Christian Horner: "This was a very special victory but we had to do it the hard way. The Ferrari's were very quick today, just as they have been all weekend and with Carlos and Charles defending like their life depended on it meant we had to work that extra bit harder to lead the race.
"Sergio did a brilliant job, finding his form to claim second, while Max continued his exemplary run to take the win. This now gives Max 10 victories in a row which breaks Sebastian's record from 10 years ago. It's a fantastic achievement and a huge effort from every single faction of The Team.
"I say time and time again, it's not just what you see here at track that makes success possible, there is so much that goes on behind the scenes. Formula One is the biggest team sport in the world, and it requires every single person to do their job, investing in this car and sharing the same vision. This win is down to everyone in the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team that has done such an amazing job this season. That's now 14 victories in a row. We are leaving Europe unbeaten which is a truly remarkable achievement and something we look to extend as we head to the next race in Singapore in two weeks time."
Scuderia Ferrari put on a great show in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The team finished third and fourth courtesy of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc who gave the Red Bulls a hard time throughout the race, before leaving the tifosi with their collective heart in mouth as they duelled between themselves for a place on the podium. It was a nice birthday present for Carlos who turned 29 earlier in the week. It is his 16th Formula 1 podium, his first this season and number 802 for the team. With the 27 points it picked up today, the team moves ahead of Aston Martin in the Constructors' standings and is now 45 behind Mercedes.
Carlos kept the lead after the lights went out, staying ahead of Max and Charles. The Spaniard ran a strong pace in the early stages, but Verstappen was always within DRS striking distance, so that they swapped places on lap 16, after which Carlos made his only pit stop to switch from Medium to Hard compound tyres, followed immediately by his team-mate. After the stops, Verstappen built up a bit of a buffer as the race for second livened up when Red Bull's Sergio Perez caught up to the Ferrari duo. It was an exciting three-way fight, but in the end the Mexican got ahead of the two Ferraris, his car doing a better job of tyre management. Clear of the rest of the field, the closing stages saw Carlos and Charles light up the crowd with a thrilling duel for the final step of the podium, without taking too many risks. They put on a great show, even if there was the occasional wheel lock-up from both of them at the first chicane. With three laps to go, Leclerc managed to get ahead, but then Sainz had better traction which enabled him to retake third place at the Roggia Variante.
The Monza race marks the end of racing in Europe this season and the next round takes place in Asia, specifically in Singapore on Sunday 17 September.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: It was a great race and the result was the best we could do today, finishing on the podium in front of our fans and bringing home 27 points which sees us get ahead of Aston Martin and close on Mercedes.
We dedicate this result to our fans who have been so supportive all weekend long and we are pleased to have put on a good show both yesterday in qualifying and today, especially at the end of the race when we let our drivers fight it out for third place. We did that because we know how special it is to be on the podium here, but we also told them not to take any risks and they complied with that.
Carlos drove really well all weekend and Charles also recovered well after getting off to a difficult start on Friday. In two weeks we start from scratch again in Singapore, but for today we can be happy with what we have done here. We knew our car would be more competitive on this sort of track and the SF-23 lived up to our expectations.
George made a strong start to run P4 for the early part of the race, defending strongly from Perez until eventually ceding position to the faster Red Bull. George pitted on lap 19, incurring a five-second penalty when re-joining the race, but a strong, well-managed stint meant it cost him no positions.
Lewis ran an offset strategy by starting on the Hard tyre, running longer than most runners before pitting to Medium tyres just after half distance. Rejoining in P10, he was able to quickly pass Alonso, then close in on the battle between Albon and the two McLaren drivers. Minor contact with Piastri on lap 41 meant he incurred a five-second penalty, but the tyre offset meant he was able to pass Norris and Albon on track for P6, then build the necessary gap to maintain his position in the final standings.
The team scored 18 points today and now holds a 45-point advantage over Ferrari, who climbed to P3 in the constructors' championship today.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO: That was a pretty incident-filled race for us and we maximised the points that were in there today. But like always, we need to be careful not to be too happy about finishing fifth and sixth. Looking back at them, I think both penalties for the drivers were fair, but fortunately they both did a great job to make sure they didn't have any consequence for the finishing positions; they both just took it on the chin, got their heads down and kept on racing. We know that these low-downforce circuits are not our strong suit, and in fact I think we have seen progress over the season from Baku to Spa to here. The next race is Singapore, so back to high downforce and coming towards our direction a little it more. It will be important for us to maximise that opportunity when it comes.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: We were the third quickest team today so fifth and sixth was the best we could achieve. The car just doesn't have the pace of the Ferrari at this downforce level. Fortunately, on normal tracks the fight is much closer but today was all about damage limitation and the team and drivers did a good job to minimise our points loss in the constructors' championship. The hot conditions made it tricky with the tyres and if you were pushing to defend or attack, the one stop became quite marginal. We were expecting a tough race for the tyres, normally our car is quite kind to its rear tyres but since Friday we've struggled to keep the temperatures down, we're just sliding around a little too much. Saying that, we at least had the pace and straight-line speed to gain a few places at the end with Lewis. We've been some way off threatening the podium positions here so we're looking forward to Singapore where hopefully we'll be able to fight for the bigger points positions.
BWT Alpine F1 Team endured a frustrating Sunday afternoon in Monza as Pierre Gasly finished fifteenth in the Italian Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon retiring from the race.
In a circuit that does not play to the team's strengths of its overall car package, and after a difficult Qualifying with both cars out in Q1 on Saturday, today's race proved to be an uphill task for the team to salvage something for the weekend.
After an aborted start and short delay to the race due to Yuki Tsunoda's formation lap retirement, both drivers looked to make gains on the opening lap; Esteban passing Pierre into Turn 3 to progress a position.
On a two-stop, Medium-Hard-Medium strategy, Pierre could not advance further than fifteenth at the chequered flag. Esteban attempted a one-stop Medium to Hard plan but retired from the race after some steering vibrations with the team opting to bring him in as a precaution.
The team remains in Monza for this week's Pirelli Tyre Test - Esteban driving on Tuesday and Pierre on Wednesday - before focus switches to the Singapore Grand Prix in a fortnight's time.
Bruno Famin, Interim Team Principal: "After the high of Zandvoort exactly one week ago, we leave Monza on the back of a very difficult result and general performance level. We entered the weekend knowing it was going to be a challenge given the nature of the track, and that proved to be the case. As a team, it has certainly been a weekend full of learning, of which we can take forwards to future events on circuits with a similar configuration to here in Monza. On that front, we can remain positive and as a team we will regroup ahead of the next race in Singapore."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal: "Our objective for the race was to finish with two cars in the points, which we only partly achieved. With Oscar, while we were in the points we had a collision with Lewis, which dropped him out of contention, needing to pit for a new front wing. Otherwise, I think we can be pleased with the pace shown by the MCL60 today. We were ready for greater degradation and a more difficult race but in reality, our degradation was manageable, and we were limited only by the capacity to overtake. Considering where we were in Spa, two races ago, this feels very encouraging. The team have worked very hard since the Belgian Grand Prix to address our issues with top speed. They've done a very good job, and parts were being delivered here until the last minute. So, well done to everyone, and now we look forward to Singapore, where we hope to be competitive."
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake scored a precious point on home soil, with Valtteri Bottas finishing tenth in an exciting Italian Grand Prix. Opting for a reverse strategy as one of only three cars starting on hard tyres, Valtteri and the team executed a spotless run to make up ground in the second half of the race and climb into the top ten. Zhou Guanyu had a more challenging race, eventually finishing 14th in a performance that boasted some good overtaking manoeuvres.
Today's point brings the team's tally up to ten, as the team closes in on its nearest championship rivals and continues the fight for P7 in the standings.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "Before the race, we said our target today was to score at least a point, and it's very important we were able to achieve it. We executed a perfect race and we were able to hit our target. It's especially remarkable, given the difficult Friday and Saturday we endured: but the team dug deep and we were able to turn things around when it really mattered. We need to pay tribute to them, and to our colleagues in Hinwil for their support before and during the weekend. Valtteri made no mistake from lights to flag and was able to make his reverse strategy work, moving up the order in the closing stages. Unfortunately, it was a more difficult race for Zhou: we tried an aggressive strategy, pitting him a second time for new mediums, but the pace just wasn't enough to make it into the top ten. We can celebrate this point, but we must not forget about the struggles of Friday and Saturday. We need to analyse what went wrong, learn and improve constantly, starting in Singapore already: we showed good race pace and, if we can improve our qualifying positions, we can fight at every Grand Prix. We will not give up, not until after the final corner of the final race, in our quest to score points: we need to work harder as our target remains P7 in the championship. Finally, it's great to be able to celebrate with a top ten finish what has been an incredible weekend on and off the track: we started on Thursday, with the launch of the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale in front of our garage; we had our colleagues on the grandstand, putting together a great choreography; and we delivered a good race to top it off. Hopefully, this can be the start of a new phase of our championship."
Mike Krack, Team Principal: "Scoring a couple of points with Fernando was little consolation for a tricky weekend in Monza. Maybe with a few more laps we could have challenged Lando [Norris] and Alex [Albon], but there were not too many opportunities available. Lance did a good job today. He moved ahead of the Haas and Alpine drivers, but he suffered with the tyres dropping off in the final part of the race. We always knew that Monza would not be a particularly kind track to us and we have to take today's lessons into AMR24. We will work hard to be back in a more competitive position in Singapore."
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished 17th and 18th respectively at the Italian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Hulkenberg lined up from 13th place on the grid on Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tires while Magnussen started 19th on the White hard compound. However there were multiple formation laps due to Yuki Tsunoda stopping his AlphaTauri before the time taken to retrieve the stricken car triggered a 20-minute delay.
Hulkenberg gained positions off the line to briefly run inside the top 10 before coming in on lap 14 to change onto hard tires. Another stop followed on lap 40, taking on medium tires, and Hulkenberg greeted the checkered flag in 17th position. Magnussen made a stop on lap 13 and made adjustments to the front wing flap angle after struggles in the first stint. Magnussen re-joined the action on mediums and took on another batch of the same compound when he made a second stop in lap 33. Magnussen followed Hulkenberg home to classify 18th overall.
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: "There's not a lot to say except the car is just not fast enough. You always try to do your best, but the car has no performance and that's where you end up when you cannot compete."
Claudio Balestri (Chief Engineer - Vehicle Performance): "Today, the target was to score points, and we didn't. Yuki started in P11, but his race was over before the start due to an issue with the Power Unit during the formation lap, which stopped the car on track. As for Liam, who was starting in P11 at the restart, we decided to put him on medium tyres, which turned out to be the main compound chosen by almost all the cars on the grid, to allow some flexibility with the strategy. At the end of Lap 1, Liam was in P12 and was able to keep up with the pace of the car around us, but the tyre degradation, which is critical in Monza, especially at the rear, was high. Therefore, we pitted him on Lap 13 to fit the hard compound. We wanted to push more on tyres to go for a two-stop strategy, so we called him in again on Lap 33 to fit another set of medium tyres. In the last stint, the lap times were good, and Liam was closing the gap compared to some one-stoppers. We were able to overtake Sargeant on the final lap, while Bottas stayed in front, so Liam finished the race in P11, just outside the points. We now need to go home and analyse what we could have done better, to come back stronger in Singapore and beyond."
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: We came to Monza thinking that we could score points on merit and we achieved that today. The hot conditions were not ideal for us, but we know that this is an area that we need to work on, and we are working hard to improve the situation.
Both drivers were very good, especially given the high tyre degradation and hot conditions. Alex was brilliant again and was able to frustrate the McLarens for almost the entire race. It was a shame that he couldn't stay within 5 seconds of Lewis at the end, but to lose only one position following a very strong showing in Qualifying is an excellent result.
Logan drove very well and for a time it looked like he could secure a points-scoring position. In the end Valtteri had too much pace and was able to overtake. Nonetheless, racing at low downforce on a hot track and with soft compounds is a very valuable experience and one that he can build on, starting in Singapore in two weeks' time.
Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d'Italia 2023, taking the chequered flag ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, to give Red Bull its 28th one-two finish. Max took his tenth consecutive win, a Formula 1 record, as well as his second Italian Grand Prix victory in a row. Joining them on the podium was the pole-sitter Carlos Sainz, with his team-mate Charles Leclerc finishing fourth.
Apart from the top three drivers and the Red Bull team representative, another star of the prizegiving was Typhon, the trophy created by Italian artist Ruth Beraha, inspired both by Greek mythology as well as the shape of the exhaust pipes on a Formula 1 car. Typhon is a mythological figure - the giant son of Gaia - who is traditionally characterised by his extraordinary strength and a hundred snakes wrapped around his head, symbolising a shocking personification of nature.
The 2023 Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d'Italia trophy was commissioned by Pirelli and contemporary art space Pirelli HangarBicocca. It represents a fusion between an idea from the artist and a production process that unites cutting-edge technology and robotics such as 3D cutting and production, as well as the work of craftsmen specialised in welding, polishing, assembly, and gilding. The end result is reminiscent of the art from the finest goldsmiths.
The race evolved in a completely linear way with, as expected, two compounds, the Medium and Hard, playing their part. The Softs were not used at all. 17 drivers out of 20 chose to start on the C4, with just Hamilton, Bottas and Magnussen preferring the C3. Six drivers pitted twice, but in Piastri's case that was because he had to come in to change the damaged front wing after an incident with Hamilton, while the other five (Gasly, Zhou, Lawson, Hulkenberg and Magnussen) chose this route as the drop in performance from their tyres was too high in the first stint. Of the three drivers who started on the Hard, Hamilton and Bottas finished higher than their grid position, two better for the English Mercedes driver and four for Alfa Romeo's Finn. Magnussen however only made up one place because the two drivers ahead of him did not make it to the chequered flag.
Monza marks the end of the European leg of the Formula 1 season, which moves on to Singapore in a fortnight's time. The street circuit hosts the Singapore Grand Prix night race from 15 to 17 September and Pirelli will be supplying the C3, C4 and C5 compounds.
Next week, Pirelli will be testing for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday both in Monza and at Fiorano. At the home of the Italian Grand Prix, the programme will focus on dry weather tyre development with Red Bull and Alpine, while on the Ferrari-owned track, the work centres on trying new solutions for rain tyres with the Scuderia.
Mario Isola: "Even if Verstappen and Red Bull once again picked up all the points on offer, the Italian Grand Prix was truly spectacular with plenty of thrilling and close duels. Today's track temperature was always above 40 degrees C, which led to slightly higher tyre degradation. Despite this and even with a trio of compounds that were softer than last year's, the drivers definitely did not have to worry about tyre management as could be seen from the many duels we witnessed, some going on for several laps. In terms of strategy, our predictions from yesterday were pretty much confirmed in the race. The one-stop was definitely the quickest and those who pitted earlier than the predicted window then had to make a second stop, except for the Williams duo, who once again proved to be particularly adept at tyre management.
"Finally, I want to thank the crowd of hundreds of thousands of fans who packed out the grandstands at this historic circuit over the three days. This is our home race and, even if we are not competing with opponents on track, we feel part of the great show that is Formula 1, especially here at Monza."
