Pace alone doesnโt win you races in Formula 1. The conditions have to be perfect. And after a rocky transition from Red Bull to Renault, before experiencing a rather shakey season with McLaren dissected ad nauseam by every tabloid rag, everything came together for Daniel Ricciardo to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza โ his first victory since Monaco back in 2018, McLarenโs first victory since 2012, McLarenโs first 1-2 finish since 2010, as well as earning fastest lap.
A brilliant qualifying effort from the Honey Badger this past weekend scored the Perth native a perfect starting grid position to make an impact. Securing the lead in front of #1 championship contender, Max Verstappen, Ricciardoโs major concern was fending off his former teammate, maintaining a precarious single-second gap that threatened to disappear on several occasions.
As fate would have it, a botched 11-second pit stop for Verstappen would put some healthy distance between them, before Red Bullโs golden boy was taken out of contention completely due to a collision with defending champion, Mercedesโ Sir Lewis Hamilton. Thatโll make for a killer Drive To Survive episodeโฆ
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As the race progressed, Ricciardoโs current teammate, Lando Norris, muscled his way to P2 โ keeping both Red Bullโs Sergio Perez and Mercedeโs Valtteri Bottas at bay. To make things even more ideal for the McLaren partnership, Perez had been slapped with a five-second penalty after exceeding track limits to advance his position. Locked in a tight battle with a bloody quick Bottas โ who made his way from the back of the grid all the way into P4 โ they were essentially a non-factor behind young Norris (who received team orders to hold the line).
โItโs about โ [gesture.] โ time,โ says Daniel Ricciardo, using hands to indicate the profanity he was told not to use on live television post-Italian Grand Prix victory.
โIโve been a sandbagging SOB all yearโฆ For once, Iโm lost for words.โ
โWeโve had a pretty awesome weekend,โ says Lando Norris.
โIt couldโve ended up like the other two. Iโll get my chance in the future.โ
While itโs all smiles and sparkling wine for the boys in orange, the bitter rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen translates to anything else for Mercedes and Red Bull, respectively. Re-enacting a version of the show-stopping incident as Silverstone during the British Grand Prix, a debate surrounding who had the right of way and providing space on the turn will surely plague headlines for the coming week.
UPDATE [13/02/21]: Red Bullโs Max Verstappen has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix (Sochi) after the stewardsโ investigation found him at fault for causing the race-ending collision with Mercedesโ Lewis Hamilton.
