The 2021 Italian Grand Prix will long be remembered for the second clash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but it was far from the only story that took place in Monza.
Six drivers battled it out in just a handful of seconds for victory in the final stages of the race among the top six, but an unwavering Daniel Ricciardo would not be denied his first win since 2018 and his first with McLaren.
Lando Norris secured a double victory for the team and thus opened the gap to Ferrari in the constructors’ championship in the Scuderia’s home race. Valtteri Bottas showed a punctual performance at the end of the week and announced that he will be leaving the team for Alfa Romeo next year.
The fight at the top was the focus, but here are a thing or two that may have gone under the radar after a dramatic Italian Grand Prix.
Mazepin is 21st in a championship with 20 drivers
It wasn’t a good rookie season for Nikita Mazepin
Grand Prix photo
Robert Kubica finished 14th in his last Alfa Romeo cameo instead of Kimi Räikkönen.
For the Haas pilot, it was a race to forget. The tensions in what was at best a frosty relationship with Mick Schumacher had risen after the Dutch Grand Prix, scenes in Monza hardly helped.
After the safety car restart for the Hamilton / Verstappen accident, Schumacher was free from his teammate who drove into the Della Roggia chicane, but a half-hearted look inward for Mazepin put his teammate in a spin that is beyond doubt the pit wall arrived safely.
Team boss Günther Steiner says the two cleaned the air after the race and Mazepin took full responsibility for the incident.
He has enough time to get a finish good enough to go back to Kubica from now until the end of the season, but it’s tough for the Haas rider.
Russell scores full points for Williams
Russell’s Italian GP points show that Belgium was no accident
Grand Prix photo
There is no asterisk on this one, George Russell earned Williams points at Monza during a full-length Grand Prix.
His spa podium was a high point for the team after a number of difficult years behind, but 2021 contains results that show the team has made steps forward.
Sprint qualifying at Monza marked the first time in his career a teammate “outqualified” him in Williams after Nicholas Latifi’s standout Saturday drive, but Russell’s rebound in the race that split the Alpines was a solid result for ninth place.
In the week that he was announced as a Mercedes driver for 2022, Russell showed his talent and battled Fernando Alonso in the closing stages for a point-paying position on a track that had been a weak spot for Williams in recent years.
He earned his Sunday points through merit in Monza.
Friendship fire at Aston Martin
Vettel’s right end plate was damaged during the race
Clive Mason – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images
The dark green cars ran during the Italian Grand Prix weekend with 007 James Bond graphics and the double-0 agents Stroll and Vettel got together on Sunday afternoon.
Honey Ryder was the car that took the worst. Sebastian Vettel suffered a front wing damage in the later battle with his teammate, which makes the second half of the Italian Grand Prix a very difficult task for the four-time champion.
An endplate damage meant that Vettel fought against the Haas and Alfa Romeo drivers for most of the race and was only able to regain 12th place.
To make matters worse, with Mick Schumacher at the first chicane when restarting, the Aston Martin driver had to deal with ground damage on the left rear right.
Ricciardo is back
Ricciardo took an emotional victory after a difficult period in his F1 career
Grand Prix photo
Daniel Ricciardo’s first McLaren F1 win was earned with every step. He secured the lead of the race in the first corner in front of Verstappen and did not let the opportunity slip by.
The post Vettel in the wars and decades of waiting ended: GP Italy 2021, what you missed first appeared on monter-une-startup.
