today, 6:40 pm | by Mark Hanselman
The ‘Power Rankings’ of the race weekend in Italy are in. Max Verstappen took his tenth win in a row in Ferrari’s homeland, making him the first driver in the history of the sport to do so. Logically, the world champion in the Power Rankings of Formula1.com therefore treated to a high score, although he has to share the lead with Carlos Sainz this weekend.
Before the weekend, Lewis Hamilton said that Verstappen’s teammates were not as good as his former teammates. There is something to be said for that, because with Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg, Hamilton has had three teammates who also won at least one world title. However, Hamilton has been able to fight for titles for almost his entire career, even seeing a title go to a teammate in 2016. Button took more points than Hamilton in three seasons, while Alonso finished on equal points in 2007.
Verstappen has also had top material for several years, but has never given his teammates a chance to compete for the top prizes. It was proven in Italy that they are not bakers. In the top five of the Power Rankings, three (former) teammates of Verstappen can be found, plus Verstappen himself. The Dutchman received a 9.6 for his performance. “The record of ten wins in a row is a ridiculous achievement and that should be commended. Red Bull Racing have built a great car, and Verstappen is making good use of that by not making a wrong move, and this weekend was the perfect example of that.’
He narrowly missed pole position to Sainz, but as he has done so many times on Sundays, he put it right on race day and took the win. “He took his time before hitting when Sainz made a mistake and took the lead. After that, he didn’t look back and set out for another convincing victory.’
Sainz equals Verstappen’s top score
Sainz had one of the best weekends of his career in Ferrari’s homeland, taking first place in second and third practice, plus pole position. On Sunday, Sainz crowned the weekend celebrating his 29th birthday with his first podium finish of the season. Fred Vasseur called the Italian Grand Prix weekend the best weekend of the season for Ferrari, and from his own perspective Sainz could say the same. The Spaniard was in top form from the moment the lights turned green in VT1. The most impressive part of his weekend was his outstanding pole lap. Although he couldn’t keep the Red Bulls behind on Sunday with his incredible defensive moves, many will still remember the cheers of the Tifosi when he was flagged off.
Albon, Perez, en Lawson scoren goed
Behind Verstappen and Sainz, who drove together for Toro Rosso in 2015, Alexander Albon took third place with a 9.0. The British Thai drove alongside Verstappen at Red Bull in 2019 and 2020. “It was another great weekend for Albon and Williams as he again showed his speed and got the most out of the FW45, later demonstrating his great defensive talent on his way to seventh. He was fast from the start, so he was even slightly disappointed with sixth place on the grid.’
Sergio Pérez, Verstappen’s current teammate, also did well and takes fifth place with a 7.8, behind George Russell: ‘His weekend was again characterized by difficult moments with a crash in the second practice. He will not have been happy with fifth place in qualifying, but he did what he and his team expected on Sunday.’ Liam Lawson also got a 7.8: ‘Lawson was a bit disappointed with P11 after the race, just missing out on points. However, he should be proud as he is still getting used to Formula 1.”
Verstappen’s average continues to rise
Verstappen entered the summer break with an average of 9.2, but a 10 in Zandvoort and a 9.6 in Italy have ensured that Verstappen now has an average of 9.3. Fernando Alonso missed the top ten in Italy, and so his backlog is widening. With an 8.1, the Spaniard still keeps Lewis Hamilton (7.9), Alexander Albon (7.8), and Lando Norris (7.5) behind him, while Sergio Pérez cannot be found in the top ten.
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2023-09-06 16:40:00
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