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| Pierre Gasly with Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari will be looking to make it back-to-back Grand Prix wins when the field takes Monza on Sunday the 8th of September.
Well, the start of the second half of the season was far less mundane to the start of the first-half with Ferrari finally bagging that elusive win as new boy Charles LeClerc bagged top spot out in Belgium.
Was this just a flash in the pan or will Ferrari continue to put the pressure on Mercedes? We should get some answers out at the Prancing Stag’s home track this coming Sunday.
Photo Copyright Steve Haag – Hollywoodbets
Italian Grand Prix
Sunday 8 September
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
To Win Race Outright
Charles LeClerc 27/20
Lewis Hamilton 7/4
Sebastian Vettel 11/4
Valtteri Bottas 9/1
Max Verstappen 25/1
Alexander Albion 50/1
Kimi Raikonnen 1000/1
Previous Race
Lewis Hamilton’s stranglehold at Spa finally came to an end this past weekend as Ferrari rookie Charles LeClerc claimed his maiden race win and Ferrari’s first win of the season.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Mercedes, however, as they still managed to claim the remaining podium berths with Lewis Hamilton finishing second and Valtteri Bottas rounding out the podium.
Veteran Ferrari man, Sebastian Vettel, was unable to crack the podium and had to settle for fourth place, with the German ace bring his car home ahead of Red Bull youngster Alexander Albion, who finished in fifth.
Albion’s teammate, Max Verstappen, had a race to forget with the Dutch youngster out before the completion of the first lap. The Red Bull number 1 has come in for a lot of criticism following the incident as he caused the crash in the exact same spot where a Formula 2 driver was killed a day prior to the F1 race.
Verstappen crashing out meant their was a huge gap for someone to finish in the ‘Top 6’ and Sergio Perez was the man to take advantage with the Racing point driver bringing his car home in front of Daniil Kvyatt, with the latter claiming a very respectable seventh place.
The remainder of the top ten was something of a motley crew with veteran Nico Hulkenberg (eighth) finishing ahead of former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly, who was demoted to Totto Rosso during the offseason, and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll.
Track
Located some ten odd miles outside of Milan, the famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza awaits this field.
The circuit has gone through several redevelopments since it was opened in 1922, mainly in a bid to improve safety.
The 5.793km long track is situated in the Royal Villa of Monza park – this park has provided a fantastic backdrop for many a classic Formula one action shot.
Drivers will go head-to-head over 53 laps, which sees them cover a total of 306.729km.
Although the track has been turned into a much more sedate beast over the years, it still has some treacherous aspects to it.
Whilst Monza holds significantly fewer corners to challenge the drivers compared to Spa, it still poses a few of the most infamous turns in F1. Parabolica, in particular, possess a threat; this 180-degree bend is famous for inducing the odd high-speed crash.
Another challenge for drivers is the Variante Ascari sequence which is a culmination of turns eight, nine and ten.
The two DRS activation zones are located on the start/finish straight and the straight between turn seven and eight.
Last year’s race was dominated by Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton claiming first place and Valterri Bottas claiming third. Sandwiched between the two Mercedes was the Ferrari of former Prancing Stag driver Kimi Raikonnen.
Value Bet
Kimi Raikonnen – Podium Finish – Yes @ *Odds to be added upon release
This is a bit of a ‘hail mary’ play here but Raikonnen does have a solid record at the track having finished second at Monza last year and in 2017.
While he doesn’t quite have as good a car as he had during the two aforementioned podium finishes, Raikonnen’s know-how on this track may just give him the edge of the Red Bull Drivers and a few others who are higher up the pecking order.
To Win Race Outright
Lewis Hamilton @ 7/4
