GASLY!! What did he just do! Italian Grand Prix 2020

To be honest I don't even know where to really begin... This race had everything you would want out of Formula One on a Sunday. I guess the best place to really start is the first safety car. Prior to that the race was shaping up to be a typical Hamilton wins from 20 seconds down the track. However, the racing gods spoke and blessed us with K. Magnussen having engine issues with his Haas car. Parking it in what he thought to be a god spot next to a marshal and a place for them to easily get the car off the track..... Nope! And for this I voted for him to be driver of the day. I know Gasly deserved it as well, but if it wasn't for Magnussen planting that car there. We would have never gotten the amazing, and outrageous things that happened next.

Now, normally when someone has to park there car on track they try to get in the best possibly position to allow them to safely get out and away. But, also allow the race to continue quickly and/or under a virtual safety car. However, where he placed the car they could not get it out of the way easily as they may have hoped. So, a full safety car was called out and those words spoken by the announcers truly the best thing you can hear on a race weekend (All be it that you do want everyone to be okay and safe if you do hear them. I'm not that cold hearted.). When a safety car comes out that gives most team the best time to get a free pitstop if there in the right place at the right time. This time was way different... way different. I may have failed to mention K.Mags car was parked at the entrance to the pit lane! Now, in order to get the car away safely they had to shut the pit lane down. But, this was missed by two drivers Lewis Hamilton and Antonio Giovinazzi. Who entered the pit lane while it was closed, while everyone else stayed out. Now, to be honest I read most of the interviews from Mercedes and you really don't get a clear answer as to what really happened. But, to me they where caught sleeping at the wheel!

And this is what happens when you get to complacent and expected victory as easy I think they do. In the end this was the underlying factor that led to Hamilton maybe self inflicting or on the team itself. Are maybe both equal in the blame. But, 10 second stop-go penalty was set upon him.

Prior to the safety car deployment though, I want to mention that Gasly had pitted for fresh tires. This I believe is part one of where he one this race and once again was there when he needed to be in that Alpha Tauri. Now, I believe it was a lap or two after the safety car was released that the turmoil for Ferrari continued. Vettel had retired previously with a brake failure, and then the real turning point was when Charles Leclerc going through the parabolica lost the back end under power and went at heavy speed into the tire barrier (thankfully he was okay).

THE RED FLAG! Part 2 of Gasly victory drive.

During a red flag the race is stopped and due to a new rule. The race will reset as a standing start. This is where the fun truly began for any fan. Because, while they waited for the restart. You could catch glimpses of Hamilton's radio between him and the pit wall. The discussion over when he had to serve the time penalty was going on. He had to serve the penalty within two laps...dun, dun, dun!!! The race finally got underway with Gasly, and Sainz getting great starts. Now, Racing Point of Stroll at this point has kinda of been forgotten. He had a great position at the restart and fresh tires. An normally Stroll is pretty good off the line, this time he failed at his first real chance at a win. And where the most nail biting final 20 laps I have watched in a long time.

The race came down to the last lap as Sainz finally reeled in Gasly and was in DSR range. Going to the last corner.... But the Honda power came in at the end and Alpha Tauri came home with an impressive victory!

RACE RUNDOWN

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS

1 10 Pierre Gasly ALPHATAURI HONDA 53 1:47:06.056 25

2 55 Carlos Sainz MCLAREN RENAULT 53 +0.415s 18

3 18 Lance Stroll RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 53 +3.358s 15

4 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN RENAULT 53 +6.000s 12

5 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 53 +7.108s 10

6 3 Daniel Ricciardo RENAULT 53 +8.391s 8

7 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 53 +17.245s 7

8 31 Esteban Ocon RENAULT 53 +18.691s 4

9 26 Daniil Kvyat ALPHATAURI HONDA 53 +22.208s 2

10 11 Sergio Perez RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES 53 +23.224s 1

11 6 Nicholas Latifi WILLIAMS MERCEDES 53 +32.876s 0

12 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 53 +35.164s 0

13 7 Kimi Räikkönen ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 53 +36.312s 0

14 63 George Russell WILLIAMS MERCEDES 53 +36.593s 0

15 23 Alexander Albon RED BULL RACING HONDA 53 +37.533s 0

16 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 53 +55.199s 0

NC 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA 30 DNF 0

NC 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 23 DNF 0

NC 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 17 DNF 0

NC 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 6 DNF 0