Our 2021 Italian Grand Prix Result Review is here for the quickest Grand Prix of the season and for Australian F1 fans it was long enough as Daniel Ricciardo triumphed.
He led a McLaren 1-2 with both drivers benefitting from a crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton that saw both drivers retire, and loads of Australian fans cheer. We await the online abuse of both drivers.
Our review usually covers what happened in the race so you don’t have to in the laps that matter. Plus we throw in our Race Ratings, the Best (Great) and Worst (Grape) drivers of the race weekend. This time there’s not much to do.
The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered. And we don’t blame you.
The 2021 Italian Grand Prix Result Review Summary and Grape gives you just enough to catch up, and stand by for our Power Rankings which highlight our driver of the season so far.
2021 Italian Grand Prix Sprint Race – THE LAPS THAT MATTERED
Didn’t see the sprint race live? Don’t have time to watch both races? Well here are the laps that mattered.
We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Lap 1 – Valtteri Bottas converts qualifying pole into a first corner lead, Max Verstappen gets away well too, less so Lewis Hamilton who falls behind the McLarens. Daniel Ricciardo gets ahead of team mate Lando Norris for a delightful change. Pierre Gasly runs up the back of Ricciardo and his front wing breaks and gets stuck under the front of the car and sends him off the track and into the barriers at Curva Grande. Further back and a little further on Robert Kubica and Yuki Tsunoda clash and Kubica spins.
Gasly’s off is enough for a Safety Car.
ORDER – BOT VER RIC NOR HAM LEC SAI GIO STR PER
Lap 4 – Race resumes and Bottas vanishes in a typical just-been-given-the-arse kind of drive. Further back the former World Champions and Ferrari drivers Alonso and Vettel have a nice battle.
Lap 6 – George Russell celebrates news of his Mercedes drive by overtaking Mazepin for 15th. Mazepin had actually been going OK, three places ahead of his beloved team mate.
Lap 8 – Lewis Hamilton really challenging Lando Norris, but modern day cars ensuring the Mercedes will stay right where it is. Bottas still comfortable ahead of Verstappen and Max is doubly so to Ricciardo.
Lap 9 – Perez and Stroll commence an entertaining battle. Perez overtaking but appearing to do so incorrectly and having to give the place back. Amusingly it appears Perez gives Stroll a shower of gravel at the next corner. They keep at it for a few laps.
Lap 14 – Lewis Hamilton livens up the Sprint Race with a massive tail slide on the second Lesmos corner.
End of Sprint Race – Bottas wins the second ever Sprint Race. Which was marginally better than the first one at Silverstone.
FINAL ORDER – BOT VER RIC NOR HAM LEC SAI GIO PER STR
2021 Italian Grand Prix Race – THE LAPS THAT MATTERED
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Well here are the laps that mattered.
We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Lap 0 – Tsunoda doesn’t make the start as his car is wheeled off the grid and left in the pits. That will hurt a few First Retirement betting markets.
Lap 1- Daniel Riccardo outdrags Max Verstappen off the line and leads into the first corner. Lewis Hamilton makes a decent start too. Heading into the second chicane it is Max v Lewis with the MErcedes driver on the outside. Hamilton is in the wrong spot heading into the chicane and has to cut across it, either narrowly missing each other or slightly touching. But close enough that Max could catch Covid or Long Covid from Lewis. Further back Giovinazzi has half a spin but avoids real trouble which was caused by Carlos Sainz. But this is later Giovinazzi’s fault according to the stewards who penalise him for unsafe rejoin after running wide. And Giovinazzi’s team mate Robert Kubica completes a miserable first lap for Alfa when he appears down the back straight missing a front wing. Replays show the Aston Martin drivers running into each other.
ORDER – RIC VER NOR HAM LEC SAI PER STR ALO OCO
Lap 5 – Max Verstappen within DRS of Daniel Ricciardo and it does look a little inevitable that the Red Bull will get past, but not just yet. They are a couple of seconds ahead of Norris v Hamilton.
Lap 6 – Further back Valtteri Bottas overtakes a few cars after starting at the back of the grid due to penalties. Gasly ensures total misery for Alpha Tauri by retiring, after Tsunoda didn’t even start.
Lap 7 – Max Verstappen already on the radio about tyres, which is great for Daniel Ricciardo in the lead, who is edging to more than a second in front.
Lap 9 – Sainz v Perez in a very entertaining battle. You can always rely on Sergio Perez to liven up a Grand Prix after shit qualifying. The race needs it. It’s more like a Wind Tunnel test session than a race, mostly.
Lap 10 – A point of interest if you can, as in 10th place is William driver Latifi, doing a solid job for Williams and well ahead of his soon-to-be ex team mate George Russell in 14th.
ORDER – RIC VER NOR HAM LEC PER STR ALO LAT
Lap 12 – Lewis Hamilton battles Lando Norris. The Mercedes pulls alongside the McLaren going into the first chicane but not enough to get past. Same as second chicane too.
Lap 13 – Did we mention Latifi a few laps ago. Well, Bottas just got past him for 10th. Didn’t realise Bottas was that far up the grid. Not the first time we didn’t realise Bottas had done something this season. Or in other seasons.
Lap 15 – Hungarian GP heroes Ocon and Vettel bang wheels heading into the second chicane. It earns the drivers an FIA Investigation. And later Ocon a five second penalty.
Lap 17 – Around a third of the race has gone and Ricciardo has been solid at the front. Maintaining a gap just over and under the one second mark. Enough to avoid DRS and being overtaken. Australians are hoping he doesn’t catch the Webber flu while leading. This duo is five seconds ahead of the Norris-Hamilton show.
Lap 21 – Max Verstappen runs a little wide at the first chicane, showing signs of being human after all.
Lap 22 – Bottas overtakes Stroll for 8th
Lap 23 – Daniel Ricciardo pits for new tyres and the pit stop is error free. Max Verstappen stays out. As long suffering Australian F1 fans, we cross fingers for Ricciardo to hold on. Max Verstappen calls his tyres f—-d, which is a good sign Ricciardo will stay in front.
Lap 24 – Max Verstappen pits and Red Bull cock up the pit stop. The masters of sub two second stops churn out an 11 second special. Verstappen comes out behind in 10th place and behind Fernando Alonso. In all the action Lewis Hamilton gets past Lando Norris at the second chicane.
Lap 25 – Lando Norris pits and comes out behind Lance Stroll. Daniel Ricciardo is ahead of Carlos Sainz in 4th.
Lap 26 – Lewis Hamilton pits from the lead. He comes out just behind Lando Norris but a small margin in front of Max Verstappen. The two championship challengers run side by side into the first corner with Hamilton on the inside who wins the first part of the corner. Verstappen tries to attack on the inside of the second part of the chicane but he and Hamilton touch wheels and they tangle at very low speed. Verstappen’s Red Bulls ends up on top of the Mercedes. It looks as if Hamilton gave just enough room and Verstappen’s car bounced up off the kerbs. Hamilton is very lucky as the Red Bull landed on the Mercedes’ rear wing first and then on top of the roll bar then halo. Who knows without the halo how bad that could have been.
Safety Car comes out to clean up the track and to allow everyone to calm down.
Leclerc is the big winner from all of this, and he ends up second when it all calms down.
ORDER RIC LEC NOR PER SAI BOT STR ALO RUS LAT
Lap 32 – Racing resumes. Ricciardo keeps ahead in first. Norris overtakes Leclerc going into the second chicane after another battle at the first chicane. McLaren are 1-2. Drivers further back behave themselves and there are no more incidents. Although a lap later the Haas drivers tangle yet again. Mazepin is penalised for it later on.
Lap 33 – Bottas is up to 5th now, overtaking Sainz. Perez overtakes Leclerc for third. A lap later Bottas gets past Leclerc. Only for Leclerc to get re-pass him a corner later. Eventually Bottas makes the move stick.
Lap 35 – Bottas sets a fastest lap 1.3 seconds quicker than leader Ricciardo. The Finn, often known here as Nottas, could win a race from 19th. At the actual front Ricciardo is just hanging onto a second lead to Norris.
ORDER – RIC NOR PER BOT LEC SAI STR ALO RUS OCO
Lap 37 – Sergio Perez is handed a five second penalty for gaining an advantage after running wide earlier. This effectively rules him out of victory despite lying third and close to Norris and in front of Bottas.
Lap 41 – At the front Daniel Ricciardo is maintaining the anti-DRS gap of just over a second. Then comes the radio message that suggests team orders. Which is not great news for Lando Norris but bloody excellent for any Australian fans. If it were Mark Webber in front back in the day Aussies would be very worried. Further back the Ferraris in 5th and 6th are closing in on Bottas.
Lap 43 – Bottas gets past Perez into the second chicane but Perez is back in front by the exit.
Lap 44 – Mazepin ends another colourful race by retiring his car along the straight behind the pit straight but out of the way. It brings out the Virtual Safety Car briefly. Ricciardo remains out of DRS in front of team mate Norris.
Lap 48 – No change at the front. And thank god as an Australian.
ORDER – RIC NOR PER BOT LEC SAI STR ALO RUS OCO
Lap 53 – Daniel Ricciardo wins his first race in over three seasons and McLaren’s first for a lot longer than that, Norris makes it a 1-2 with his best ever finish, and Bottas grabbing the final final podium spot from 19th on the gird. The McLarens battle it out for Fastest lap too on the last lap showing they had genuine speed. What a joyful podium it will be. The “Shoeys” will be well worth it.
FINAL ORDER – RIC NOR BOT LEC PER (Pen) SAI
2021 Italian Grand Prix Result – RACE RATING
We rate the big race itself so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 10/10
Another Hamilton-Verstappen clash leaves both drivers out. Adding more tension to an already tense championship battle. It gives Max an increased lead of the Championship and the upper hand.
ON TRACK ACTION – 8/10
Some good overtaking through the field at the front in the pack and towards the back. Bottas slices through the field from the back of the grid. A race where the winner never looked truly sealed. But nothing tops a clash and double retirement between the two title challengers.
ENDING – 7 / 10
A four car train at the end for victory. Can Daniel Ricciardo hold on against a team mate who has thrashed him all season. And two faster cars further back. It did fizzle in the last few laps, but with 15 to go it looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. But a different winner is exciting, and it being Ricciardo made it a tense finish for some.
OVERALL RATING 25 / 30
A race that had plenty. A different winner. A crash that wiped out the two championship rivals. A good amount of overtaking.
2021 SEASON RACE RANKINGS
Bahrain GP – 25/30
Emilia-Romagna GP – 17/30
Portuguese GP – 11/30
Spanish GP – 18/30
Monaco GP – 12/30
Azerbaijan GP – 23/30
French GP – 22/30
Styrian GP – 12/30
Austrian GP – 20/30
British GP – 22/30
Hungarian GP – 26/30
Belgian GP – 0/30
Dutch GP – 12/30
2021 Italian Grand Prix Result – Great & Grape
Here we go through the field and highlight the three drivers we think deserve a little extra love, and one driver whose had the grapest weekend of all.
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. Five points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 / -2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
It used to be called the good, bad and ugly, but everyone is using that now. And who doesn’t like grapes.
THE GREAT-EST – DANIEL RICCIARDO
What a weekend for the Australian. Qualified in the top five and ended third after the Sprint Race. That became second on the grid and then first into the first corner on lap one. Ricciardo led from the front well until his first pit stop and looked to have Max Verstappen under control. The Red Bull driver’s poor pitstop and crash with Lewis Hamilton gave him breathing space but he drove without fault to head home his team mate and win his first race in three seasons.
THE GREAT – LANDO NORRIS
He may well be slightly disappointed with second, but that is his highest ever finish and his racing after the final restart was outstanding. Held off Lewis Hamilton for a long time and did it with ease. Closes on Bottas for third in the Championship.
THE GREAT – VALTTERI BOTTAS
Qualified on pole and won the Sprint Race which is a decent start to the weekend. He dropped to the back of the grid thanks to car penalties, but drove a great race to finish 4th on track, which was turned into 3rd when Perez received a post race penalty of five seconds.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
CHARLES LECLERC – Another solid showing from the Ferrari driver in a car that wasn’t quite front running on the day.
THE GRAPE-EST – MAX VERSTAPPEN & LEWIS HAMILTON
The two title challengers have their second big clash of the season and this time it takes out both drivers. Thankfully at a much slower speed than the last one.
DIS-HONOURABLE MENTIONS
NIKITA MAZEPIN – Spins, running into team mate, more arguments with team mate and eventual retirement. Lucky he had Dad billions.
PIERRE GASLY – Crash in sprint qualifying. early retirement in the race. Certainly a change of luck since his maiden win at last year’s Italian Grand Prix.
YUKI TSUNODA – Tangled with Kubica in Sprint Race. Didn’t even get to take the start of the race.
2021 Italian Grand Prix Result – Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the 2021 British Grand Prix and the overall 2021 F1 Season Power Rankings leader/s.
Read our last edition from after the Dutch Grand Prix here.
