Why Verstappen would have beaten Leclerc without safety car help
The controversy which followed the Italian Grand Prix ending behind the safety car and gift wrapping Max Verstappen victory was expected. But, digging into the details of the situation, the Red Bull driver always looked strong favourite in his Monza masterclass regardless of how the Formula 1 race concluded
Of course Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix. On paper, the race on enemy soil was nigh on a perfect fit for the way car and driver find their performance in 2022.
The defending champion has been firing on all cylinders this season, much like the Honda engine mounted in the middle of his Red Bull that has produced a top-speed edge over Ferrari so often. As a result, flat-out Monza was surely tailored made for the leggy RB18, even if the tifosi were desperately hoping for one of their own to win the 100th anniversary event at the ‘Temple of Speed’.
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Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.
Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.
Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.
His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.
Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.
He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.
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