One word to describe the first-ever Tuscan Grand Pri💜x? Chaos.
Two red flags, three hꦿuge crashes and three standing starts. It was complete and utter madness on F1’s first ever race visit to Mugello.
Today gave many of the drivers a chance to shine and capitalise on the attrition of others, and certain drivers certainly grab🦩bed that opportunity with both hands, while others had a race to⭕ forget.
Here are our winn♈ers and lo🌌sers from the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix..
Winner: Alex Albon
Alex Albon needed a good race today, and a good race he had! A superb maiಞden podium for the Anglo-Thai driv💦er would’ve provided the confidence boost he has so desperately craved after a difficult season.
It wasn’t the easiest of races for Albon who struggled with the standing restarts, but a sublime🥂 charge to the finish and a brave and perfectly judged overtake on a speedy Daniel Ricciardo earned the Anglo-Th⛦ai his moment on the rostrum.
Whilst he did verge close to Valtteri Bottas towards ⛎the end of the race, the Mercedes driver was able to pull away and extend the gap.
Regardless, what a way to take your first podium!
Alexander Albon (THA) Red Bull Racing celebrates his third position in parc ferme.
It is becoming a recurring theme for Valtteri Bottas t♈hat when given the chance to capitalise on Lewis Hamilton’s rare blemishes, the Finn fails to take advantage.
A slow start for Hamilton at the start of the race providedꦆ Bottas with the o🍃pportunity to storm past Hamilton, before the Briton made amends at the second start by sweeping back into the lead at Turn 1.
From th꧋ere on, it was Hamilton’s race to lose and unfortunately for Botta⛄s he could never quite catch his teammate.
Another blow to his 2020 title hopes as he falls back to 55 points behind Hamilton🌟.
Second placed Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 W11 in parc ferme.
Lewis Hamilton is arguably the biggest winner from M🤪ugello today.
Despite a slow initial race start, Hamilton redeemed himself by reclaiming the lead back froꦑm Valtteri Bottas at the secoꦦnd restart and he held on to record his 90th career win.
Hamilton described the Tuscan GP as being like “three races in one day” an🔥d said it wasౠ one of his “most challenging” F1 wins.
He reaped the rewardsꦓ of a faultless drive to extend his championship lead as his seventh world title looms even🎃 closer.
Race winner Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 celebrates in parc ferme.
It was an unfortunate race end for Max Verstappen who pickedꦇ up a slight engine issue on the fo♊rmation lap which then led to his mechanics and engineers having another last-gasp fix moment on the grid.
What at first seemed a fa♐st start for Max turned into a slow one as he faded do🅠wn into the chasing pack with a loss of power.
Sadly it was not meant to be for Max,ꦬ who would be taken out in the first lap collision, hit by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
A downcast Verstappen later admitted he mဣost likely would have had to retire the car irrespective of ﷽the crash due to the issues experienced.
The Dutchman will be looking forward to Russia after two consecutive DNFs, both caus🐲ed🍌 by Honda-related engine issues.
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16 crashed out of the race.
Kimi’s return to Mugello after first testing at the circuit 20 years p🍸rior for Sauber was an eventful one.
Lucky to navigate a crash with Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen, Raikkonen pushed on and woul෴d take the chequered flag ahead of Leclerc in eighth.
A five-second time penalty for an illegal pit entry when the♛ final Safety Car was deployed dropped him to ninth after the flag, but the Finn still claimed his first points of the se🌃ason.
Raikkonen appeared to be the fastest Ferrari po🔯wered car in the race as Alfa Romeo capitalised on misfortune for others t🦂o take a points finish that has proved hard to come by in 2020.
Ferrari’s 1000th race in Formula 1 should’ve been a race to remember. It was, but not for the Italian team, despite a rare double poinꦛts score.
Leclerc had a brilliant start at the beg😼inning of the race, leapfrogging both Verstappen and Albon into third place, but sadly it was an unrealistic standing for the Monegasque driv𒐪er, who would later fall back to 8th.
Meanwhile, Vettel was unlucky to tagꦯ a spinning Ca🐻rlos Sainz at the chaotic race start and lost his front wing in the process.
From then on, Vettel had to battle with the Williams of ꦰGeorge Russell and eventually took 10th.
Witnessing Mick Schumacher in his father’s F2004 driving♈ around Mugello was probably Ferrari’s highlight of yet another woeful weekend.
(L to R): Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari with team mate Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari.
Daniel Ricciardo nearly delivered a first podium finish for Renault since its return to F1 in 2016 and with it a chance to carry out his tattoo bet with team bossꦉ Cyril Abiteboul.
Despite a sterling effort and brilliant performance, Ricciardo was left to settle with a strong fo⛄urth place after Red Bull’s Alex Albon swept by to snatch the final spot on the rostrum.
The Australian ultimately conceded he had ‘no answer’ to Albon’s superior pace but must come away from a hectic race pleased with a result that was definitely ear꧋ned on merit.
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Renault F1 Team RS20 and Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 W11 at…
What might have been for George Russell. The W🐼illiams driver turned in a great drive on Sunday and was in contention for his first points in F1 amid a battle wi🐭th Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Russell was left to rue wheel🥃spin at the second standing restart which saw him drop a handful of positions and ultimately cost him the chance of claiming a first top-10 appearance.
It was a missed opportunity in a situation Williams reall💞y needed to take advantage of on a crazy day it could well have ended up in the poin♎ts.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around tꦓhe wor🍌ld. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
