:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/add65672-f058-11ea-8f20-02d1dbdc35d1.jpg "Crazy GP Italy: Gasly surprising winner, Verstappen retires | Motorsport")
sport">Verstappen was dissatisfied with the first part of the race weekend at the Monza circuit. The Dutchman started the race from the third row, fifth. The start of the Grand Prix of Italy did not go entirely smoothly for the Red Bull driver. Verstappen dropped a number of places and had to start his overtaking solo from eighth place. Alexander Albon dropped from P9 to 15th place. So a disaster start for Red Bull.
Drama Ferrari
sport">Drama continues to haunt Ferrari, including on the home circuit of the Italian racing team. In the last thirteen Grand Prixs in Italy, the Ferrari team had only one dropout. Now the counter is at two, because Sebastian Vettel had to stop the race due to braking problems.
sport">Later, after a heavy crash of Charles Leclerc – last year’s winner in Italy – even one retired. The Monegask made a hard hit, but eventually got out of his car unharmed. Thus the drama of Ferrari was complete.
Chaos: pits closed and red flag
sport">The differences between the drivers became minimal again when the Safety Car came onto the track, due to the withdrawal of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, even before Leclerc’s crash.
sport">Normally a moment for the drivers to make a ‘free’ pit stop, were it not for the fact that the pit lane was closed because Magnussen stopped just in front. Hamilton dived too quickly – as it turned out – inside, while the rest of the field remained outside. When the light in front of the pit lane turned green again, the rest also made a stop. Hamilton feared punishment. “There is a chance, yes,” his team responded. In the end, the reigning world champion was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty.
Lewis Hamilton behind the Safety Car.
Ⓒ ANP / HH
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sport">The Safety Car had just disappeared from view when the race was halted after Leclerc’s crash, resulting in a red flag. The drivers parked their cars in the pit lane, waiting for the message from the race management when they could start again.
sport">After all the chaos, the position in the race – then 27 of the 53 laps old – was completely shaken up. The race was resumed with a traditional start after a temporary break. Verstappen was in eleventh place, Hamilton still in first, although he still had to undergo his punishment.
After the restart
sport">Hamilton and his team immediately decided to ‘take’ the penalty and dropped back to the last spot. For Verstappen an excellent opportunity to catch up points on World Cup leader Hamilton, but the Red Bull driver had to stop the battle early. His car stopped working. Problems with the engine, it turned out.
Max Verstappen was unable to finish the race.
Ⓒ ANP / HH
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sport">The competition was now in the hands of Pierre Gasly (Alpha-Tauri). The Frenchman, put aside by Red Bull last year, did everything he could to be the first to drive to the checkered flag. Gasly was closely followed by McLaren driver Carlos Sainz. It was an exciting fight until the last second, with Gasly as the lucky winner in the end. The podium was completed by Lance Stroll (Racing Point).
sport">With his win, Gasly breaks through the hegemony of the three top teams in Formula 1. It had been a while since a GP was not won by a Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull driver. The last to do that was Kimi Räikkönen in a Lotus at the Australian Grand Prix in 2013.
sport">watch here the complete World Cup position in Formula 1.
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