2019 Italian Grand Prix
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Checkered flag
So we'll leave it there - thanks for joining us on that F1 re-run. A fun afternoon remembering just how good modern grand prix racing can be. Stay safe and well, and we'll be back soon.
Autosport
Here's our full report of Leclerc's famous Monza win 
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We're going to wrap this up soon, but just worth pointing out how well Renault did on that day at Monza in September 2019.
“The slippery RS19 was closer to the pace than ever before at Monza,” read our post-weekend report. “In qualifying, the Renault RS19’s time was just 0.663% off Charles Leclerc’s pole- winning pace – the closest it has been all season.”
Renault’s pace was boosted by the introduction of the latest- specification Renault engine for free practice at Spa to get the grid penalties out of the way ahead of Monza.
And Ricciardo’s fourth place ahead of Hulkenberg was was his best result since leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018.
“The slippery RS19 was closer to the pace than ever before at Monza,” read our post-weekend report. “In qualifying, the Renault RS19’s time was just 0.663% off Charles Leclerc’s pole- winning pace – the closest it has been all season.”
Renault’s pace was boosted by the introduction of the latest- specification Renault engine for free practice at Spa to get the grid penalties out of the way ahead of Monza.
And Ricciardo’s fourth place ahead of Hulkenberg was was his best result since leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018.
On that clash with Leclerc, Hamilton later suggests he might have made more of it had he not had the championship to consider. But it was still a brilliant fight between the pair. Hopefully we'll see more of that whenever F1 2020 does get underway.
Autosport
"Winning for Ferrari at Monza is as good as it gets, and the significance of doing so when Vettel made yet another major mistake in a race won’t have been lost on the tifosi," read the Autosport magazine report of former grand prix editor Edd Straw. "Leclerc emerged as their new hero, while the second victory in a week
"His victory was the consequence of a will of iron, a driver hitting his marks through the Parabolica to stay clear on the main straight lap after lap, and a willingness to go to the edge in battle when required."
"His victory was the consequence of a will of iron, a driver hitting his marks through the Parabolica to stay clear on the main straight lap after lap, and a willingness to go to the edge in battle when required."
Ahead of the race, the long runs in practice suggested Mercedes would have the edge, but Leclerc prevailed against everything Mercedes threw at him.
What a race - that went by in a flash.
Checkered flag
But Leclerc is clear - he wins the 2019 Italian Grand Prix and takes his second career F1 win in front of Ferrari's home crowd!
Radio Comms
"Overtake is available," an ambitious Mercedes tells Bottas on the final tour.
Bottas did manage to get back to within a second by the start of the final lap.
Stopwatch
Hamilton predictably sets the fastest lap - a 1m21.779s - on his fresh softs.
With two laps to go, Bottas's error dropped him to 1.5s behind and the chance of the win - even with Mercedes strategy advantage - was gone.
Crash
Bottas locks up at Turn 1 and goes deep! It's never, then (but we knew that...).
Bottas finally gets to within Leclerc's DRS again - he's just 0.5s behind at the start of lap 51. It's now or never for Bottas.
Back to the 'action' - Hamilton pits at the start of lap 50 to take fresh tyres ahead of a run on the fastest lap.
Leclerc learned from that defeat, and used it to keep Hamilton behind at Monza.
Apart from his Bahrain heart-break, when he was a clear cut above the rest, Leclerc lost out on a first win in Austria when Verstappen edged him off at the very end of the race.
Leclerc's Spa win was his F1 breakthrough, but this Monza drive was when he really showed he has what it takes to battle the best.
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Bottas did get within DRS range of Leclerc before dropping back slightly - Mercedes will later surmise that he struggled more than Hamilton in the Ferrari's dirty air.
Radio Comms
"Come on Valtteri, this is your win," Mercedes tells Bottas. That'll go well.
Crash
Magnussen retires in the pits.
Replays show just how badly blistered Hamilton's front tyres were by this stage.
Bottas continues to just about home in on Leclerc, but he didn't exactly cruise up behind the Ferrari.
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For anyone wanting an explanation of Raikkonen's dire race for Alfa Romeo, he crashed twice at the Parabolica ahead of the race - including a Q3 shunt that led to his in-race 10-second stop/go penalty.
He started from the pitlane after a gearbox change and a switch of spec to the latest Ferrari engine, but Alfa Romeo mistakenly believed this meant he did not have to start on his Q2 tyres. This is only the case if there is a chassis change, meaning he earned the penalty.
He started from the pitlane after a gearbox change and a switch of spec to the latest Ferrari engine, but Alfa Romeo mistakenly believed this meant he did not have to start on his Q2 tyres. This is only the case if there is a chassis change, meaning he earned the penalty.
So Leclerc, still running the hard tyres, had another phase of attack to survive.
Bottas is now Mercedes best chance to beat Leclerc - all thanks to Vettel's 'earlier' spin meaning the Silver Arrows could take an alternate strategy call with its second car.
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So Hamilton's mighty charge comes to an end.
"Save for the two laps on which first the Ferrari driver and then Hamilton pitted, there was never more than 1.589 seconds between them at the end of a lap," read our magazine race report of this event. "On average, the gap at the line was just 0.951s."
"Save for the two laps on which first the Ferrari driver and then Hamilton pitted, there was never more than 1.589 seconds between them at the end of a lap," read our magazine race report of this event. "On average, the gap at the line was just 0.951s."
Crash
Hamilton goes deep at Turn 1 with a lock-up - Bottas moves up to second!
Hamilton was indeed dropping back from Leclerc at the end of lap 41 - his mediums finally giving up.
Bottas is about to join Hamilton in pursuit of Leclerc, with medium tyres that are seven laps younger.
So that's 40 laps 'gone' in this Monza 2019 re-run - and Mercedes is about to be able to play its trump card, let's 'see' if it pays off for 'it'.
Hamilton was able to get so close to Leclerc on the run to Parabolica - but it was the Ferrari's perfect exit from the final corner, allied to the red car's engine advantage, that kept Leclerc ahead.
Radio Comms
"I don't have much tyres left," reports Hamilton.
Bottas is homing back at the top two - ominous! (Spoilers? Maybe, but whatever).
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Leclerc escapes an investigation into his Turn 1 off.
After the race Hamilton will concede that his was ok with Leclerc's driving in that incident and their earlier clash, but only if such incidents are reviewed in the same way consistently.
Radio Comms
Leclerc was again very robust in his defence - which Hamilton calls "some dangerous driving".
Leclerc, who got wheelspin as he picked up the power again after his error, scampering across the first chicane, had to defend hard again to keep Hamilton behind.
Hamilton was so relentless he forces Leclerc into a mistake at the first chicane at the start of lap 36.
An hour gone in this classic Monza race - and that's not over-doing it (ok, it is a bit), what a drive from Leclerc and Hamilton was relentless.
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
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