F1 Italian GP 2020 Pre-Race Talking Points

Mercedes locked out the front row in qualifying for the 2020 F1 Italian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton on pole by just 0.069 seconds from Valtteri Bottas. You would think there was not much else to talk about aside from the prospect of yet another Mercedes win. However, there are still points to discuss after qualifying at Monza, the ‘temple of speed,’ and the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar.

The party continues

A ban on ‘party modes’ didn’t stop Mercedes from being dominant, as Lewis Hamilton’s pole position time was the fastest single lap in F1 history - at an average speed in excess of 264kmph. Party modes were specific engine maps that gave an extra boost of power when used in qualifying. Mercedes first developed it, followed by other engine manufacturers. The ban came in effect from this weekend and the lack of it did seem to help Renault. Carlos Sainz was third in qualifying in his McLaren-Renault while his teammate Lando Norris was sixth. 

Fighting for third

Behind Mercedes, the fight for who will be third in the constructors’ championship continues to rage. Less than two tenths of a second cover the drivers who qualified third to seventh. And that includes drivers from McLaren-Renault, Racing Point-BWT Mercedes and Renault. These are three of the four teams that are in the fight for third and while Sainz’s third place is impressive, he may not have consistent race pace to hold off Sergio Perez of Racing Point and Daniel Ricciardo of Renault. 

Qualifying kerfuffle 

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There was a time when drivers would give each other sufficient space while qualifying at Monza regardless of which order they came out of the pits. Now, however, the teams crowd the racetrack while trying to latch on to the rear of a fast car in order to get a slipstream and increase speed on a straight. It has caused drivers to ruthlessly overtake slower cars to the point that an accident in qualifying now seems inevitable. F1’s rulemakers better intervene before something awful happens.

A historic low

We have covered Ferrari’s woes fairly often this year. They were found to be circumventing the rules with their power unit last year - polite way to say cheating. Having that advantage taken away from them has relegated them down the order in the power stakes. Sebastian Vettel was knocked out in the first of three parts of qualifying and will be 17th on the starting grid. Charles Leclerc could only manage 13th. It is the first time since 1984 that a Ferrari will not be in the top ten at the Italian Grand Prix when the race gets underway. Carlos Sainz is headed to Ferrari next season and must be wondering why he ever agreed to do so.