Lewis Hamilton is on the cusp of winning his 100th Grand Prix and after the disappointments of Spa and Netherlands, the Mercedes team can pull things back in the high-speed Italian Grand Prix.
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The 2021 Formula One season is going right down the wire. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are slugging it out in the championship. Verstappen has been on a role in the last couple of races, winning in Spa and in his home circuit at Zandvoort. The performances of Verstappen have ensured that Hamilton will not have it easy in the quest for his eighth F1 title. However, heading into the race in Monza, Hamilton has a chance to redeem himself and take the lead in the championship.
The high-speed layout of the Monza circuit could benefit Mercedes and the driving style of Lewis Hamilton. He, along with Michael Schumacher is the most successful drivers at the Monza circuit. Hamilton and Schumacher have won five times in Italy. A win in Monza on Sunday could not only make Hamilton the most successful driver in Monza but he will create an unprecedented feat of 100 F1 wins.
Monza could prove to be the venue where the F1 title momentum is decided. A win for Hamilton could swing the title race in his favor. Verstappen, on the other hand, will be aiming to ensure that Hamilton does not get away in the points table. Heading into the race at Monza, here is a list of Hamilton’s wins at the prestigious circuit.
It was a dominant performance from Lewis Hamilton. He secured the pole position from his team-mate Jenson Button. Driving for McLaren Mercedes at that time, Hamilton started the race brilliantly. He held off the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Button, Mark Webber, and Felipe Massa. He pitted on lap 24, losing the lead to Sergio Perez. But, he took the lead back on lap 29 thanks to Sergio Perez also pitting. Hamilton held on to the lead. Vettel retired due to mechanical issues. Webber spun at the Ascari chicane and dropped out of the points. Hamilton won for the first time in Monza and established this circuit as one of his favorites.
Once again, Hamilton managed to secure the pole position yet again. But, he faced stiff opposition from his teammate Nico Rosberg. In the very first lap of the race, Hamilton started off slowly and lost the lead to Rosberg. He had selected an incorrect mode and he dropped down to the fourth spot. There was an intense slugfest for the lead between Rosberg and Massa. However, Rosberg suffered an issue and the gap was reduced to two seconds.
Hamilton made a solid recovery and passed Massa into the second spot. The British driver took the lead after Rosberg pitted. But, he relinquished the lead back to Rosberg after a pitstop. But, as the race went ahead, Rosberg suffered a problem with his brakes which compromised his race. Hamilton took the lead and did not let go from that point on. He won at Monza for the second time and it was his 28th overall.
It was a Grand Slam-like performance from Hamilton. He took the pole position, secured the fastest lap, led every lap of the race, and went on to win the Italian Grand Prix in fine style. With a time of 1:23:397 in qualifying, Hamilton secured the pole position in grand style. At the start of the race, Vettel passed Hamilton but the British driver bounced back to take the lead before the end of the first lap. While the other competitors slugged it out in the back, Hamilton was in his zone. After winning the race, Hamilton said, “It was the best weekend I’ve ever driven.” The 25-second gap with Vettel was a complete summation of his dominance.
Hamilton continued to put up a good show in Monza. After Vettel started the season brilliantly, Hamilton started playing catch-up. At Monza, the opening session was delayed due to heavy rain and a red flag caused by Romain Grosjean’s accident. However, when the weather improved, Hamilton secured the pole position again. The race was a symbol of the dominance that Hamilton had established. He and Valterri Bottas secured a 1-2 for Mercedes. With the win, Hamilton took a three-point lead against Vettel in the championship.
Hamilton had to endure a tough fight after not securing pole position in the race. Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel locked out the front row to put themselves in a great position. On the opening lap, Vettel and Hamilton collided that saw the German spin-off. Ferrari and Vettel complained to the stewards but no action was taken against Hamilton.
Vettel managed to fight back to the fourth spot but there was a big fight between Raikkonen and Hamilton. With nine laps remaining, Hamilton passed Raikkonen and he held on to the lead. Hamilton won the race and created history in the process. He equaled Michael Schumacher’s tally of five wins in Monza. Schumacher had won the prestigious Italian Grand Prix in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006.
Monza will once again be looking to produce a brilliant race. In the previous two races, Hamilton has been denied by wrong tactics. In 2019, he had to face an inspired bit of racing from Charles Leclerc as the Monaco driver won the race. During the 2020 race which was impacted by coronavirus, Pierre Gasly won the race in a dramatic fashion. At that time, Hamilton was undone by a 10-second penalty which dropped him down the order.
