Winners and losers of the Italian Grand Prix

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Winners:

Max Verstappen: With an 11^th race win, which is 1 victory higher than the 10 races he won in the 2021 season, Max Verstappen almost has his hands on the 2022 title. Even if he were to finish second to Charles Leclerc at all remaining races, he will still win the title. However, the drive to win defines Verstappen, who was able to move up to position 3 in the first few laps, even after starting at position 7 due to an engine penalty. With six races remaining, the Dutch star now holds a lead of 116 points over Leclerc.

Nyck de Vries: The 27-year-old FP1 driver made an unexpected, yet impressive F1 debut, when he was called upon to replace Alex Albon for Williams, who was unavailable due to health concerns. A finish at position 9, for which he was awarded the Driver of the Day award, signals a potential full-time 2023 contract with Williams for the young Dutchman.

Carlos Sainz:Although Sainz was unable to make the top 3, his finish at position 4, given his start at position 18, was a remarkable achievement. With his extremely high pace, the confident Ferrari driver is expected to put in more power packed performances in upcoming races.

Losers:

Charles Leclerc: Unable to beat rival Max Verstappen’s pace, Leclerc’s chances of winning the 2022 title now seem increasingly unlikely. However, discussions surrounding Ferrari’s decision to take two pit stops, which is one more than the one taken by Verstappen, point to a faulty strategy rather than Leclerc’s driving, as responsible for his loss.

Nicholas Latifi:With a starting position of 10, Latifi was down to position 14 at the end of the first lap and finished the race at position 15. This adds on to Latifi’s rivalry with teammate De Vries who had an impressive F1 debut and had defeated him for a position at the Formula 2 Championship of 2019. He has also vocalized his criticism for his Williams racing car, which has cast further shadows on his future with the team.

Daniel Ricciardo:The winner of the 2021 Italian Grand Prix was unfortunately unable to complete his race due to an oil leak. This marks continuing bad luck for the racer, who started at position 4, and was in the contention for the top 3, before falling to position 8.