Italian Grand Prix 2021
The brightest stars will shine once more as the F1 calendar shifts to Monza for the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
Compared to the inclement weather in the Belgian Grand Prix, this time we expect the paddock to be sweltering hot this weekend – which is similar to the action we’ve seen so far all season.
The championship race is still a seesaw battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton with only three points separating between the two.
Max Verstappen holds the slim advantage after winning the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort and now it’s Lewis Hamilton’s turn to catch up, although Mercedes remain leaders in the constructors’ standings.
Furthermore, there have been changes in these past few days and we expect a whole new drivers’ landscape for the 2022 season.
Read on below to keep yourselves up-to-date as SBOTOP gives you the latest Italian Grand Prix 2021 updates.
Bottas out, Russell in for Mercedes
The dominoes keep on falling in Formula One as several teams and drivers have already made preparations for 2022.
Mercedes have geared towards investing in the future by bringing in George Russell from Williams as Valtteri Bottas confirms that he’ll represent Alfa Romeo next term.
Valtteri Bottas will take Kimi Raikkonen’s seat, who is expected to retire after this season. As of the moment, the outgoing Raikkonen won’t be available since he’s contracted the coronavirus and Robert Kubica is tasked to race for his place for the Sauber-run team.
This will be a breath of fresh air for Bottas who is looking for a breakthrough in Formula One ever since.
Since joining the Silver Arrows in 2017, the Finn had a harmonious relationship with Lewis Hamilton and the pair have helped Mercedes win multiple constructors’ titles.
George Russell, on the other hand, will come in with huge ambitions as he’ll be Lewis Hamilton’s teammate starting next year.
It can be noted that the 23-year-old did an admirable job filling in for Hamilton, who sat out in last season’s Hungarian Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19.
Albon makes F1 return with Williams, AlphaTauri extend Gasly and Tsunoda
With George Russell moving out, Williams Racing didn’t look far to get his replacement as they’ve secured Alex Albon’s services starting next term.
The Thai-British racer has fulfilled reserve and test driver duties for Red Bull this year after ceding his seat to Sergio Perez, and he’ll get his chance once again with Williams.
According to reports, Williams originally had their eyes set on a possible reunion with Valtteri Bottas. However, the Finn had other plans.
Now with Albon in the fold, Williams can continue their project as the 25-year-old will be teammates with Nicholas Latifi.
Meanwhile, AlphaTauri got into the act by announcing that Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda will represent the Faenza-based team for at least more season.
Retaining Gasly was a no-brainer considering he has performed well for AlphaTauri, since he has qualified inside the top six in 10 of the 13 races this year and he has accounted for 75-per cent of their points so far.
Tsunoda might not have delivered as quickly as AlphaTauri had hoped, but the Japanese has immense potential and he has built a strong relationship with Gasly.
Ferrari plan to make the Tifosi proud
Ferrari are the main attraction here in Monza and the Tifosi would love nothing but a good showing from the Scuderia.
In the 2019 edition, Charles Leclerc won his second race ever in front of a huge crowd in Monza but they weren’t able to reclaim their home magic the following year.
At Zandvoort, Leclerc and Sainz Jr. finished fifth and seventh respectively, which puts the Prancing Horse at third in the constructors’ championship.
The two have shown steady progress all season long, but finishing with a podium spot should be their main target this weekend.
History
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the oldest races in F1 as it has been in existence for 100 years.
Pierre Gasly got his first-ever F1 win here last season in stunning fashion while Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lance Stroll secured the other two podium berths.
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have the most wins in this circuit with 10 each.
What are the odds?
The Italian Grand Prix 2021 odds predict a similar outcome to the Dutch Grand Prix in the last time out.
Max Verstappen is expected to win at 1.10 while Lewis Hamilton is installed at 1.30 to finish second.
Valtteri Bottas is at 1.80 to complete the podium cast, although he’ll be challenged by Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, and Fernando Alonso.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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