Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix is Underway: Could This Be Sainz's Weekend?

You can't think of Formula 1 without thinking of Italy, not just because of Ferrari's involvement in the series but also the race drivers and tracks that have been part of it for decades. Even though officials canceled this year's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix due to flooding, Italian fans still hoped to see another race in their home country. Monza is the Temple of Speed, and that should give you a sense of how legendary its status is in the game.

People have been racing here for over 100 years, and it's not likely it will stop anytime soon. In 1950, Giuseppe Farina won the Italian Grand Prix for Alfa Romeo and became the First Official F1 World Champion that year. For the next ten years, three drivers fought over the title of fastest in Monza: Alberto Ascari, Stirling Moss, and Juan Manuel Fangio, with multiple victories each.

Tony Brooks scored one for the United Kingdom in 1958, years before Graham Hill would rise to the top. But the two drivers to have won the most races in Monza are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, with five each. Hamilton's last success here happened in 2018, and he might still have it in him to climb to the top of the podium once again. Nelson Piquet won the Italian Grand Prix four times, dominating the '80s period of F1, including the event at Imola.

Eight drivers have scored three victories at this race before, but neither is still racing today. Only Barichello and Vettel have reached this performance in the 21st century. Senna and Lauda only have two victories at Monza, the same as Montoya and Alonso. Looking at the grand picture, only five drivers on the grid today have succeeded in the Italian Grand Prix. Ricciardo is currently forced to watch the event from the sidelines due to an injury, so we can't count him in on this.

Each one of the previous five races has had a different winner. Kimi Raikkonen took P1 for Ferrari in 2018 and came just eight seconds away from winning the race, but Hamilton was faster. Bottas took third that day, and his podium days seem such a distant memory in 2023. Charles Leclerc scored a perfect victory for Ferrari in 2019, starting from P1 and finishing in the same position.

That was his second such result in Formula One, and something he hasn't achieved in quite a long time now. Some would say that Pierre Gasly was lucky for the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, scoring his first F1 victory. Carlos Sainz was just inches away by the end of the race, but ultimately, the Frenchman took top honors that day.

Valtteri Bottas took P1 in qualifying for the 2021 Italian Grand Prix and also went on to win the Sprint Race. But he would have to settle for P3 in the main event, as both McLaren-Mercedes drivers outran him. It was Daniel Ricciardo's eighth F1 victory, one he had been waiting for since Monaco's 2018 event. Given his current situation, one can only wonder if he will ever give us a "shoey" demonstration again.

Fast forward to 2022, the Max Verstappen era had already begun. Even though he was slightly slower than Leclerc in qualifying, Ferrari's ace driver crossed the finish line 2.4 seconds later than Max during the main event. The Flying Dutchman won 15 races last year and seems keen on breaking that record by the end of 2023. He needs another five more victories to achieve that performance, with nine more GPs ahead of us. Let's see how it all went down for the first three Free Practice sessions of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix.

Free Practice One

The current series leader was the most diligent driver in FP1, with 31 laps under his name. Max has won the previous nine consecutive races this year, and he seems in a league of his own every time he's out, pushing the RB19. He was one of only four drivers to dip below the 1:23 mark, alongside Sainz, Perez, and Leclerc in that order.

A group of Mercedes-powered machines was up next, with George Russell taking P5, Alonso in sixth, Norris in seventh, and Hamilton in eighth. Oscar Piastri finished the session in P11, followed by two more rookies: Sargeant in P12 and Lawson in P13. Felipe Drugovich got to drive alongside the big boys and set a faster lap than K-Mag and Zhou Guanyu! The gap between P1 and P20 was 1.575 seconds, which should again tell you how excellent these drivers are.

Free Practice Two

Moving on to the second Practice Session of the weekend, Carlos Sainz decided to celebrate his birthday with a P1 finish, improving the pace in FP1 by over a second. The 29-year-old Spaniard has only won one F1 race after 175 starts in the championship, but that's not to say there isn't any more time for him to catch up.

Seven drivers posted lap times in the 1:21 range, and Oscar Piastri was one of them. Verstappen complained about the impeding traffic and could only finish P5 by the end of the session. Even though Checo had a problematic moment early on after going off-track, he still took P3, inches ahead of the Australian rookie. But things were even worse for Lance Stroll, who was forced to retire early due to a technical issue.

Free Practice Three

Carlos Sainz was firm on his intention of leading the pack in FP3, too, as he dipped below the 1:21 mark for the first time this weekend. That gave him the edge he needed to snatch a second consecutive P1 finish, something that Max Verstappen could not prevent from happening. The Dutchman was 0.086 seconds slower overall but still much quicker than Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in P3 and P4.

It's always surprising to see both Haas drivers inside the Top 10, especially with Sergio Perez taking last place on that list. But in the end, it's hard to tell who will emerge victorious at the end of a Grand Prix judging by the Free Practice sessions alone. Qualifying will be a better indicator of that, and drivers will again have to go through the same tire rules as last time: the Hard compound comes first! We'll report back with more information as soon as it becomes available!