Italian Grand Prix: Key Talking Points

The 89th edition of the Italian Grand Prix ended with a Ferrari home win for the first time in nine years. Charles Leclerc lead from start to finish and took the chequered flag for himself. 

We take a look at some of the talking points of the 14th round of the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship.

 Ferrari first home win since 2010 

Charles Leclerc has ended Ferrari’s longest-ever wait for a home win. Fernando Alonso was the last Ferrari driver to win the Italian Grand Prix in 2010. 

On his way to the famous win, Leclerc also became the fifth driver to win the Italian Grand Prix in his first start as a Ferrari driver. 

Leclerc also joined an exclusive company by scoring his first two victories back-to-back. In doing so, the 21-year-old has etched his name as one of the Ferrari greats and he seems to be the real deal.

Change of guard at Ferrari

Charles Leclerc is taking the all-conquering Mercedes head on and doing a pretty good job at that.

Questions were raised when Ferrari signed this 14 races old rookie last year. People were sceptical about his ability and whether he would be able to shoulder the responsibility that comes with driving for the sports most famous team.

There’s Leclerc, who is thriving in the limelight and on the other hand there’s his-four-times World Champion teammate, Sebastien Vettel, who is failing to impress.

A 10-second stop-and-go penalty was imposed on Vettel for the dangerous maneuver he pulled on lap six and ultimately had to contend with the 13th spot. 

With Leclerc impressive showings and the slew of mistakes Vettel is committing, it wouldn't take long for Ferrari to make the Monacan its blue-eyed boy.

Bottas coming out of the shadow

Mercedes has chosen Valtteri Bottas to be in the coveted silver Arrow seat for the 2020 season. 

He showed his prowess and showed some of the traits which made Mercedes re-sign him to be their second driver alongside World Champion Hamilton. 

The Finnish driver came a close second in Monza in what proved to be a coming of age performance. He zoomed past his more illustrious teammate Hamilton during the race and reminded everyone that he is not to be taken lightly in the title race. 

The 30-year-old has improved a lot since last year. He possesses a fast car and seem to be the most abled driver to give a fight to the dominant Lewis Hamilton for the World Championship.

Renault coming back to its best?

Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg performance in Monza made it a first occurrence for the two Renaults to qualify in the top six  since France 2007.

This has not been a great year for Renault due to various reasons. Other teams are leaps and bounds ahead of them in terms of quality and pedigree.

This was also Renault’s first double top-five finish since Japan 2008. They are now fifth in the constructor championship and have closed the gap on McLaren.

Let's just hope they keep the foot on the pedal. Renault coming to its vintage best would be amazing for the sport.

Cover Picture credits: planetf1.com