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This weekend features the return of the F1 Italian GP. Ferrari's home race will feature the Tifosi, some of the most passionate fans across the globe, gathering at the 'Temple of Speed' to cheer for their team.
Coming into the weekend, Ferrari has not been in the best of form. The team has been an operational disaster this season. Having said that, it is still a very fast car. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is riding a four-race win streak and is on the verge of equaling Lewis Hamilton's career-best five-race win streak along with 11-race wins in a season.
Mercedes is coming to Monza hoping to fight for a win while teams like McLaren and Alpine have their own bragging rights to take care of. Now, to learn more about what to expect from the weekend, check out our preview for the 2022 F1 Italian GP.
In this piece, however, we are going to have some fun as we dust off the old crystal ball and make our top 5 bold predictions for the 2022 F1 Italian GP. So without further ado, let's get to it!
#5 A bad outing for Daniel Ricciardo
Monza was the venue for McLaren's and Daniel Ricciardo's giant-killing show last season. The team secured a 1-2 finish in a season where Mercedes and Red Bull had dominant speed. That McLaren was a rocket in a straight line. The car had some of the best low drag configurations on the grid and that helped Ricciardo secure the win that day.
Fast forward a year later, McLaren is arguably one of the worst machinery in a straight line and hence the team will approach the F1 Italian GP this weekend with caution. Ricciardo, on the other hand, has lost his seat to Oscar Piastri for the 2023 F1 season and is very low on confidence.
He spent the weekend in Spa and Zandvoort stuck in traffic and sadly, this one is going to be no different for the Australian. Expect another lackluster performance from Ricciardo this weekend.
#4 Points for Williams
One of the slightly surprising things about the 2022 F1 Belgian GP was the kind of performance Williams, and especially Alex Albon, was able to extract from the car. The former Red Bull driver scored a point for the team and was sensational on the straights.
If there is one similarity between Spa and Monza, then it is the long straights. The Williams FW44 tends to come alive with a a low downforce setup and a track like Monza is going to be the perfect venue for Albon to put together another giant killing show. For the 2022 F1 Italian GP weekend, expect the Thai-British driver in his Williams to score a point or two.
#3 Expect something brilliant from Fernando Alonso
One specific track characteristic that Alpine's 2022 F1 challenger loves is the long straights. The car came alive in Austria with the long straights and was a thing of beauty around Spa. The Alpines were even able to outqualify the Mercedes' and showed great speed throughout the weekend.
For the 2022 F1 Italian GP, great straight-line speed is an asset and should make Alpine the best midfield team in Monza. With Mercedes expected to struggle a bit with a deficit in straight-line speed, we could see Fernando Alonso taking one or two surprise scalps this weekend.
#2 Mercedes will struggle
The Mercedes challenger was very close to tasting its first win of the season at the 2022 F1 Dutch GP. Had the VSC period not disrupted the race, the battle between Max Verstappen and the Mercedes drivers would have been very interesting. Having said that, the car did come alive on the slow-medium speed track at Zandvoort. This weekend, however, we're on a high-speed, low-downforce demanding track in Monza.
The two issues that persist with Mercedes are the excessive drag produced by the car and its inability to generate temperature into the tires. Both of these factors are key to a strong lap time around Monza and with Mercedes lacking on that front, the weekend could be very tough for the drivers.
#1 Max Verstappen wins 2022 F1 Italian GP
Max Verstappen has a disappointing record at Monza. The Red Bull driver has not even scored a single podium at the F1 Italian GP in his previous seven attempts. He has been unable to secure any meaningful results on this track, with the last two F1 Italian GPs seeing him DNF in the race.
This time, however, the driver is on a four-race win streak. He's already racked up 10 wins this season and the championship win seems like a foregone conclusion now. To add to this, the Red Bull this season is a monster in a straight line. There is a clear advantage that the car has on the low-downforce tracks and unless something unfortunate happens to Verstappen, it's hard to see anyone stopping him this weekend.
