Round 16 F1 GFT Driver Rankings: Verstappen wins at Monza, Leads Leclerc by 116 Points
11 September 2022
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
AUTODROMO NAZIONALE MONZA -FORMULA 1 MONZA PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2022: F1 World Champion Max Verstappen wins his first-ever Italian GP — fans and competitors frustrated by Safety Car finish.
No Change in the Top 10 of our GFT F1 AI Driver Rankings
Verstappen’s win expanded his lead in both the F1 Driver Championship Points (now 116 points ahead of Leclerc) and in the GFT F1 AI Driver Ranking models. With an AI score of 430, Max is now 147 units ahead of Leclerc at P2, Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez P3, Mercedes George Russell P4, and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz at P5. 7x F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton is way back in P6, trailing Verstappen by 167 F1 Driver Championship Points with little to no chance of recovery. Hamilton has consistently been out qualified and out raced by teammate George Russell.
Safety Car Finish at Monza Tears Open 2021 Championship Wounds
Late in the race, Verstappen’s win looked secured; he was 17 seconds ahead of Leclerc with 10 laps remaining in the GP, with Sainz 10 seconds behind Russell in the battle for the final podium spot. The huge margin of victory for Verstappen was dashed when Daniel Ricciardo had a mechanical on Lap 47, triggering the Safety Car and allowing the top four to stop for soft tires anticipating of a restart.
However, the restart never happened. The field lined up behind the Safety Car on Lap 51 of 53, but the track was not clear, nor the field reset resulting in the race ending under caution. Verstappen won his first-ever Italian Grand Prix. Leclerc was furious that the race didn’t restart, and the fans as well, but Ferrari settled for P2, with Russell P3 ahead of Sainz in P4.
UP NEXT: Singapore GP on October 2nd
The F1 community now has a few weeks off and travels to Singapore where we race Sunday night Singapore time, mid-day in the EU and early morning in the USA.
