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The 2022 F1 Italian GP will be the third race of the current triple-header as the season winds down quicker than many would have imagined. The season has certainly sprung up on fans out of nowhere after the summer break. We have had one epic race after the other with not much downtime to reflect and understand what happened in the previous race.
F1 drivers will also be a bit weary of the triple header because momentum is everything in this sport. Once you get on a roll, it's hard to stop, and similarly, once things start going wrong, it's hard to get out of a rut.
Heading to the 2022 F1 Italian GP in Monza, quite a few drivers will be eyeing the Temple of Speed to make their mark. Others, however, would be desperate for a strong result for a varied number of reasons. Who are these drivers? Let's take a look.
#1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
The 2019 F1 Italian GP was the second race win of Charles Leclerc's career. The driver was in his first year with Ferrari, with an illustrious teammate in Sebastian Vettel, and a race-long challenge with Lewis Hamilton on his rear wing. Despite that, Leclerc would hold off the Mercedes man to become the first Ferrari driver to win the F1 Italian GP since Fernando Alonso in 2010.
It's been three years since then and things have changed. Charles Leclerc is no longer a fresh face in the paddock. He is currently second in the drivers' championship and is Ferrari's de facto lead driver. His problem is that, as compared to the 2019 F1 season, the Ferrari might not be as suited to Monza's low downforce requirements this time around.
Scuderia's challenger is an impressive car and looks sensational around a track. It is, however, not the best in a straight line. Those honors go to Red Bull, as was evident in Spa a couple of weeks ago. The 2022 F1 season has not been the best for Leclerc, with far too many heartbreaks and far too many points lost in a championship that seems like a distant dream now.
Leclerc, however, will remember how felt when he won the 2019 F1 Italian GP. He will be desperate to do it again to make it a lasting memory he can take from this season.
#2 Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren F1)
Daniel Ricciardo has been fighting for his career in the last few races and if we are brutally honest, it's not going well. He finished behind his teammate Lando Norris and outside the points at the 2022 F1 Belgian GP. He was then outclassed by Norris once again at Zandvoort last weekend and finished right at the back of the grid.
Such results do not look good for a driver fighting to save his career in the sport and he would prefer not to have such races. With Alpine also rumored to have declined Ricciardo's approaches and instead planning to sign Pierre Gasly, things are not looking good for the Australian.
This weekend, Ricciardo heads to the site of his, and team's last race win. It was a day of monumental achievement when McLaren achieved a 1-2 finish at Monza last season. It was also arguably one of the few highs of Ricciardo's time with McLaren as well.
Daniel Ricciardo has an uphill task ahead of him this weekend in a car that carries excess drag. Regardless, he will be hoping to secure a strong result with the team.
#3 Nicholas Latifi (Williams F1)
Nicholas Latifi's situation has grown more and more hopeless as time has worn on. The Williams driver has had poor returns all season and has been spectacularly outperformed by his teammate Alex Albon. When it comes to his performances, it seems that somehow all hopes are lost now.
When you head to a race weekend, irrespective of whether the Williams would be strong or weak, you don't expect Latifi to beat his teammate. Arguably the only time Latifi held an edge over Albon this season was at the British GP in Silverstone.
In all likelihood, Latifi's future is tied to the money he brings to the team rather than the performance. Even then, getting publicly called out by Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur is just not a good look. The Canadian should have a decent car this weekend. As for his future, he will be hoping to secure a better result this time around.
Also Checkout:- F1 2022 Results
