1 Racing Mind’s Formula 1 Season Ending Team Report Card: McLaren Racing

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/ LAT Images/ Pirelli

Team Grade: A-

Overall Season: 

During the 2019 season, McLaren Racing was seen as on the road to recovering much of its historical reputation for being a contender in Formula 1. The 2020 Formula 1 season was another step forward to once-again asserting itself as a podium-fighting squad. Drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. each grabbed a podium result with McLaren in 2020 with their Renault powered machines. Overcoming reported financial concerns caused due to the Coronavirus pandemic, McLaren Racing’s reward was a third place finish in the Formula 1 World Constructors’ Championship following an aggressive fight with Racing Point and the Renault F1 Team for the honour.   

 

Achievements During 2020 Season: 

The McLaren Racing organization has made a clear and concerted effort in recapturing much of its past glory after struggling through the midpoint of the 2010s. This year, the Woking-based race team was a solid point finisher with both drivers. The Russian Grand Prix was the only instant in 2020 where the team left a race weekend without scoring a top 10 finish. The McLaren Racing team also pulled together a great deal of consistency in the last remaining races that contributed greatly to their third place in the constructors’ standings for 2020. In the final five grand prix events, both cars finished in point-scoring positions.

The Renault-powered MCL35 also proved to be a pretty quick machine over the course of the year. On three occasions during the 2020 Formula 1 season, McLaren team cars captured the fastest lap of the race. 

Shortcomings During 2020 Season:  

For the team in general, the 2020 Russian Grand Prix could be seen as their most disappointing outing. In the only race where McLaren Racing failed to score points, Carlos Sainz Jr. crashed on the opening lap overshooting the second turn on the Sochi track and hit the wall after failing to rejoin the circuit. Lando Norris continued through the event attempting to push the hard compound Pirelli tires he received on lap 1 to the 53-lap distance of the Russian Grand Prix. In the last laps of the event, the #4 McLaren race car had difficulty maintaining the pace to retain a top 10 finish and ultimately needed to make a late pit stop coming across the line in 15th place.  

Another unfortunate moment for the McLaren Racing team came at the Belgian Grand Prix. Before the start of the race on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the power unit of the #55 machine of Carlos Sainz Jr. refused to engage. Sainz had qualified in seventh place for the weekend’s main event.

Team's Drivers

#4 Lando Norris: B+

Photo Credit: Steven Tee/ LAT Images/ Pirelli

Overall Season: 

Lando Norris entered his second season in Formula 1 returning to McLaren Racing in 2020 and the 21-year-old continued to show talent and some blossoming expertise behind the wheel. In the opening round of this season at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, he scored his first career podium result. Despite the shortened season, Norris racked up almost twice the amount of points in the season-long championship compared to 2019. 

Achievements During 2020 Season: 

Lando Norris enjoyed a very consistent season with the McLaren Racing team failing only to finish one event on the entire 17-race calender. The biggest achievement in his young Formula 1 career occurred at the Red Bull Ring. A track where Lando Norris had tied his season-best result in his rookie year, the Austrian circuit hosted his first series podium finish after Mercedes-AMG driver Lewis Hamilton was issued a five-second penalty. Norris crossed the line in fourth but was 4.8 seconds behind Mercedes elevating him to his new career-best finish. In many events, Norris mirrored the efforts of his more veteran teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. ending the 2020 season with a qualifying average almost identical to the Spaniard. However, Norris bettered his now-former McLaren teammate by taking the extra championship point for fastest lap in two grand prix events compared to Sainz’s one.

Shortcomings During 2020 Season:  

Lando Norris’ efforts behind the wheel of a Formula 1 in 2020 were nowhere near as rage-filled as some of his Twitch game play streams. For a sophomore season in the top open wheel racing series on the planet, Lando Norris enjoyed a quiet yet successful campaign that did not contain too many major moments of failure. Missing the points on four occasions in the season, three of those times came in consecutive races. The Russian Grand Prix was due to Norris losing on the team’s gamble with hard compound tires, the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring ended with a power unit issue (his only DNF of the 2020 season) and the Portuguese Grand Prix’s 13th place finish was a result of a collision between him and the Racing Point car of Lance Stroll.

#55 Carlos Sainz Jr.: B+

Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/ LAT Images/ Pirelli

Overall Season: 

Finishing in sixth place in the 2020 Formula 1 Worlds Drivers’ Championship points standings, Carlos Sainz Jr. had one of the best years in his professional career. A driver in the series since 2015, Sainz entered his second year with McLaren Racing in 2020 achieving several career firsts. At the Styrian Grand Prix held on the Red Bull Ring, the driver of the #55 race car set the fastest lap that was also a lap record for the present configuration of the track. Later in the year, Sainz obtained a runner-up finish at the Italian Grand Prix on the Monza circuit. One-half of the driving team that contributed to McLaren’s third place in the Constructors’ Championship, Carlos Sainz Jr. is taking his talent to Scuderia Ferrari. 

Achievements During 2020 Season: 

The Styrian Grand Prix was one of two showcase events for the Spanish driver’s 2020 Formula 1 campaign. Falling short in the race finishing in ninth, Carlos Sainz Jr.’s outing in Austria was one where the #55 car qualified a strong 3rd place in wet weather and posted the fastest lap on Sunday. However, the highlight of Sainz’s 2020 season (and Formula 1 career so far) has been the Italian Grand Prix. Placing himself in a position to pounce when the majority of traditional frontrunners were out of contention, Sainz and McLaren had a chance at victory. After pursuing eventual winner Pierre Gasly closely in the late laps, Carlos Sainz Jr. earned his second career podium finish and first time as the runner-up driver. Through 17 rounds of the 2020 Formula 1 tour, the Spaniard earned his season-best championship tally of 105 points.   

Shortcomings During 2020 Season:  

Carlos Sainz Jr.’s best Formula 1 finish to date came in a middle of an unlucky streak of grand prix events. Prior to the Italian Grand Prix, Sainz was sidelined in the Belgian Grand Prix when his car’s power unit failed before the start of the event. In the two races following Monza, the #55 McLaren suffered early race retirements. At the Tuscan Grand Prix on the Mugello track, Sainz first suffered damage to his car in the opening lap. He would later be caught up in a multiple car crash following a safety car period on lap five. The following event in Russia had Carlos Sainz Jr. crashing on the opening lap after unsuccessfully attempting to rejoin the track through a run-off area. 

Portuguese Grand Prix Hosts Record-Breaking Win For Lewis Hamilton

Photo Credit: Sam Bloxham/LAT Imagesé Pirelli

At the last round of the 2020 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton performed a magnificent feat with his victory at the Eifel Grand Prix. On the historic Nurburgring race track, the British driver equalled the impressive all-time win record of legendary German driver Michael Schumacher with 91 grand prix victories. With no signs of losing momentum behind the wheel of the well-tuned machine out of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team stables, it has been assumed Hamilton would soon capture the career statistic for himself. This season’s 12th round at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal presented the first occasion for Hamilton to set a new milestone.

Located in town of Portimao, a 4.653-kilometer race course invited Formula 1 back to the republic where the Portuguese Grand Prix had not run since 1996. The 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix assembled on a relatively new competition course with a series of features found in classic grand prix circuits. Capturing the pole on a time set on medium compound tires, Lewis Hamilton was in ideal striking position for his record-breaking 92nd Formula 1 victory ahead of the 66-lap Sunday feature race. 

In a Formula 1 season that has been marked by some incredibly surreal starts, the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix is perhaps one of the most bizarre. The opening lap at the Algarve International Circuit occurred just as the track was dampened by a light rain causing some uneasiness among the top grid starters including the Mercedes-AMG race cars. Though the two Mercedes drivers led through the first several corners, both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas struggling to gain grip during the early stint of the grand prix. 

Despite there not being a major crash on the opening lap, there was contact between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez exiting turn four resulting in the #11 Racing Point being sent into a spin. Perez fell to the back of the running order but continued after returning to the pits for new soft compound tires. In fact, the Mexican Racing Point driver would ultimately recover to have a great finish in Portugal.

The before-mentioned grip issues for the Mercedes-AMG contenders appeared at the middle of the first lap. Out of turn 7, Valtteri Bottas was able to sweep passed Lewis Hamilton’s #44 car but was himself challenged by the unlikely might of Carlos Sainz Jr. driving his Renault-powered McLaren at the start of the second lap. Both the McLarens of Sainz and Lando Norris had fantastic starts on soft compound tires positioned in second and fourth respectively on lap two. However, on the fifth corner, Sainz’s #55 car achieved a unique pleasure of passing a Mercedes-AMG W11 EQ Performance race car under a competitive, on-track move. Carlos Sainz Jr.’s lead in the Portuguese Grand Prix lasted until the sixth lap when Bottas retook the top spot as the medium tires came to an optimum temperature.

Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images/Pirelli

On Lap 18, a turn one altercation occurred as the #18 Racing Point RP20 race car of Lance Stroll and Lando Norris’s #4 McLaren made contact. The collision occurred after several laps as Stroll attempted to pass Norris with the Canadian rapidly faster on Portimao Circuit’s front stretch. Fighting in seventh and eighth place spots, the Racing Point had rapidly closed up on the McLaren into the first corner. Travelling faster in a straight line thanks to DRS, Stroll shot to the right of Norris but was not completely clear of the McLaren as he turned in crowding his competitor resulting in a side impact where both vehicles suffered damage and needed to pit at the end of the lap. With the collision under investigation, Formula 1 stewards were led to the conclusion that Stroll was at fault for the incident assessing the driver a five-second penalty. Lando Norris finished in 13th place while Lance Stroll would ultimately retire on lap 51 due to more extensive damage to his Racing Point being the only driver not to finish the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix. 

For what would be the winning move for the race in Portugal, the two Mercedes-AMG vehicles battled on lap 19. Losing the lead on the first lap, Lewis Hamilton had maintained within a second of Valtteri Bottas. As the teammates crossed the start/finish line for lap 20, Hamilton had used DRS to ultimately pass Bottas. Pitting once on lap 40, Hamilton pulled out a significant lead as the laps ticked away. 

Photo Credit: Charles Coates/LAT Images/Pirelli

Finishing 25.592 seconds ahead of runner-up Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton’s recovery greatly from an uneasy start on the Algarve International Circuit winning the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix. With his 92nd victory secured, Hamilton is now established as the winningest driver in Formula 1 history achieving the accomplishment after 262 races. Crediting his current Mercedes-AMG team for their constant push to give him the best cars since he joined the organization in 2013. Additionally, Lewis Hamilton commented in a post-race news release on the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team’s website saying, “No one is sitting back on the success, everyone is pushing and pushing and pushing. That’s the most incredible thing to be surrounded by: it inspires you, that collaboration, and there’s nothing quite like it.” 

Photo Credit: Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

Valtteri Bottas settled into a quiet second-place finish in Portugal crossing the line more than 8.9 seconds over the Red Bull Racing car of Max Verstappen. After a refreshing moment of strength in qualifying where Scuderia Ferrari enjoyed a fourth place start obtained by Charles Leclerc, the driver from Monaco scored fourth at the end of the Portuguese Grand Prix. The second Scuderia Ferrari ran deeper in the field throughout the race but was able to salvage a 10th place finish after 66 laps.

Starting in ninth place, Pierre Gasly fought his way to another fine effort with his Honda-powered AlphaTauri taking fifth at the end of the race in Portugal. After a brief time in the lead of the Portuguese Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz Jr. crossed the Algarve International Circuit’s finish line in sixth place. Hotly competing to gain third place in the constructors’ championship, Sainz’s team McLaren is still trailing Racing Point by two points. Sergio Perez driving for Racing Point finished seventh capturing a valuable six points after what was a hard-fought race. 

Photo Credit: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images/Pirelli

Eighth and ninth place at the end of the Portuguese Grand Prix saw both of the Renault F1 Team cars gaining points. Esteban Ocon scored the higher position compared to teammate Daniel Ricciardo being the third time the Frenchman finished ahead of the Australian.

Leaving Portugal after a memorable grand prix, Formula 1 teams were now destined for a return to Italy competing on the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari generally referred to as Imola. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be staged under an experimental two-day schedule with the main race being staged on November 1st. 

2020 Formula 1
Portuguese Grand Prix
Race Results

1 Racing Mind’s 2020 Formula 1 Mid-Season Team Report Card: McLaren Racing

 

Photo Credit: Andy Hone LAT Images/Pirelli

Team Grade: A-

Driver’s Grade:

Carlos Sainz Jr.: B+

Lando Norris: A-

Summary of First Nine Races:

During the 1980s and a portion of the 1990s, McLaren and Williams were among two of the top teams in Formula 1. In the modern auto racing world championship, both constructors have been striding for more modest goals in recent years. Because of the massive global pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, Williams as well as McLaren reportedly faced great battles off the track. Prior to the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix due to the surging spread of COVID-19, McLaren had withdrawn from the weekend when a member of their crew tested positive for the virus. Later, as the financial burden of a delayed Formula 1 season weighed on McLaren, a partial sale of the Formula 1 team was considered to raise extra capital. A combination of a bank loan and new sponsorship partners including Gulf oil lubricants has given the organization a lifeline. 

The McLaren Racing team’s survival of a potential financial crunch was quickly rewarded. In the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, the driver of the #4 McLaren Lando Norris posted a podium result of third place as well as the fastest lap of the race. After nine races, Norris scored points in all events except the Hungarian Grand Prix with his consistency placing him currently in fourth among drivers in the 2020 Drivers’ Championship. 

McLaren Racing’s Carlos Sainz Jr. has endured more of a roller coaster year than his teammate but has also been involved in some big moments. Although Sainz has qualified third on two occasions and posted the fastest lap at the Styrian Grand Prix, finishes have been less consistent for the Spaniard. In 2020, Sainz also delivered his career-best race performance at the Italian Grand Prix with a runner-up finish and narrowly missed scoring McLaren its first victory since 2012. 

Competing with the MCL35 chassis with Renault power units, McLaren Racing is regularly running alongside or in front of the factory Renault F1 Team. Only one retirement due to a mechanical issue has been recorded by the 2020 car caused at the Belgian Grand Prix where an exhaust problem prevented Carlos Sainz Jr.’s vehicle from starting ahead of Sunday’s race.

Prediction for Rest of the 2020 Season:

This year’s McLaren Racing team has been a regular contender for the top five in the running order. Under the right racing conditions (specifically with some faltering of Mercedes and Red Bull Racing team cars), Lando Norris and/or Carlos Sainz Jr. may likely be a podium challenger within at least one of the remaining events.

Grand Day for Gasly: AlphaTauri Driver Wins Memorable Italian GP

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A race course celebrated for its age and speed, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is now known for a surreal 2020 Italian Grand Prix. After 53 laps, series of misadventures by Formula 1's currently established front-runners and some opportune placement by other entrants led to a very different podium topped by a surprising yet popular victor. 

The grid for the Italian Grand Prix assembled somewhat routinely for a 2020 Formula 1 with Lewis Hamilton on pole and Mercedes AMG teammate Valtteri Bottas starting beside him. Without any awareness for what will occur in this year’s Monza event, the race started with Hamilton shooting out to a major advantage. Bottas, on the other hand, struggled immediately on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix falling to sixth place by the time the black Mercedes completed a full circuit around the track. The weak start by the #77 Mercedes AMG allowed the two McLaren cars of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo driving for Renault to make early gains. 

Photo Credit: LAT Images/Mercedes AMG

On lap 19, the race was slowed by a safety car period when the #20 Haas F1 Team machine driven by Kevin Magnussen stopped along the edge of the track ahead of the pit road. A power unit issue was cited as a reason for Ferrari-powered race car. Initially appearing as a simple recovery of a stopped vehicle, the safety car appearance ultimately reshaped the entire race. Entering the Parabolica turn just as the Mercedes-AMG GT R safety car was being deployed, leader Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes AMG team attempted to use the more than 14-second gap to make a pit stop. However, due to the full-course caution period, pit road was closed meaning Hamilton’s stop was against the rules. Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi was also caught pitting as the start of the safety car period. Both drivers were given a 10-second stop-and-go penalties in their pit stalls eventually being served on lap 30. 

Viewed as a home race for Scuderia Ferrari F1 team, the Monza, Italy circuit is seen as a venue of heightened pride where the squad has an additional incentive to perform. Unfortunately, this year’s grand prix performance for Ferrari was another situation compounding what has been an overall dreadful 2020 season; in fact, it required a very short time for the afternoon to go badly for the Ferrari team. After just six laps, the #5 car of Sebastian Vettel encountered massive brake system failure on track requiring to German to make an uneasy trip to pit road and retirement from the Italian Grand Prix one lap later. Charles Leclerc’s Monza race also came to a premature end only in more dramatic fashion than his teammate. Shortly after the race resumed under green after the safety car period to retrieve Kevin Magnussen’s car, the #16 Ferrari lost control through the turn 11 Parabolica corner and slammed hard into the barriers on lap 25. Escaping major injury, Leclerc was unable to defend his 2019 win at the grand prix.

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A.

The recovery of the crashed Ferrari and the repair to the track’s safety barrier required a red flag on the Monza track that span almost 30 minutes. A second standing start would be employed on lap 28 in order to send the race back to green with all teams were allowed to place new tires on their cars prior to the event’s resumption. Well-timed early pit stops by Pierre Gasly and Kimi Raikkonen elevated them up the racing order. Having not pitted in the Italian Grand Prix up to the second safety car period, Lance Stroll and the #18 Racing Point was granted the enviable grid position of starting alongside the Mercedes AMG of Lewis Hamilton who had yet to serve his penalty. Similar to Valtteri Bottas’ start in the second grid spot, Stroll has a terrible launch dropping from second to fifth place near the end of lap 28. 

From third place on the grid, the AlphaTauri in the hands of Pierre Gasly obtained second place just prior to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes attending pit road to serve his stop-and-go penalty. As Gasly maintained the lead of the Italian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz Jr. would eventually pass Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo for second place. Although the Alfa Romeo Racing team was able to place Raikkonen in a runner-up position for lap 30, the red and white #7 car slid down the standings and would finish the race in the 13th place spot. 

Into the final laps, Sainz began to close on the leading AlphaTauri closing within a one-second on lap 52. With a gap of 0.415 seconds, Pierre Gasly held off the McLaren driver to win the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. 

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

The first-ever Formula 1 win for the 24-year-old Frenchman, Pierre Gasly comes in his third full season in the sport that included last year split between Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso (now known as AlphaTauri). Ecstatically taking his first podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix last season, Gasly was on top of the world. The French driver was equally as emotional celebrating victory in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Immediately following Pierre Gasly’s win, the news was greeted with resounding positivity from his fellow drivers and other teams. Rebranded from Toro Rosso this year to advertise energy drink company Red Bull’s fashion line, the AlphaTauri is now the third team that has found victory in the 2020 season in addition to Mercedes AMG and Red Bull Racing.  

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

One week after a Belgian Grand Prix where he wasn’t even able to start the main event due to an exhaust issue, Carlos Sainz Jr. narrowly missed scoring his first Formula 1 victory in Monza. “It’s obviously impossible to be too disappointed with P2, but I wanted that win!” Sainz stated in a post-race release from McLaren. Both McLaren drivers managed to complete the 53-lap race high in the finishing order as Lando Norris crossed the line in fourth place. McLaren believed a certain win may have existed for their team if not for the second safety car and red flag period that would have broke a winless streak stretching back to 2012.

Crossing the line in third place, Lance Stroll and Racing Point captured his second career podium finish in Formula 1 at the Italian Grand Prix while some analysts believe a higher position or perhaps a win would have been possible on the day. The 21-year-old Canadian cited considerable wheel spin on the second standing start as hindering a better result. The finish by Stroll is the first podium for the Racing Point team since the ownership consortium led by Lawrence Stroll purchased the operation from Force India in the middle of 2018.

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

Unable to improve his position while in traffic, Valtteri Bottas settled for fifth place in the Italian Grand Prix. Used to leading, the usually dominant Mercedes AMG race cars appeared humbled. Dropped to the back of the running order after attending to his stop-and-go penalty, Lewis Hamilton would put on a worthwhile show as he charged back into the top 10. By the end of lap 53, the Brit was able to salvage a seventh place result. Hamilton still holds a commanding 47-point lead in the 2020 drivers’ standings after eight races. Bottas is now second place in the overall standings aided by Max Verstappen dropping out of the race after lap 30 when his Red Bull Racing car suffered a power unit problem. 

Renault F1 Team drivers finished favourably in Italy with Daniel Ricciardo taking sixth while Esteban Ocon took the chequered flag in eighth place. The final two top 10 spots in the Italian Grand Prix were claimed by AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez. 

Finishing outside of the points, the Williams Racing team’s showing at Monza carried weight for being the final event that the organization would have found Sir Frank Williams as well as deputy team principal Claire Williams serving in an official capacity. Sold to an American-based investment firm, Williams Racing will continue to feature the team’s past glory including the name of its founder. Canadian Nicholas Latifi crossed the finish line at the Italian Grand Prix in 11th place while George Russell achieved a 14th place run. 

For what will be the third weekend in a row where Formula 1 cars will compete, the Tuscan Grand Prix on Italy’s Mugello Circuit will provide a unique, new competitive venue for the tour with a race scheduled on September 13th. 

2020 Formula 1
Italian Grand Prix
Race Results

Mercedes Motors at Monza: Hamilton Takes Italian Grand Prix Pole

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

Considered one of the fastest circuits on the current Formula 1 calender, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is a track that benefits low downforce and massive engine power. With what is known of the 2020 season as well as other prior years in the open wheel racing series, qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix on the high-speed race course was understandably seen as another playground for the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. However, a rule change targeting the German-based squad had the potential to shake up Saturday’s time trials.  

The Italian Grand Prix is the first event where the Formula 1 sanctioning enacted rules against the Mercedes AMG team’s use of a special engine mode for qualifying. The so-called “party mode” setting was incorporated to allow a driver to have access to a brief performance boost from the power unit meant to gain extra pace in qualifying. Although the Mercedes AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance vehicles were cited for using the engine setting exploit, other Formula 1 teams have acknowledged having the capacity of utilizing an effect similar to party mode. Starting with the Italian Grand Prix weekend, teams will be required to operate through a single engine mode in qualifying and race conditions.   

Despite the new engine mode rule, the Mercedes AMG cars rolled to secure an easy front row for Sunday’s main race at Monza. Collecting his 94th career Formula 1 pole, Lewis Hamilton came out on top in qualifying with a 1-minute,18.887-second lap time. The performance by Hamilton eked-out his teammate Valtteri Bottas for pole by just 0.069 seconds. Both Mercedes AMG drivers able to record lap times under 1-minute, 19 seconds and eclipsed the previous lap time record around the 5.793-kilometer circuit. Bottas’ top Q3 lap was more than 6/10ths of a second faster than the third-place runner.

Photo Credit: LAT Images/Mercedes AMG

Missing out on starting the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend due to an exhaust issue, Carlos Sainz Jr. is in a prime position for glorious recovery in the grand prix at Monza. The Spaniard will start third in his Renault-powered McLaren alongside the Racing Point of Sergio Perez. The third row of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix’s starting grid is shared by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the second McLaren race car driven by Lando Norris. Outpaced by their engine customer McLaren, the Renault F1 Team piloted by Daniel Ricciardo will launch from seventh place on Sunday. Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top-10 in the final round of qualifying.

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

In recent years, qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix on the Monza circuit has become a chaotic affair. The final round of qualifying for the 2019 event concluded with a farcical outcome where a majority of cars moved so slowly in the final moment of Q3 that time expired by the time they reached the starting line. Attempting to gain the valuable slip-stream equating to extra speed on the track’s long stretches, drivers want to follow rather than lead to get an ideal time. Smaller instances of slip-streaming gone wrong appeared to cost several drivers including Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen from posting their best lap times. The Q1 session also had a number of lap times disallowed due to exceeding course limits around the sweeping turn 11. Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc all had lap times deleted in qualifying after their right wheels drifted above white line.

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

One of three Italian-based races part of the 2020 Formula 1 schedule, the Italian Grand Prix is a homecoming experience for the Scuderia Ferrari team. After a difficult outing in Spa, the Ferrari race cars are continuing to struggle with an addition sting of competing at a home country event. Charles Leclerc was only able to muster a 13th place result in qualifying while Sebastian Vettel is starting 17th after failing to break out of the initial Q1 session. 

The start of the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix is set for 3:10 p.m. local time or 9:10 a.m. Eastern time.

2020 Formula 1
Italian Grand Prix
Starting Grid