2021 Italian Grand Prix Report

Daniel Ricciardo won the first race after leaving Red Bull in 2018, on an exceptional Italian Grand Prix weekend.

McLaren were a legitimate challenger in Monza, and took advantage the messy weekends of leading teams to win their first victory since 2012. Lando Norris made it a 1-2 for papaya team.

After a slow start to the sprint race, Lewis Hamilton was fourth. Teammate ValtteriBottas started at the back and Max Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Valtteri Bottas were the first two rows.

The Honey Badger made it to his escape and beat Red Bull to the corner. He never looked back.

Hamilton got off to a strong start, passing Norris for 3rd and challenging Verstappen in the 2nd chicane at Variante della Roggia. Red Bull's reigning champion was able to get alongside Hamilton, but Verstappen challenged him into the second chicane of Variante della Roggia.

It wouldn't be the last meeting between rivals on track.

The race's first stint saw the title contenders fail to pass McLaren. This was due to McLaren's strong straight-line speed, and their strong traction out the last corner.

Ricciardo initiated the only round of pit stops on lap 23, but Verstappen replied one lap later.

Red Bull's normally flawless pit crew was affected by a sensor problem. This caused a painful stop for Norris, the championship leader, in 11 seconds.

Mercedes, despite Hamilton starting on the harder compound of tyres, knew that this was their chance at Verstappen's jump and brought car number 44 within two laps. However, it was another poor stop - just over four seconds – and Hamilton rejoined right between Norris & Verstappen.

The Dutchman attempted to stick it out on the outside of Turn One, but ran out of road. He bounced over the sausage-kerbs. He rode straight into Hamilton, and as his right rear rode on the Mercedes' left rear, he found himself suddenly on top of his rival's vehicle.

Hamilton tried to get under the Bull that had so rudely mounted Hamilton, but both were unable to do so. The Safety Car was called.

The race resumed on lap 30, with Charles Leclerc delighting Tifosi with his move up to second after a pit stop during Safety Car period.

But not for long as Norris kept his foot in at nearly 200 mph while using two tyres on Curva Grande to take over the Ferrari's position.

McLaren challenged his teammate briefly for the lead but decided to end the race and concentrate on securing a barely believable 1-2.

Valtteri bottas, who was just behind them, continued his inspiring charge through the field. After winning the Sprint on Saturday, the Finn won the qualifying race and topped the field on Friday. However, he started back in the main event with a new engine.

He battled his way to fourth, and then Sergio Perez hit him with a five second penalty for taking over the track. After a disappointing qualifying, the Mexican driver would recover well and eventually claim fifth place - splitting the Ferraris - after the penalty was applied.

It was all about the McLarens at the front. They completed another wave of orange celebrations seven days after Verstappen's win in home.

It was a story of redemption for both the team and the driver from Australia, who had so struggled to adjust to the new car during the first half of the season.

He seems to have managed to mentally reset over the summer break, and his eighth F1 win will be perhaps the most satisfying of all his career.

We are now waiting to see what Woking can do with the new regulations for next season. They could be fighting for more victories if they keep on the current course.

READ THE LATEST HAMILTON VERSTAPPEN INCIDENT

We get another flashpoint just as the battle at front was becoming more friendly once again - Hamilton appears genuinely pleased for his rival's success at home -

There was much discussion about the guilt of the two men in the dramatic Silverstone clash, and it will likely continue to be so over the next fortnight.

The drivers were quick to blame each other. The stance of Christian Horner, and even Helmut Marko, that it was a racing incident is a clear admission of guilt.

Hamilton is often the only one who shows any accountability and encourages their followers to take their pitchforks up to the heavens.

Red Bull camp's reaction to Italy was ironic in parts. Verstappen's claims that Hamilton should have given him more space are a bit hypocritical considering Verstappen’s approach to a similar situation on lap 1.

In hindsight, it seems odd that they made these ridiculous claims about Hamilton almost attempting murder in Silverstone. They also played off Hamilton's helmet being hit by their car as no big deal.

Verstappen was primarily to blame, so the stewards gave him a three-place grid penalty in the next event. It won't matter if Red Bull gets an engine penalty in Sochi.

The penalty seems about right from this writer's perspective. Although the Dutchman was able to enter the chicane after Hamilton, his excessive speed meant that he probably had a right to leave his car outside at first.

Hamilton left Hamilton just enough space for Verstappen to enter, but it was obvious that the trajectory and speed of Verstappen's entry would only result in one outcome. Unless Hamilton simply parked his Mercedes outside the second corner and waved him through.

This is when most of the grid drivers, including Hamilton earlier in the race, would abandon the move and seek the escape route. Verstappen, however, is not the most common driver.

He is a bloody-minded, ferocious fighter who will not back down from a fight. He has been a champion of the Ayrton Senna mantra "Back out or we crash" since he was 17 years old.

Personally, I prefer to see two racers fighting it out on the edge.

Hamilton and Fernando Alonso showed that in Hungary this past year, as they have many times before.

This is what we want. These dramatic crashes are great for drama and will be talked about for years. However, it is disappointing that the most cited points of this amazing season will be those who end up in the gravel rather than the battles for the ages like Alonso at Imola 2005.

This almost raises a question about Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel abilities. Although Verstappen is clearly a fast driver, at what point should we consider him poor in wheel-to–wheel combat? His on-the-edge fights outnumber his instances of forcing drivers to leave the road at an increasing rate.

While he has the spatial awareness and ability to perform, it is more important that he does so.

It is very difficult to distinguish between good driving and bad driving.