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To be held on Sunday, September 3, the 2023 F1 Italian GP will be a test of skill, passion, and patience. Racing at mind-boggling speeds of close to 360kmph means that the adrenaline needs to be in check. The race has been home to quite a few surprise winners in the past. Before Max Verstappen conquered the race last season, it had an intriguing set of winners.
In 2021, it was Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly won in 2020, and a year before that, it was Charles Leclerc. This weekend, Verstappen is on the verge of creating something historic. Can he get it done? Who could stop him? Let's find out in our predictions for the race weekend.
#1 Max Verstappen wins the 2023 F1 Italian GP
Irrespective of the kinds of challenges that Verstappen faces, he always comes out on top. The Red Bull driver has been extremely impressive ever since he's got a championship-winning car. This race weekend, he's looking at a record-breaking 10th consecutive win.
Looking at the form guide and how Verstappen has made his way through the races in the season so far, he's the favorite to win this Sunday.
#2 Ferrari is a potential challenger in qualifying to Red Bull
This season, Ferrari has shown that when the low downforce conditions are presented, the car comes alive. This was the case in Austria and Spa as well. In both races, Charles Leclerc secured a podium finish for his team.
For the 2023 F1 Italian GP as well, the car should be a capable one. What that means is that it could pose a serious challenge to Red Bull in qualifying. Could we be looking at a scenario where Ferrari challenges for pole position and gets it? Yes, we could be.
#3 Mercedes and Aston Martin are potential podium contenders
Behind Ferrari on one lap pace is going to be an intriguing battle between Mercedes and Aston Martin. The heavily upgraded Aston Martin car under Fernando Alonso delivered a podium in Zandvoort and will be hoping to continue to build on that momentum.
Mercedes, on the other hand, will be looking at the 2023 F1 Italian GP as an opportunity to get back on the podium. The car is still strong but the team hasn't put the weekends together lately, which might be one thing that the German unit tries to address this weekend.
#4 Alpine and McLaren will struggle
It's hard to know what kind of solution McLaren brings to the 2023 F1 Italian GP because the car has not looked good in low downforce configuration. Even last season, this was one of the major issues for the car and surprisingly, it did well in Monza. We could see the team struggling this weekend as well even though it's difficult to make predictions these days.
Talking about Alpine, a team that is riding on the momentum of a podium, the 2023 F1 Italian GP is going to be a disappointing one. The Renault power unit is just not up to the mark and it was somewhat exposed last season when the car could not score points in the Italian GP. We might see something similar this time around as well.
#5 Williams is the dark horse
It's hard to pinpoint where Williams finds itself in the pecking order this weekend. The team has been strong in low downforce layouts. Having said that, the performance in Zandvoort stood out because that was one track where the team was expected to struggle.
With a car that tends to be a rocket ship on the straights, Williams could be looking at an impressive 2023 F1 Italian GP race weekend. How impressive? We'll have to wait and see to find that out.
