part of the event with options against a Piastre who shaved a second per lap off Leclerc after his second stop.

In the first part of the event, Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc in third place and Carlos Sainz, in fourth. But everyone will decide in the end. McLaren is two stops away. And those in red chose to surprise the opposite, going to just one pit stop. With 12 laps to go, Leclerc and Sainz stayed ahead. Piastri, 14 seconds behind (4 behind Carlos), had to attack everything to take the win. And Lando Norris, 5 seconds behind his teammate, will have to work harder to correct another mistake on his account this season.

Bad strategy for Sainz

Sainz was 10 seconds behind Leclerc and became a human shield in front of his fans. He wanted the win, but Ferrari chose to extend his first stint, although he abandoned his strategy at the halfway point, which took him away from the battle with Leclerc. So, after the second stop of the McLarens, with older tires, they had to try to stop Oscar Piastri as much as possible, as much as possible to protect Ferrari’s victory in Italy.

“My right front tire is almost dead, but I’ll try,” said Carlos. His position on the podium could be complicated as both Piastri and Norris will have to pass him. But he tried. However, Piastri’s superiority was immense. With 8 laps left, Oscar passed him with his orange rocket and better tires. Piastri was 11.5 behind Leclerc, with just 7 laps to go and Norris took the podium from Carlos with 6 laps to go very easily, something that left Sainz without the coveted podium prize on the day of his 30th birthday and his farewell to him. ‘tifosi’, in his last race in Italy wearing red.

Piastri shaved a second per lap off Charles, who had little left on the tires. But the tire’s advantage diminishes as the turns progress. The Italian public suffered, gnashed their teeth and laid their hands on their heads. It is unclear whether the Leclerc will be able to do this. But he endured. Without a mistake, perfectly completing the red plan, Charles conquered Monza again when little was expected of him against the best car on the grid.

Alonso, with honey on his lips

Fernando Alonso, who started 11th, was in the points zone for most of the race, but in the end was unable to make it. The Asturian, with fewer weapons than his direct rivals in the central zone on this track, tried a two-stop strategy to continue attacking at the end, but in the end was unable to overcome Magnussen in a good match, only 0″1 Danish left and to achieve a point that on Thursday seems like an impossible mission.

It is a miracle that he can be in the fight in a car where his teammate Stroll is second to last, 19th, the last car that can cross the finish line and, as Alonso said on Saturday , the worst car in the last sector. . With one of the worst cars in terms of speed, Fernando is about to break into the top 10.