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For me,

Leclerc, Ricciardo & Perez

Kudos to both Leclerc and Hamilton for that race. Put their teammates firmly in the shade. Solid drive from Ricciardo, good points from both Perez and Giovinazzi. Feel bad for Sainz.
I'll give it to Leclerc. Handling that pressure (I'll forgive the slightly iffy defence!).

Leclerc!
First Ferrari Monza win since Alonso 2010, right?

Disappointing:
Vettel, Vettel, Vettel - leaves me speechless.

Great racing also by Hamilton, Ricciardo, Perez.

Leclerc & both Renault boys for me.

Today just re-enforced my belief that Leclerc is the driver of the year up to this point. Brilliant drive under relentless pressure. A few dodgy moves & & error or two but considering the pressure he was under, not only from Mercedes but also leading at Monza in a Ferrari 19 months into his F1 career, that was a drive for the ages.

Both Renault drivers capitalized on their opportunity to bag a haul of points in a steady drive.

Leclerc, Hamilton, Ricciardo and Perez did great races but as I can only vote for three I won't give Hamilton a vote.

Also - Verstappen second on the public vote is crazy IMO.

.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Drove 53 laps under almost constant pressure from Hamilton and then Bottas.

Leclerc, Ricciardo, Perez

Great race by Lewis in keeping the pressure on Charles. I am disappointed in Valtteri for not being able to bring a credible fight to Leclerc on much newer tires.

Honorable mention to Hulkenberg and Albon.

I was disappointed that Max never got farther up the grid.

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Many involved in the sport, including the boss of Mercedes F1, have said that they believe that the Mercedes was the faster race car today.

I think the Mercedes was probably quicker per lap, but the straight line speed of that Ferrari made them tricky to pass.
I though Leclerc was superb today, under massive pressure for most of the race, and he barely put a foot wrong.

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Won in the second fastest car

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Adsorbed pressure from the very best in the game for almost the entire race. I thought it was a terrific win.

mikeyg123 wrote:

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Adsorbed pressure from the very best in the game for almost the entire race. I thought it was a terrific win.

He could have been penalised for any one of his three transgressions.
For me he should have ended up third.
If he was racing Verstappen today that ridiculous squeeze could have ended in a big accident.
Luckily for both drivers that Hamilton has a championship on the line.

Laz_T800 wrote:

mikeyg123 wrote:

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Adsorbed pressure from the very best in the game for almost the entire race. I thought it was a terrific win.

He could have been penalised for any one of his three transgressions.
For me he should have ended up third.
If he was racing Verstappen today that ridiculous squeeze could have ended in a big accident.
Luckily for both drivers that Hamilton has a championship on the line.

He didn't do anything that usually receives a penalty.

mikeyg123 wrote:

Laz_T800 wrote:

mikeyg123 wrote:

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Adsorbed pressure from the very best in the game for almost the entire race. I thought it was a terrific win.

He could have been penalised for any one of his three transgressions.
For me he should have ended up third.
If he was racing Verstappen today that ridiculous squeeze could have ended in a big accident.
Luckily for both drivers that Hamilton has a championship on the line.

He didn't do anything that usually receives a penalty.

After the warning the other issues should have been penalised. What was the point of the warning if you just give him another warning?
He drove dirty today and people are eating it up.
Pretty sure he'll drive dirty all the time now, no reason not to.

mikeyg123 wrote:

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Adsorbed pressure from the very best in the game for almost the entire race. I thought it was a terrific win.

I think Perez is being a bit over rated, or at least the other way round for Stroll. Stroll got damage, got his strategy ruined. He did do something wrong, which got him a drive through, but only finished around 25 seconds behind Perez. he also had an excellent start and looked good in qualifying. His pace if I'm honest was as good or better than perez today given he got damage at the start. He had a pit stop and a drive through compared to just 1 stop for Perez. And drove for quite a bit of time with damage and wasn't really slower than Perez. And finished just over 1 pit stop ahead despite all that. He obviously also lost a load of time when he got knocked into a spin, then in the pits.

I think I would rate Stroll over Perez in the team mate wars anyway. i know it was not Perez's fault in qualifying, but Stroll looked good in qualifying. And did again in the race. He made a mistake but only because vettel caused the situation in the first place. But pace wise, he certainly seemed matched or slightly better than Perez given the cirsumstances.

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

1. Because we all have our own opinions
2. Because we’re allowed to.

TheGiantHogweed wrote:I think Perez is being a bit over rated, or at least the other way round for Stroll. Stroll got damage, got his strategy ruined. He did do something wrong, which got him a drive through, but only finished around 25 seconds behind Perez. he also had an excellent start and looked good in qualifying. His pace if I'm honest was as good or better than perez today given he got damage at the start. He had a pit stop and a drive through compared to just 1 stop for Perez. And drove for quite a bit of time with damage and wasn't really slower than Perez. And finished just over 1 pit stop ahead despite all that. He obviously also lost a load of time when he got knocked into a spin, then in the pits.

I think I would rate Stroll over Perez in the team mate wars anyway. i know it was not Perez's fault in qualifying, but Stroll looked good in qualifying. And did again in the race. He made a mistake but only because vettel caused the situation in the first place. But pace wise, he certainly seemed matched or slightly better than Perez given the cirsumstances.

That's a fair point. Stroll's race was initially compromised through no fault of his own, though he did himself no favours with the manner in which he got going again. It's a shame, as he tends to do well here (albeit over a short career, to date!).

Leclerc, ricciardo, and perez get my vote

Hamilton honourable mention for keeping so much pressure on for so long. Bottas' attempt was a joke in comparison showcasing their skill differential

Vettel - HAHAHAHAHA

Jezza13 wrote:Leclerc & both Renault boys for me.

Today just re-enforced my belief that Leclerc is the driver of the year up to this point. Brilliant drive under relentless pressure. A few dodgy moves & & error or two but considering the pressure he was under, not only from Mercedes but also leading at Monza in a Ferrari 19 months into his F1 career, that was a drive for the ages.

Both Renault drivers capitalized on their opportunity to bag a haul of points in a steady drive.

Maybe he's driver of the day but not close to driver of the year.

Laz_T800 wrote:

mikeyg123 wrote:

Laz_T800 wrote:

mikeyg123 wrote:

Greenman wrote:.

Again !

Why do people vote for the person who leads from the front in the fastest car - that is not a way to choose a "driver of the day".

What did Leclerc do to earn that accolade.

.

Adsorbed pressure from the very best in the game for almost the entire race. I thought it was a terrific win.

He could have been penalised for any one of his three transgressions.
For me he should have ended up third.
If he was racing Verstappen today that ridiculous squeeze could have ended in a big accident.
Luckily for both drivers that Hamilton has a championship on the line.

He didn't do anything that usually receives a penalty.

After the warning the other issues should have been penalised. What was the point of the warning if you just give him another warning?
He drove dirty today and people are eating it up.
Pretty sure he'll drive dirty all the time now, no reason not to.

Indeed the warning had no teeth to it.

TheGiantHogweed wrote:I think Perez is being a bit over rated, or at least the other way round for Stroll. Stroll got damage, got his strategy ruined. He did do something wrong, which got him a drive through, but only finished around 25 seconds behind Perez. he also had an excellent start and looked good in qualifying. His pace if I'm honest was as good or better than perez today given he got damage at the start. He had a pit stop and a drive through compared to just 1 stop for Perez. And drove for quite a bit of time with damage and wasn't really slower than Perez. And finished just over 1 pit stop ahead despite all that. He obviously also lost a load of time when he got knocked into a spin, then in the pits.

I think I would rate Stroll over Perez in the team mate wars anyway. i know it was not Perez's fault in qualifying, but Stroll looked good in qualifying. And did again in the race. He made a mistake but only because vettel caused the situation in the first place. But pace wise, he certainly seemed matched or slightly better than Perez given the cirsumstances.

Couple of things Mate on this.
Firstly, Checo had a bad start to the weekend. A crash in wet FP1 & then his engine blew in FP2. Because of this he reverted back to Spec 2. Stroll is on Spec 3 engine which is about 3 tenths faster in race pace as well.

Secondly, Perez climbed through the field from P18. He was climbing steadily till he got stuck behind Magnussen for about 10 laps due to the Haas' superior straight line speed. Because of this, the Renault drivers & Sainz were able to create the big gap to the rest of the midfield as Magnussen was lapping a second slower per lap. Once he got past Magnussen after his pit stop, he lapped real good pace on soft tyres.

Thirdly, for the last 10 laps or so he had Verstappen breathing down on his neck & many times he had DRS as well. He somehow kept his pace & through his tenacity didn't let Verstappen get through. I don't think Stroll would've managed this as Checo's driving is quite feisty.

No doubt, this was looking like Stroll's best weekend until Vettel crashed on his parade. Stroll also made the same error as Vettel which made Gasly take avoiding action. Overall, Checo gets the nod from me for this weekend as it's the race that matters. This is just my opinion though.

Think I would just go for Leclerc and Ricciardo.

Don't understand the votes for Hamilton. Why should he be given votes for putting pressure on Leclerc - which led to not getting passed and making a mistake which let Bottas through? People implying Bottas's attempt was useless in comparison should consider that Leclerc had DRS every time Bottas had a chance. Earlier on when Hamilton was on younger tyres than Bottas at this stage, he failed to get by even when Leclerc had no tow. Both Hamilton and Bottas made mistakes, but Hamilton a bigger one. Yes he had more laps close to Leclerc, but he didn't seem to back off and try again closer to the end which is the smart move he often tries. Instead he wrecked them. The pressure he put on Leclerc seems to be what is triggering the votes when it is that that let to Bottas beating him. I don't think Bottas will have got by if Hamilton didn't do this. He even finished 34 seconds behind Bottas which is a fair bit more than the time it takes for a pit stop. Don't think the strategy game Bottas I know I am a Bottas fan and I'm not voting for him myself, but just don't understand why Hamilton has more votes when he put himself in trouble by following Leclerc closely for too long.

pokerman wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:Leclerc & both Renault boys for me.

Today just re-enforced my belief that Leclerc is the driver of the year up to this point. Brilliant drive under relentless pressure. A few dodgy moves & & error or two but considering the pressure he was under, not only from Mercedes but also leading at Monza in a Ferrari 19 months into his F1 career, that was a drive for the ages.

Both Renault drivers capitalized on their opportunity to bag a haul of points in a steady drive.

Maybe he's driver of the day but not close to driver of the year.

Oh ok.

Is that it poker or............?

TheGiantHogweed wrote:Think I would just go for Leclerc and Ricciardo.

Don't understand the votes for Hamilton. Why should he be given votes for putting pressure on Leclerc - which led to not getting passed and making a mistake which let Bottas through?People implying Bottas's attempt was useless in comparison should consider that Leclerc had DRS every time Bottas had a chance. Earlier on when Hamilton was on younger tyres than Bottas at this stage, he failed to get by even when Leclerc had no tow. Both Hamilton and Bottas made mistakes, but Hamilton a bigger one. Yes he had more laps close to Leclerc, but he didn't seem to back off and try again closer to the end which is the smart move he often tries. Instead he wrecked them. The pressure he put on Leclerc seems to be what is triggering the votes when it is that that let to Bottas beating him. I don't think Bottas will have got by if Hamilton didn't do this. He even finished 34 seconds behind Bottas which is a fair bit more than the time it takes for a pit stop.Don't think the strategy game Bottas I know I am a Bottas fan and I'm not voting for him myself, butjust don't understand why Hamilton has more votes when he put himself in trouble by following Leclerc closely for too long.

Your post is highly contradictory and betrays either an attempt to spin things to push forwards a particular narrative or a fundamental lack of understanding of the sport.

Firstly, Hamilton didn't make a mistake - his tyres had been past it for the last couple of laps prior to the lock up and Hamilton knew he had to either pass Leclerc or concede the position to Bottas. He'd been losing time to Leclerc on each lap so the only option was to take it closer to the limit to try and catch up - but it was a case of no longer having the tyre life to close him down. It was either lose time on Leclerc and concede second to Bottas, or push the limit further and maybe not concede the position. Clearly the maybe was the correct call.

Bottas would have passed Hamilton if Hamilton had not have locked up. Hamilton was out of tyres, and the Mercedes does not have the straight line advantage that Leclerc had that enabled him to stay ahead of both Mercs.

Why would Hamilton drive ultimate pace laps once he was a pitstop behind Bottas? He just needed to set the fastest lap - which is best served by driving slow laps to recharge the KERS (at Monza, being 80% full throttle means that the electrical systems do not fully charge on a lap as they do such minimal braking) and once he had the fastest lap he just needed to coast home - he was safe behind with zero chance of catching Leclerc or Bottas.

As for Hamilton sitting behind Leclerc for so long, I'm struggling to understand your logic here. The Mercedes needed to stay within a second in order to get the DRS and tow, something that is essential for laptime at Monza. Backing off and giving his tyres a breather is something you can do at other circuits but at Monza it's not an option. Did you not hear about what happened in qualifying where everyone missed their laps because they were trying to get the tow from someone, without giving someone else the tow?

Or maybe you just felt Hamilton should settle for second place? I mean, technically you are correct, he would have got two extra points if he had just sat 5 seconds behind Leclerc and conceded the win from the start - but I'd like to think most F1 fans would see that as a nonsense strategy. Maybe if he was in a McLaren or a Renault it would make sense to bank a second place - but he had the potential to win and was only denied it by Leclerc's robust - and arguably over the line defence.

Also - if people are lauding Leclerc for such a sensational win for managing to keep Hamilton behind him, that only has value if Hamilton's onslaught was impressive. The fact is that both drivers at the front put on an entertaining duel where you were never sure which driver was going to come out on top. Hamilton had a car where if he got in front it would be difficult for Leclerc to keep up unless he immediately repassed, whereas Leclerc had a car where it was impossible to overtake Charles unless he made a mistake.

Both are worthy contenders for Driver of the Day.

Leclerc is my obvious vote. I was certain he was screwed in the strategy game once Vettel binned it. Didn't just hold off one Merc, he held off two. In years to come when we're looking back at his list of greatest race wins, this one will be the first entry on the list

Perez for going from 18th to 7th. Considering the fact he's in a Racing Point and finished ahead of Max coming from the back in a Red Bull. Fantastic performance

And I'm going to go off the beaten track and vote Russell. 14th place ahead of Kimi, Grosjean, his teammate and trying to fend off Vettel in the closing stages. It's those kinds of drives that had Alonso turning heads in his Minardi days

Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

mcdo wrote:Leclerc is my obvious vote. I was certain he was screwed in the strategy game once Vettel binned it. Didn't just hold off one Merc, he held off two. In years to come when we're looking back at his list of greatest race wins, this one will be the first entry on the list

Perez for going from 18th to 7th. Considering the fact he's in a Racing Point and finished ahead of Max coming from the back in a Red Bull. Fantastic performance

And I'm going to go off the beaten track and vote Russell. 14th place ahead of Kimi, Grosjean, his teammate and trying to fend off Vettel in the closing stages. It's those kinds of drives that had Alonso turning heads in his Minardi days

That's true and something I missed. Russell drove a great race.

TheGiantHogweed wrote:Think I would just go for Leclerc and Ricciardo.

Don't understand the votes for Hamilton. Why should he be given votes for putting pressure on Leclerc - which led to not getting passed and making a mistake which let Bottas through? People implying Bottas's attempt was useless in comparison should consider that Leclerc had DRS every time Bottas had a chance. Earlier on when Hamilton was on younger tyres than Bottas at this stage, he failed to get by even when Leclerc had no tow. Both Hamilton and Bottas made mistakes, but Hamilton a bigger one. Yes he had more laps close to Leclerc, but he didn't seem to back off and try again closer to the end which is the smart move he often tries. Instead he wrecked them. The pressure he put on Leclerc seems to be what is triggering the votes when it is that that let to Bottas beating him. I don't think Bottas will have got by if Hamilton didn't do this. He even finished 34 seconds behind Bottas which is a fair bit more than the time it takes for a pit stop. Don't think the strategy game Bottas I know I am a Bottas fan and I'm not voting for him myself, but just don't understand why Hamilton has more votes when he put himself in trouble by following Leclerc closely for too long.

If Ham was that bad why vote for Leclerc? Leclerc had the fastest car on the straights and had to resort to some dodgy tactics to keep at bay someone you think doesn't deserve the votes he got.
I thought Leclerc did a great job in holding off Hamilton; but having seen what youve just wrote its clear Leclerc just made a pigs ear of the whole race and was lucky to scrape home in front of the mighty Bottas.

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

He had to make no mistakes for 53 laps with an all-time great driver less than a second behind him. And on top of that, Hamilton was close enough to attack several times. It was far from the walk in park victory you make it sound.

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

Both Mercedes were on better tyres. We also saw Hamilton gain on the straights multiple times when close enough to get slipstream + drs.

Leclerc had to hold faster cars off for the rest of the lap so that he had enough of a gap on the straights, something he largely did by being pretty much inch perfect at Parabolica lap after lap.

Black_Flag_11 wrote:

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

Both Mercedes were on better tyres. We also saw Hamilton gain on the straights multiple times when close enough to get slipstream + drs.

Leclerc had to hold faster cars off for the rest of the lap so that he had enough of a gap on the straights, something he largely did by being pretty much inch perfect at Parabolica lap after lap.

Are worn out tyres a handicap on the straight then, isn't it about grip in the corners that makes a car vulnerable?

Option or Prime wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

Both Mercedes were on better tyres. We also saw Hamilton gain on the straights multiple times when close enough to get slipstream + drs.

Leclerc had to hold faster cars off for the rest of the lap so that he had enough of a gap on the straights, something he largely did by being pretty much inch perfect at Parabolica lap after lap.

Are worn out tyres a handicap on the straight then, isn't it about grip in the corners that makes a car vulnerable?

It can make a huge difference on the straight because of the traction out of the previous corner on badly worn tyres is much poorer. Bad traction out of the first chicane will cost you time all the way down the straight to the next braking zone.

Jezza13 wrote:

pokerman wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:Leclerc & both Renault boys for me.

Today just re-enforced my belief that Leclerc is the driver of the year up to this point. Brilliant drive under relentless pressure. A few dodgy moves & & error or two but considering the pressure he was under, not only from Mercedes but also leading at Monza in a Ferrari 19 months into his F1 career, that was a drive for the ages.

Both Renault drivers capitalized on their opportunity to bag a haul of points in a steady drive.

Maybe he's driver of the day but not close to driver of the year.

Oh ok.

Is that it poker or............?

Do you want me to list all his mistakes and all the times that Vettel had him beaten?

Exediron wrote:

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

He had to make no mistakes for 53 laps with an all-time great driver less than a second behind him. And on top of that, Hamilton was close enough to attack several times. It was far from the walk in park victory you make it sound.

Did not Leclerc make 2 mistakes, one which he had to defend by forcing Hamilton off the track, the other when he cut the first chicane.

pokerman wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:

pokerman wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:Leclerc & both Renault boys for me.

Today just re-enforced my belief that Leclerc is the driver of the year up to this point. Brilliant drive under relentless pressure. A few dodgy moves & & error or two but considering the pressure he was under, not only from Mercedes but also leading at Monza in a Ferrari 19 months into his F1 career, that was a drive for the ages.

Both Renault drivers capitalized on their opportunity to bag a haul of points in a steady drive.

Maybe he's driver of the day but not close to driver of the year.

Oh ok.

Is that it poker or............?

Do you want me to list all his mistakes and all the times that Vettel had him beaten?

You mean Vettel or team strategists?

So where would you rank Leclerc if he's far from the driver of the year so far then?

For me

Hamilton and the Renault boys.

Hamilton drove an exceptional race keeping very close to Charles for the entire duration until he was no longer able to. When Bottas passed Hamilton it was clear to see how good of a job Hamilton was doing as Bottas just wasn't able to hang as close.

The Renault boys had a fantastic weekend. Really didn't expect either of them to be as strong as they were but they did great.

I wanted to vote for Leclerc but while he drove a great race and was a deserved winner, he put some dirty moves on and even if I ignored the cutting of the chicane the pushing off track and weaving put a bad taste in my mouth and for that reason I can't vote for him.

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

He held off one of the greatest drivers of all time, who was on faster tyres and in a car with better race pace. And once he had managed that he had start all over again with the other Merc, who was also on better tyres. And he did it single-handed, while his teammate bumbled around ruining innocent midfielders' races

Leclerc could go faster in a straight line. That's the only advantage he had and he used it to full effect

pokerman wrote:

Exediron wrote:

Greenman wrote:Leclerc was in a car that could go faster than either Mercedes even if they had DRS !

How is "holding off" the Mercedes a driver's accomplishment ?

He had to make no mistakes for 53 laps with an all-time great driver less than a second behind him. And on top of that, Hamilton was close enough to attack several times. It was far from the walk in park victory you make it sound.

Did not Leclerc make 2 mistakes, one which he had to defend by forcing Hamilton off the track, the other when he cut the first chicane.

2 Mistakes and the time he weaved in an extreme manner which AGAIN, didn't end in tears due to Hamilton's quick thinking and more mature approach. That was one of the worst weave jobs we've seen committed and it prompted race control to issue yet ANOTHER WARNING to Leclerc and he had the testicular fortitude to say "For What??!?"

And the weaving incident is where Lewis had the drive to pass Leclerc before his tires gave out. I don't see how Leclerc gets consideration for DOTD given he made mistakes and resorted to dirty tactics to keep an attacking driver at bay. The racing between Leclerc and Hamilton was superb, right up until it got dirty and that's the only way Leclerc kept from getting overtaken.

Hamilton should be in consideration for DOTD for doing a masterful job of staying with a faster car almost the entire way, and then Ricciardo and Hulkenberg did a fine job as well in what appeared to be a much improved Renault. The question with them for me is, was their improved performance due to some new development on the car, or the engine, or was it the track simply suiting their car more than any other thus far?