Ultra Fine Margins in Manic Monza Moments

Sep 25 O. Bearman

They call Monza the Temple of Speed for a reason. Built in 1922, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza is not only one of the oldest tracks on the Formula 1 calendar but also one of the most demanding. With 53 laps at mostly full throttle, punishing chicanes and some of the longest pit times in the season, it is a circuit that tests precision, patience and resilience.

Practice

Finding his rhythm on Friday, Ollie experimented with hard and soft compound tyres, sitting comfortably in the midfield for much of the second practice session, where he ended in P14, which was his best result over the three practice sessions.

Qualifying

Monza’s margins are famously tight, and Saturday proved no different. Ollie showed strong pace in Q1, easily getting into the second session where he ran as high as P8, lapping just half a second behind Max Verstappen.

But at Monza, half a second can feel like an eternity, and Ollie quickly found himself in the danger zone for elimination. As the McLaren of Lando Norris edged him out with just seconds of the session remaining, Ollie missed Q3 by just one hundredth of a second, securing P11 on the grid.

The Race

Starting on medium tyres, Ollie’s race got off to a promising start as he avoided the race chaos further up the field. After a pit stop on Lap 19 - where drivers typically lose around 35 seconds - Ollie rejoined at the back of the pack.

The real drama came on Lap 40. In a scrap with Carlos Sainz at the Roggia chicane. Wheels collided, sending both the Williams of Sainz and Bearman’s Haas into spins.

Ollie quickly recovered but rejoined the race in P15. Unfortunately, the stewards ruled Ollie at fault, handing him a harsh 10-second penalty and two penalty points on his licence. After the penalty was applied, Ollie finished the race in P12.

While not the race result he would have hoped for, Ollie showed composure to recover from the spin and continued battling to the chequered flag at one of the sport's most challenging circuits.

Looking Ahead

The penalty points on his license leave Ollie just two more points shy of a racing ban, so staying clean will be crucial as the season continues, with some points set to expire later in the season. Ollie currently sits P17 in the championship as Formula 1 heads to Baku next for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 19-21 September.