Race Report: Italian Grand Prix 2023

The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza - one of the most historic circuits in Formula One, was back for another year to host the Italian Grand Prix. And, with Ferrari looking strong throughout the weekend, leading up to the race; many found the long-awaited optimism that Red Bull and Max Verstappen could finally be stopped in their tracks from making even more history and extending their consecutive win streaks.

Ferrari, racing in front of their beloved Tifosi, started the weekend in the most unexpected way - showing more pace than Red Bull. Something which was confirmed when Carlos Sainz beat Max Verstappen to pole by +0.013. The second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc would join them in the top three.

Race day, and for once the sun is shining - after several races this year have found themselves shrouded in rain. The majority of the field will be starting on the yellow striped medium tyre. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen have gone with the hards. The grid clears, and Sainz gets off the line, leading the field away for the formation lap.

However, the drama begins before the race even starts, with an Alpha Tauri pulling off the track. Yuki Tsunoda seems to have had an engine failure on the back straight, which means an aborted start for the rest of the drivers who have made their way back to the grid. By the time the field makes it back after a second formation lap, Tsunoda's car is still stricken, with no word from Race Control on what will happen next. Eventually, mechanics are allowed onto the track to tend to their cars while Tsunoda's car is loaded onto a trailer and moved to safety. Ten minutes have passed and a third formation lap is now underway, reducing the race from 53 laps to 51, compensating for the extra formation laps. This time, everything goes to plan. And, with 19 drivers lined up, the lights go out. The race is finally underway.

It's a clean start for everybody with Sainz leading the pack into the first chicane, Verstappen and Leclerc hot on his tail. George Russell and Sergio Perez complete the top five. Although positions have stayed static at the front of the field, there's movement further down with the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg passing Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin. On lap two, Alexander Albon regains sixth position that he lost to Oscar Piastri at the start of the race, whereas Lewis Hamilton goes wide at the Parabolica, dropping back from the second McLaren of Lando Norris, in the process. But by the time DRS is enabled, it's still Sainz leading out front.

Verstappen, who is staying within a second of Sainz, is noticing that the Ferrari is "already sliding a bit," something he reports to his team over radio. Is this why he doesn't seem in any hurry to attempt an overtake? However, the Red Bull driver starts thinking about it at the start of lap six, going into the first chicane. Sainz cuts him off, with Verstappen venting over team radio, telling his team "that was naughty." Leclerc, who is waiting to pounce in third, gets closer to the top two while they tussle for position.

Another battle starts brewing for fourth position between Russell and Perez. Russell finds himself having to defend the inside line at turn one. His Mercedes team, however, asks the British driver for some tyre management, something Russell is unable to focus on while he is under attack from behind. By the start of lap eleven, the two are still battling with Russell consistently out-braking Perez into the first turn.

Also on lap eleven, the first action begins in the pitlane with Pierre Gasly pitting for Alpine. Zhou Guanyu also pits, covering a potential undercut by the French driver. Liam Lawson, still deputising for Daniel Ricciardo at Alpha Tauri, is in aswell, attempting an undercut on Fernando Alonso that could push him into the points. During this there is also action at the front of the field, with Perez and Russell both missing the first chicane. "He pushed me off," Perez tells his engineer. They stay as they were, unlike our leaders. On lap fifteen, there's a big lock up for Sainz going into turn one, giving Verstappen the momentum to attempt a move around the Curva Grande. At the second chicane, the Red Bull gets the move done, relegating Sainz to second. Verstappen is quick to create a two second gap to the Ferrari, as Sainz falls back into the clutches of Leclerc. One lap later, the second Red Bull of Perez finally gets past Russell, making the move stick for fourth.

Hamilton and Bottas, who both started on the hard tyre, currently find themselves in eighth and tenth as those around them start to pit. This includes Sainz who tells his Ferrari team "tyres are nearly finished." He returns to the track in ninth, on hard tyres. Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez also pit, switching to the hards. An incident quickly gets noticed by the stewards for Russell gaining an advantage over the Alpine of Esteban Ocon at pit exit. He is slapped with a five second time penalty. Down at McLaren, team personnel find themselves having to hold their breaths as there is a close call between their drivers, as Piastri leaves the pit lane. He bashes tyres with Norris going into turn one, but all is ok and the two carry on.

Hamilton, who is yet to pit, momentarily leads the race. Unfortunately, for the seven time World Champion, it's not for long, with Verstappen passing him on the start/finish straight. The Ferrari duo still sit behind Verstappen and follow him pass the Mercedes who pits at the end of the lap. He's gone from the hard tyre to the mediums, something that seems to concern him. "It's a long way to go on this damn tyre man." 23 laps remain.

Perez, in the second Red Bull, starts to catch the Ferrari duo. Leclerc, ahead of Perez, becomes a problem for the Mexican, as he has DRS from his teammate. But, after several failed attempts at an overtake at turn one, Leclerc looses DRS and Perez pounces on lap thirty two, taking the final podium spot. His next target is Sainz. As for Verstappen, he is well over six seconds ahead of this battle, posting the fastest lap of the race. A 1:25.240.

There is also a battle on-going for the final point positions. Albon, who currently sits in sixth, is defending from Norris, who cuts the first chicane while attempting an overtake. As per racing rules, his gives the place back to the Williams driver. While this still rages on, Piastri and Hamilton catch up to the back of the Williams and the McLaren. But, as Hamilton attempts a move on Piastri at the second chicane, the two make contact, with the former having to pit for a new front wing.

Back at the front, the Sainz v Perez v Leclerc battle is heating up, with Sainz having to defend over the charging Perez, who is still being out-braked into turn one. Elsewhere, a retirement seems to have gone under the radar with Esteban Ocon ending his race in the pits. But, for Piastri and Hamilton, the previous incident between the pair is now under investigation. Replays tells us that Hamilton pulled across Piastri, squeezing him in the process. And, alas, it's a five second penalty for the Mercedes driver. After his front wing change, Piastri goes and sets a new fastest race lap, with a 1:25.072.

Sainz and Perez are still battling into turn one, with Perez having to take to the run off. "He's moving under braking," Perez complains over team radio. He tries again the next time around and again, takes to the run off. But, on lap forty six, he manages it, taking second place away from the Ferrari at their home race. As for Sainz, he now has his teammate breathing down his neck, and low tyre grip gives Leclerc a chance into turn one. However, Leclerc's braking is all wrong and Sainz keeps third. They battle, side by side, all the way around the Curva Grande to the second chicane. It's relatively clean racing from the pair, despite nearly coming together.

Hamilton, with his looming penalty, is making up ground by getting past Norris and Albon. He needs five seconds to the driver behind for his penalty not to have any effect. But, back to the action for the final podium spot and the Ferrari duo are back at it. With just a couple of laps left to run, Sainz has a horrific lock up into turn one but manages, somehow, to still hold Leclerc behind. He tells his team "let's bring this home." Leclerc, on the other hand, is told "no risk. Race until the end." So, race but don't race, basically. However, Leclerc ignores what he's been told and takes a lunge on the final lap. This time he locks his brakes and very nearly collects his teammate. They carry on fighting for third.

But, it's Verstappen out front that takes the chequered flag, making it ten races out of ten, obliterating previous records. Perez comes home second for Red Bull, with Sainz clinging onto that podium for dear life. Leclerc settles for fourth, and despite their penalties, Russell and Hamilton come home in fifth and sixth. Albon takes seventh for Williams with Norris, Alonso and Bottas the final point scorers.

This definitely has to be one of the more entertaining races of the season, so far. And, that's with Verstappen's dominance. But still, the question is yet to be answered. Can anyone stop Verstappen?

Next up, Singapore.

Report: An Impressive F1 Debut for Liam Lawson

It's not everyday that you get called in, last minute, to race a Formula One car. But for New Zealand racer - Liam Lawson; that's exactly what happened at last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, after Alpha Tauri's regular driver; Daniel Ricciardo, broke his hand during Free Practice 2, resulting him in sitting out that particular race weekend and those in the near future. So, it was down to Alpha Tauri's reserve driver; Lawson, to pick up where Ricciardo left off. And, on a weekend that was plagued by difficult weather conditions and very little dry running, it's fair to say that Lawson held his own and impressed many on debut.

Lawson, a native of New Zealand, made his single seater debut in 2015, racing in the Formula First Manfeild Winter Series and the New Zealand Formula First Championship. Since then he has climbed his way up through the motorsport field, making an impact on several championships such as ADAC Formula 4, Toyota Racing Series, DTM, Formula 2 and most recently, Super Formula; where he currently sits 2nd in the championship. Due to his consistent performances, Lawson claimed himself a seat with the Red Bull Junior Team in 2019, which eventually led to his appointment as the Reserve/Test driver for Red Bull Racing and Alpha Tauri in Formula One during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. And, low and behold, half way through the 2023 season, Lawson finds himself in the "hot seat," ready to prove he has what it takes.

Getting thrown into F1 halfway through the season can't be an easy feat, with Lawson himself once stating that jumping in mid-season would be "extremely tough." And, things didn't get off to the best of starts either. A spin for the Rookie in the closing stages of Free Practice 3 would bring out the Red Flag and end the session early. He would, later on, qualify in 20th for the Grand Prix the following day. But, for a driver in Lawson's position, these things are expected to happen as he gets to grip with the machine he has underneath him. Plus, interchangeable conditions, something he would again experience the following day, hindered his progress in qualifying higher on the grid.

As for the next day, a chaotic and challenging race was waiting for the Kiwi ahead of his big race debut. But despite a ten second penalty, more interchangeable conditions, safety cars and a red flag, the youngest driver on the grid got his car to the end in one piece, finishing 13th, ahead of his teammate; Yuki Tsunoda, as he came across the line. Many people, including Red Bull Team Principle; Christian Horner, were impressed with what Lawson achieved. He said:

“I mean, the poor guy getting dropped in a car he's never driven, wet, dry conditions, everything being thrown at him, I actually think he did pretty well. (...) To finish a race like that in itself with the lack of experience that he has, I thought in very difficult circumstances he applied himself very well.” - Christian Horner

And, that's exactly why Lawson has impressed so many over the course of one race. In the words of Alpha Tauri Team Principle; Franz Tost:

"He did a good job because it was really difficult.” - Franz Tost

However, despite the praise coming from fans and F1 personnel alike, Lawson, although satisfied with his performance, definitely sees room for improvements.

“You always look back and I’ll reflect on this and there’s definitely things I would have liked to do better." - Liam Lawson

And, next time out in Monza, he'll get the chance to do it all again with Ricciardo still on the sidelines. Of course, it's too early to judge the amount of potential Lawson has when racing an F1 car, with plenty of development yet to come, but if this race and his junior career is anything to go by, the other Red Bull drivers in Formula One need to be wary. Although, as mentioned above, it may be early, but Lawson may definitely be a contender for a full time F1 seat in 2024.

Race Report: Dutch Grand Prix 2023

With the Summer Break long behind us, F1 got the second half of the season underway, with a chaotic, rain-filled race to welcome race fans back. And, despite the mix matched weather, the house and techno music amplified around the Zandvoort circuit, with another record breaking sell-out crowd.

Going into the race, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was sitting nicely at the top of the Driver's Championship, with a lead of nearly 130 points over his teammate; Sergio Perez, who sat in second. And, as expected, it was also Verstappen on pole for the Dutch Grand Prix, with McLaren's Lando Norris - who gave the Dutch driver a run for his money in qualifying, lining up beside him in second. The Mercedes of George Russell found himself starting third.

With a 70% chance of rain for the race, the formation lap gets underway in the dry. However, darker clouds loom overhead and drivers start to report spots of rain on their visors. The majority of drivers are starting the race on the soft tyre, bar Lewis Hamilton, who is on the mediums. By the time the drivers reach the grid once again, rain is definitely on the horizon but no one takes the gamble in starting on the intermediates. With everyone in their respective grid spots, five lights show and go out again. The race is underway.

Verstappen leads the field away cleanly with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso being the big winner, as he goes from fifth to third in the first corner, passing Russell and Alexander Albon in the process. But, as the drivers make their way around to end the first lap, it's a deluge as heavy rain curtains the track.

After starting seventh, Perez takes a gamble and becomes the first man to switch to the intermediates. He's followed in by Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson - who is sitting in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo, and Kevin Magnussen. However, for Leclerc, it's a disaster. Ferrari were not ready for their driver and the Monegasque falls to fifteenth place. As for Perez, an early stop has worked wonders, as he catches up to the group who are yet to stop to switch to the more suitable tyre.

At the end of the second lap, leaders; Verstappen and Alonso - who has moved into second, come into the pits. Norris and Russell decide to stay out on track with the soft tyres. However, it's Perez, with the inters, who finds himself in the lead. It's quickly apparent that some of the drivers, who fancied waiting the weather out on slicks, have had a change of heart and also pit for inters. Back on track, Leclerc proves how wet the track has gotten by taking a bumpy trip through the gravel, damaging his floor in the process.

By lap five, the winners and losers of the chaotic first laps are becoming apparent. Perez still leads, with, surprisingly, the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu in second. Verstappen is also making a comeback, sitting in fourth, behind Pierre Gasly. No, make that third, as the reigning World Champion passes the Alpine into turn three, and then second as he passes Zhou. But, it's Magnussen in the Haas that finds himself in the points, after starting from the pitlane. Mercedes, however, seem to be the big losers from this round, with Russell and Hamilton dropping to twelfth and nineteenth, respectively. Race debutant; Liam Lawson, quickly finds himself in trouble, with a ten second time penalty for impeding.

With the rain shower easing, and despite a threat of more in the air, Hamilton switches back to slicks. DRS is enabled and others follow him in for a set of new soft rubber - as those who took the gamble to stay on the slicks are now storming through the field. Verstappen, who is closing in on Perez for the lead, pits at the end of lap eleven, leaving his teammate as the sole intermediate runner. A lap later, Perez also dips into the pits to bolt on the softs. Upon exiting, he see's Verstappen take the lead, after performing a successful undercut. Perez, taken by surprise, asks his race engineer: "Did Max undercut us?"

Back to the racing and Norris sets the fastest lap of the race so far which is quickly improved on by his teammate; Oscar Piastri. Things suddenly look "iffy" at Alpine, with fourth place man, Gasly, under investigation for speeding in the pitlane, as well as having Carlos Sainz's Ferrari breathing down his neck. However, Gasly keeps hold of fourth going into turn one.

Yellow flags start to wave, with the Williams of Logan Sargeant stuck in the wall at turn eight. The American driver seems to be ok, walking away from the incident unharmed. The safety car is deployed while the scene is cleared. In the meantime, Russell pits for a set of the hard compound and Gasly is hit with a five second time penalty. Albon, sitting happily in eighth, is the only driver yet to pit. He's still on the softs he started the race with. On lap twenty two, the safety car returns to the pits and Verstappen goes early, leading the field onto the start/finish straight.

Despite setting fastest laps in the early stages of the race, Piastri's woes continue, as he is passed by Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo at the safety car restart. Race leader, Verstappen flies off into the distance, leaving Perez and Alonso trailing behind in his wake. Still on his original tyres, Albon passes Magnussen for seventh, despite the two nearly coming together the lap before - a defensive move in which Magnussen gets a warning for. However, despite an impressive start for the Haas driver, he starts to fall back through the pack, slowly slipping out of point contention. But still, it's Verstappen who proves to be the fastest driver on track, putting in the fastest lap of the race. A 1:15.664, leading Perez, Alonso, Gasly and Sainz by nearly three seconds.

Towards the back end of the field, Leclerc is struggling to find any kind of pace in his Ferrari, with Hamilton and Piastri both taking places from him. He now sits in fourteenth and isn't catching those ahead. Other drivers are also having a painful afternoon, with Tsunoda receiving a black and white flag, and Russell making no impact what so ever on the hard tyre in seventeenth. And, unfortunately for some, the threat of rain seems to be staying away for the time being, meaning plenty of tyre management is going on up and down the field. Leclerc's afternoon quickly goes from bad to worse, with Alpha Tauri's rookie; Lawson, also getting past the Ferrari into turn ten. Leclerc, having none of it, takes the place back into turn one. A few laps pass by and the Ferrari driver retires from the race.

The next round of pitstops are set off by Zhou, coming in to fit a new set of softs. He is followed in by Sainz, Norris, Ocon and, finally, Alexander Albon. The new rubber is working wonders for some drivers with fastest race times being traded all over the place. Our front runners also start to pit with Perez leading them in. But, for Alonso, it's a slow stop, which allows Sainz to undercut him. As for Verstappen, his stop is smooth and he comfortably retains the lead of the race ahead of Perez.

Tsunoda, who hasn't yet pitted again, finds himself racing the front runners. He is quickly passed by Alonso and Gasly, with the Alpha Tauri driver locking up his tyres in the process and then damaging his front wing as Russell makes a move on him. After his pass on Tsunoda, Alonso catches and passes Sainz, his fellow countryman, with ease, reclaiming his third position.

Talk of rain is in the air once again, with Red Bull telling their drivers that it could be heavy. Aston Martin reiterate the same message to Alonso. Footage of the weather radars confirm what the drivers are being told.

Despite the incoming weather, the race is still ongoing. Sainz is starting to come under pressure from the Alpine of Gasly who is chasing him down for fourth. He attempts to get past the Ferrari into turn one, with no luck. Hamilton, who was at one stage sitting in nineteenth, is now up to eighth, after passing Esteban Ocon. He's now gaining on his teammate; Russell, who has a "hold your breath" moment touching the grass at turn seven. Back at the front of the field, Gasly tries again to get past Sainz. This time he is through.

Rain starts to fall and Perez is, again, the first to switch to inters. However, Red Bull aren't ready for their driver. Quite reminiscent of Ferrari and Leclerc at the beginning of the race. The rain gets heavier and there is absolute mayhem in the pits as drivers scramble to throw on the intermediate tyre. Ocon, however, is the only one to fit the extreme wets. Could he be on to something? He doesn't think so.

Yellow flags start waving at turn one and it's Perez who has gone off into the barrier. He manages to get going again, with what looks like minimal damage. However, he's lost second position to Alonso. After this, Verstappen pits for extremes, while more yellow flags wave at turn one. This time it's for Zhou, who has had a hefty crash into the barrier. A virtual safety car is deployed and Perez pits. But for him and Red Bull, the timing is completely wrong, as the red flag is shown, trapping Perez at the end of the pitlane. At this point, he sits in sixth. Replays show that numerous drivers, including Hamilton, went off at turn one before Zhou found the barrier.

After some time, a restart time has been confirmed. It will also be a rolling start and everyone will need to be on inters. Luckily for Perez, the stewards confirm that he will restart the race from third, rather than sixth. The safety car leads the cars out of the pitlane ready for the final few laps. After two laps, it returns and racing is once again, underway.

Verstappen gets away but Alonso and Perez are sticking with him. Talking of Perez, he's just been handed a five second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane. It'll be a miracle if he can hold onto third now. George Russell starts to tumble down the order, telling his team over radio that's he's out. He trundles his way back to the pits, where it looks like he's picked up a puncture after contact with Norris. Ferrari attempt to guide Sainz through the remainder of the race, but the Spaniard isn't having any of it, telling them - "less radio."

With three laps to go, Verstappen still leads, but Alonso and Perez are trying to cling on. However, by the final lap, the Dutch driver has increased his lead to around three seconds. Perez sits only 2.5 seconds ahead of Gasly in fourth. He needs over five to keep his podium position.

But, it's Verstappen who takes the chequered flag, once again, making it three out of three in Zandvoort. He's also matched the record of nine consecutive wins, claiming another place in the F1 history books. Alonso comes home second, with Gasly promoted to third. Unfortunately for Perez, it's a fourth place finish for him. Sainz takes fifth ahead of Hamilton and Norris. Albon finishes eighth for Williams, with Piastri and Ocon rounding out the points.

What a race to come back to after the Summer Break. Zandvoort did not disappoint. Next up is Monza. Can it match the chaos? See you there!