Max Verstappen
As we head to this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, let us take a look how things turned out in the previous edition – who won the last one?
The Italian Grand Prix in 2022 took place from September 9th to 11th as the sixteenth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.
A moment of silence was observed before both the first practice session on Friday and the race on Sunday as a mark of respect for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, 2022. Additionally, various Formula One teams, such as Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin, Haas, Ferrari, and Mercedes, paid tribute to the Queen by incorporating special elements in their car liveries. Ferrari also featured a unique livery to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the car company.
On September 11, 2022, the race took place at 15:00 local time, covering a total of 53 laps. Charles Leclerc started from pole position, with George Russell and Lando Norris following closely behind. Max Verstappen swiftly climbed to third place by lap 4 and secured second place on lap 5. On lap 10, Sergio Pérez made an early pit stop for hard tires but encountered an incident with his brakes catching fire, which eventually self-extinguished. During the same lap, Sebastian Vettel had to halt his car due to engine problems, leading to the deployment of a virtual safety car.
On lap 34, Charles Leclerc made a second pit stop, allowing Max Verstappen to take the lead. Unfortunately, Lance Stroll had to retire on lap 39 due to an engine issue similar to what his teammate Sebastian Vettel experienced on lap 10. Additionally, Daniel Ricciardo had to stop his car due to an oil leak problem, leading to the deployment of the safety car, which remained on the track until the end of the race. Consequently, the race concluded on lap 53 with Max Verstappen emerging as the winner, with the safety car still in operation.
Red Bull maintains its strong position in the drivers’ championship. During the first half of the season, they performed exceptionally well with impressive 1-2 finishes in races held in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Azerbaijan, and Belgium. Additionally, they secured first-place victories in nine consecutive races.
Leading the standings is Max Verstappen, with a total of 339 points, closely followed by his teammate, Sergio Perez, who occupies the second position with 201 points. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin currently holds the third spot with 168 points, placing him ahead of drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, and Charles Leclerc.
In the constructors’ championship, the situation mirrors that of the drivers’ championship. Red Bull, the defending champions, have established a commanding lead with an impressive total of 540 points as we enter the second race following the summer break. Mercedes lags significantly behind in second place, having accumulated 255 points. Aston Martin holds the third position on the leaderboard with 215 points to their name. Ferrari is closely trailing in the fourth spot with a total of 201 points.
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