Montreal’s Lance Stroll 3rd at Italian GP, second career podium finish

MONZA, Italy – AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly claimed an unlikely victory at the Italian Grand Prix after a thrilling race that saw world champion Lewis Hamilton given a 10-second penalty and both Ferraris fail to finish at their home circuit on Sunday.

It was Gasly’s first-ever win in Formula One. The 24-year-old Frenchman finished 0.415 seconds ahead of McLaren driver Carlos Sainz and 3.358 ahead of Racing Point’s Lance Stroll on a surreal-looking podium. All three drivers had never won a race and each had only one top-three finish to their name.

YES YES YES YES YEEEEESSSSS!!!!!

WE'RE ON THE PODIUM AT MONZA!!!!!

GET IN THERE GUYS!!!!! YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/YnoeJ5CKLy

— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) September 6, 2020

The Monza GP was a wild ride for some drivers, and an extremely emotional one for others.

Hamilton appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory from pole position but he was given a stop-go penalty for entering the pit lane when it was closed, after Haas driver Kevin Magnussen stopped his car just outside the entry lane for the pits. Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi also made his way to the pits during the closure for a 10-second stop-go penalty.

The Mercedes driver finished seventh, 17.245 behind Gasly, after making up a considerable amount of time. Hamilton managed to do what many didn’t think the Silver Arrows could do: get through traffic.

“My race wasn’t meant to be today but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,” Hamilton said. “It was a long pit stop but once I finally caught everybody, I enjoyed that bit of a battle.

“We didn’t do a great job with the pit stop. I didn’t see those boards and take responsibility for that and it’s something I’ll learn from. To get seventh and still get the fastest lap is still some good points so I’ll definitely take it.”

Ferrari were hoping to do better on their home track following last weekend’s disappointment in the Belgium Grand Prix, which saw both cars miss out on the top-10 leading to heavy criticism from Italian sports media.

However after struggling in practices, Ferrari’s abysmal weekend continued as Sebastian Vettel had a brake failure on Lap 7 and he limped into the pits with his right-rear brake disc in flames. It was the four-time champion’s first DNF at Monza in his 14th start.

His teammate Charles Leclerc had made it into fourth place but lost the rear of the car under acceleration through Parabolica on Lap 25 and crashed into the barriers, bringing out the safety car for a second time and causing the race to be red flagged.

SAFETY CAR (LAP 24/53)

The Safety Car comes back out as Leclerc has a frightening crash at Parabolica

Charles is out of the car and okay#ItalianGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/BLUjaIGKwq

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 6, 2020

After a 27-minute delay to the race to clear up Leclerc’s Ferrari, and resetting the crash tires, the remaining 17 cars restarted the race in a similar fashion to the race start, this time with Montreal’s Stroll starting from the second spot on the grid.

A couple of laps into the restart, mechanical issues forced Red Bull’s Max’s Verstappen to retire his car.

With the Red Bull of Alexander Albon and the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas also dealing with car issues, the door was left wide open for a team other than Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari to win an F1 race.

The combination of Gasly, Sainz and Stroll on the podium made it one of Formula One’s youngest podiums. Sainz, 25, was the oldest of the three drivers.

The win was much deserved for Gasly after a tumultuous year. The 24-year-old lost his seat with Red Bull ahead of the Monza race last season. He also lost one of his closest friends last summer, Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert.

“It was such a crazy race,” said Gasly. “The car was fast, and to go through so much in the space of 18 months. First podium last year, now first victory in Monza. I have no words.”

Gasly celebrated wildly with his team but then, after the trophy presentation, was seen sitting down on the top spot of the podium alone. He had a moment to reflect on his achievement, as he took a swig of champagne surrounded by ticker-tape.

The race was also the end of an era for Williams owner Claire Williams, as she is stepping down after an American-based investment firm Dorilton Capital bought the racing franchise.

“I have taken the decision to step away from the team in order to allow Dorilton a fresh start as the new owners. It has not been an easy decision but it’s one I believe to be right for all involved,” Williams said in a statement Thursday. “With the future of the team now secured, this feels like the appropriate time for us to step away from the sport.”

Williams has won 114 races, taken 128 pole positions and is the third-longest standing team in the history of the series.

“We have been in this sport for more than four decades. We are incredibly proud of our track record and the legacy we leave behind,” Claire Williams said. “We have always been in it for the love of it, for the pure pleasure of going motor racing.”

Following the race, Williams drivers George Russell and Canadian Nicholas Latifi expressed heart-warming appreciation for Claire.

– With files from the Associated Press