One word to describe the first-ever Tuscan Grand ꦐPrix? Chaos.
Two red flags, three huge 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 grabbed that opportunity with both hands, while others had a race to forget.
Here are our winners and losers from the ina🍸ugural Tuscan Grand Prix..
Winner: Alex Albon
Alex Albon needed a good race today, and a good race he had! A superb maiden podium for the Anglo-Thai driver would’ve provided th🎐e confide🌠nce boost he has so desperately craved after a difficult season.
It wasn’tﷺ the easiest of races for Albon who struggled with the standing restarts, but a sublim💦e charge to the finish and a brave and perfectly judged overtake on a speedy Daniel Ricciardo earned the Anglo-Thai his moment on the rostrum.
Whilst he did verge close to Valtteri Bottas towards the en🐼d 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 that when given the chance to capitalis☂e on Lewis Hamilton’s rare blemishes, the Finn fails to take advantage.
A slow star🐷t for Hamilton at the start of the race provided Bottas with the opportun෴ity to storm past Hamilton, before the Briton made amends at the second start by sweeping back into the lead at Turn 1.
ဣFrom there on, it was Hamilton’s race to lose and unfortunately for Bottas he could never quite catch his teammate.
Another blow to hi🦩s 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 a♉rguably the biggest winner from Mugello toda꧅y.
Despite a slow initial race start, Hamilton redeemed himself by reclaiming the lead ba✤ck from Valtteri Bottas at the second restart and he held on to record his 90th career win.
Hamilton described the Tuscan GP as being like “three races in one day” and said it was one of his “most challenging🦄” F1 wins.
He reaped the rewards of a faultless drive to extend his championship lead as his seventh world title looms eve♈n closer.
Race winner Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 celebrates in parc ferme.
It was an unfortunate race end for Max Verstappen who picked up a slight engine issue on the formation lap which 🧸then led to his mechanics ♎and engineers having another last-gasp fix moment on the grid.
🌠What at first seemed a fast start for Max turned into a slow one as he faded down into the chasing pack with a loss of pow💃er.
Sadl♑y it was not meant to be for Max, who would be taken out in the first lap collision, hit by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
A downcast Verst𝄹appen later admitted he most likely would have had to retire the car irrespective of the𝕴 crash due to the issues experienced.
The Dutchman will be looking forward to Russia after t🐎wo consecutive DNFs, both caused by Honda-related engin🎃e 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 𝓡years prior f♏or Sauber was an eventful one.
Lucky to navigate a crash with Pierre Gaslyಞ and Kevin Magnussen, Raikkonen pushedꦅ on and would take the chequered flag ahead of Leclerc in eighth.
A five-second time penalty for an illegal pit entry when th🉐e final Safety Car was deployed dropped him to ninth after the flag🍸, but the Finn still claimed his first points of the season.
Raikkonen appeared to be the fastest Fe൲rrari powered car in the race as Alfa Romeo capitalised on misfortune for others to take a points finish that has proved hard to come by in 2020.
Ferrari’s 1000th race in Form♑ula 1 should’ve been a race to remember. It was, but not for the Italian team, despite a rare double points score.
Leclerc had a brilliant start at the beginning of the race, leapfrogging both Verstappen and Albo🐟n into third place, but sadly it was an unrealistic standing for the Monegasque driver, who would later fall back to 8th.
Meanwhile, Vettel was unlucky to tag a spinning Carlos Sainz at theꦅ chaotic race start and lost his front wing in the process.
From then on, Vettel had to battle with the Wi🐠lliams of George Russell anꦗd eventually took 10th.
Witnessing Mick Schum💦acher in his father’s F2004 driving around Mugello was probably Ferrari’s highlꦆight 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 anᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚd with it a chance to carry out his tattoo be♋t with team boss Cyril Abiteboul.
Despite a sterling effort and brilliant performance, Ricciardo was left🦩 to settle with a strong four🌄th 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 p𓄧ace but must come away from a hectic 🎃race pleased with a result that was definitely earned 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 Williams driver turned in a great drive on Sunday and was in contention for his first points in F1 amid a battle with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Russell was left to rue wheelspin at the second standing restart which saw him drop a handful of positions and ultimately cost him the chಌance of cla𓃲iming a first top-10 appearance.
It was a missed opportunity in a situation Williams r🧔eally needed to take advantage of on a crazy day it could well have ended up in the points.
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