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Lando Norris won by a huge margin in F1 leader Max Verstappen’s Dutch backyard last weekend and the McLaren driver will be aiming to carry that momentum into Ferrari’s home Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
However, the British driver needed more than just another dominant win to cut into the 70-point lead held by Verstappen, who has won the past two years at Monza’s ultra-fast ‘Temple of Speed’.
Ferrari, Mercedes and his Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri, who set the fastest lap at the track near Milan last year, could all help if they can finish between Norris and Verstappen.
Sunday’s race is the final round of the season in Europe and Ferrari will be hoping to give fans some joy after a roller-coaster season so far.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who took pole position last year, celebrated his 30th birthday on race day, and Ferrari has made upgrades to both cars.
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, which won at the fast Spa and Silverstone circuits, is also expected to be a title contender after winning three times in four races in a “lackluster weekend” at Zandvoort.
Red Bull have lost five races in a row and are just 30 points ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ championship, but they cannot be counted out on a track that has been completely resurfaced for the first time in more than a century.
“Anyone could win. Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, us,” Norris shrugged when asked at Zandvoort, where he finally won from pole for the first time, whether McLaren could maintain their form in Italy.
“Monza is a completely different track. So we will stay focused and keep working hard.”
The British team took the first and second place at the 2021 Monza Grand Prix, with Norris finishing behind then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen finished second at Zandvoort, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third, and he said he would wait and see.
“Of course, a lot of things are new in Monza. You know, the tarmac, the kerbs, even the layout of Turn 1, Turn 2,” said the three-time champion. “Also, we need to understand more about it. But yes, we know we have a lot of work to do.”
His team-mate Sergio Perez agreed, with Perez’s low points form opening the door for McLaren.
“McLaren has clearly taken a big step forward in its development and we know we need to work harder than ever to ensure we stay ahead in both championships,” said the Mexican.
“There should be more positive conditions at Monza… We should move quickly here and we are ready to fight.”
In addition to the team needing to learn to adapt to the new road surface, Williams has abandoned American driver Logan Sargent and replaced him with Argentine F2 driver Franco Colapinto, and there will also be new faces on the track this weekend.
Mercedes will also give Italian driver Kimi Antonelli his debut in Friday’s practice session, with the 18-year-old widely tipped to replace the outgoing seven-time world champion Hamilton next season.
Meanwhile, future Ferrari driver Hamilton has the chance to win at Monza for a record sixth time.
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