2021 Italian Grand Prix: Daniel Riccardo Wins in Dramatic Fashion as McLaren Celebrate a Double Podium Finish

2021 Italian Grand Prix: Daniel Riccardo Wins in Dramatic Fashion as McLaren Celebrate a Double Podium Finish

Italian Grand Prix

The 2021 Italian Grand Prix in Monza was all set to begin as the second half of the season provided an exciting fight for the constructors and drivers championships.

Max Verstappen was set to start on pole position, while Daniel Riccardo and Lando Norris would be second and third, the best result for McLaren since 2012. Lewis Hamilton could only manage to start in fourth, while his teammate Valtteri Bottas would start from the back of the grid after receiving an engine penalty. The third row would see a full Ferrari line up with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, while Antonio Giovinazzi, Checo Perez and Lance Stroll rounded off the top 10.

Both AlphaTauri drivers were out of the race, Yuki Tsunoda due to engine failure and Pierre Gasly due to damage because of yesterday’s crash

All cars were on medium tyre except for Hamilton, and after the formation lap the race was off to an exciting start. The first corner saw Daniel Riccardo take the lead over Verstappen, while Norris held off Hamilton for fourth. Leclerc and Sainz managed to maintain their positions. It was bad luck for Giovinazzi however, as he clipped Sainz’s front tire which caused him to spin and forced him to box.

Riccardo held a consistent lead over Verstappen and the pit stops would be the deciding factor as to who would take the lead in the very tight race.

2021 Italian Grand Prix: Massive Crash Sees Verstappen, Hamilton out of the race; Bottas Fights His way back up to Podium

Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas takes third at Italian Grand Prix

Verstappen went into the pit stop in second place but disaster struck, as he had a slow stop of 11.1s suspected due to a loose tyre. This dropped him all the way down in the grid, but that was just the beginning of his bad luck. As Verstappen and Hamilton came side by side as a corner, an exciting overtake soon turned sour.

As both drivers went for virtually the same racing line they ended up crashing into each other, and Verstappen flew over Hamilton, sending them both right out of the race. After a safety car, Riccardo was leading the race with Leclerc in second and Norris in third. However, Norris bravely overtook Leclerc to take second place, and Leclerc was pushed down to fifth, overtaken by Perez and Bottas after a hard fought battle.

Perez faced a 5 second time penalty for taking advantage and gaining time at corners, putting his podium finish in jeopardy as Bottas nipped at his heels.

The race ended in extreme celebration for McLaren, as Daniel Riccardo took first place for the team since 2012, while Lando Norris finished second, a fantastic result for them. Although Perez finished third, the 5 second penalty ultimately cost him the podium, and he would move down to fifth place.

That meant after a valiant effort Valtteri Bottas would take third place, and Charles Leclerc would finish fourth, a fantastic result for the team’s home Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz would finish sixth and Lance Stroll would take seventh. Fernando Alonso, George Russel and Esteban Ocon rounded off the point winners for the Italian Grand Prix.

Also read: Watch: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen Involved in a Massive Crash at Italian GP