After securing their first victory of the 2019 Formula 1 season, can Ferrari retain their much-needed momentum heading into their home track of Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the Italian Grand Prix?
After the first half of the 2019 Formula 1 season was littered with strategy blunders, crucial driver errors and unfortunate mechanical errors, it was starting to look like Scuderia Ferrari could be in the midst of just their third winless season in the last 26 years.
But with 12 of the season’s 21 races in the books and the summer break nearing its end, Ferrari were in a solid position, or about as solid of a position as they could be in given the circumstances.
The next two races on the schedule were the Belgian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix, two races at tracks that put a huge emphasis on straight-line speed, a category in which the Italian team have a clear advantage.
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Ferrari were hot out of the gate for the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, recording 1-2 finishes in each of the three practice sessions and locking out the front row in qualifying with Charles Leclerc on pole and Sebastian Vettel alongside.
While they could not secure a 1-2 finish in the race itself, Leclerc secured his first career victory and Ferrari’s first victory since Kimi Raikkonen, who Leclerc replaced ahead of the 2019 season, won the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, October 21, 2018. Vettel finished in fourth place after his tires severely wore down before the race ended and he had to make an additional pit stop.
Next up is Ferrari’s home race, and this race should theoretically produce a similar result.
Only once in the last 18 seasons has the pole position speed for the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza not been the fastest among all tracks on the schedule, and that was in the 2008 season when it rained during the qualifying session.
Ferrari’s straight-line speed advantage should prove huge once again.
That said, Ferrari have not won the Italian Grand Prix since Fernando Alonso won it in the 2010 season, and after a front row lockout last season, it was Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Lewis Hamilton who added yet another win to his resume after a poor pit strategy hampered Raikkonen and Vettel practically threw away his chance of winning with a lap one spin.
Can Ferrari finally deliver the faithful Tifosi another victory in their backyard?
After ending their 15-race win drought with Leclerc’s Belgian Grand Prix victory, momentum is definitely on their side. Additionally, the fact that it was Leclerc who won this race after dominating the weekend to get the monkey off of his back after having dealt with losing potential victories in the final few laps of multiple races this year could potentially open the floodgates for him.
Will Ferrari follow up their first victory of the 2019 Formula 1 season with their second in the Italian Grand Prix? If so, will it be Charles Leclerc securing his second career victory, or will Sebastian Vettel end his 21-race win drought? Tune in to ESPN2 for the live broadcast of this race from Autodromo Nazionale Monza beginning at 9:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, September 8.