Max Verstappen reclaimed the lead of the drivers’ championship with victory in his home Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, but seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will be looking to turn the tables at a very different circuit in the Italian Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ reigning world champion Hamilton is at 1/1 to take the chequered flag at Monza, while Red Bull ace Verstappen is rated as a 23/20 chance.
Power King at the Temple of Speed
The drivers all enjoyed the challenge of the twisting Zandvoort circuit last week, with its banked corners and blast through the sand dunes, but Monza provides a completely different test.
The circuit is largely made up of long straights and tight chicanes, meaning engine power, rather than aerodynamics, is the most important factor.
Look Back to Baku for Clues
Usually, the recent Belgian Grand Prix provides some useful clues for Monza, but with the Spa weekend having been an almost complete washout this year we have to look further back.
The Baku street circuit which hosted the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June features the longest flat-out blast on the calendar, and there Hamilton outperformed Verstappen in qualifying.
They were both outdone by Charles Leclerc, who took a surprise pole position for Ferrari, and for that reason the Monegasque will have his supporters at the Scuderia’s home venue.
However, it was in the slow corners that Ferrari excelled at Baku, as well as in Monaco, and a lack of top speed could hurt the Italian cars this week.
Mercedes showed superior speed on the straights at Silverstone too and Hamilton looks the driver to beat this week, with the Silver Arrows 5/6 to provide the winning car.
A Marathon And a Sprint
The Italian Grand Prix sees the return of sprint qualifying, previously trialled at Silverstone. The teams will get just one hour of practice on Friday morning before a traditional qualifying session in the afternoon.
Saturday will see an 18-lap race, the result of which will determine the grid for Sunday’s full-length Grand Prix.
The British sprint race was notable for a spin from Sergio Perez which dropped him to the back, and a storming start from Fernando Alonso.
The veteran Spaniard again made up early ground at Zandvoort and, with Alpine enjoying a strong run of form, Alonso could be worth backing in the top-six finish market at 37/20.
Bottas Aiming to Leave on a High
It was announced this week that Valtteri Bottas will be leaving champions Mercedes at the end of the season after five years with the team and moving to Alfa Romeo in 2022.
Bottas has not won a race this year, but he picked up podium finishes at high-speed circuits in Bahrain, both races in Austria and at Silverstone, as well as in last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
He has also appeared on the Monza podium three times in the last four year and odds of 5/8 for the Finn to grab another top-three finish are worth taking.
*All odds correct at time of writing