Italian Grand Prix Preview, Betting Tips and Odds

It’s going to go right down to the wire. Title rivals Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are separated by a mere seven points after a ding-dong battle in Belgium.

The action is coming thick and fast following the summer break as we head to the iconic Monza circuit in Italy for Round 13 this weekend, the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar.

Betsafe, Planet F1 and Johnny Herbert give their expert opinions and verdict on weather Lewis Hamilton will spoil Ferrari’s homecoming.

Bet on Italian Grand Prix

Happy Hammer

That was just what Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes needed after having three weeks to linger on defeat in Hungary. Victory in the first race since the summer break ensured Hamilton halved Vettel’s World Championship lead from 14 to seven points. You cannot take your eyes off this title fight.

Hamilton got the weekend off to the perfect start with another classic performance in qualifying, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of 68 pole positions in emphatic style. But Vettel produced some last-gasp heroics to join Hamilton on the front row of the grid and set up a clash of the titans on Sunday.

The Brit got off the line very well once the lights went out, but Vettel was in hot pursuit and launched his first attack down the long Kemmel Straight. Hamilton put up a valiant defence, though, and started to knuckle down and control the race out in front.

Behind the main protagonists were Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. But Verstappen, who was backed by 80,000 Dutch fans, lasted just eight laps as his unlucky RB13 lost power again and forced the teenager into his sixth retirement of the season.

Hamilton’s control was then brought into serious question when Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon collided for a second time at Eau Rouge and prompted the Safety Car to make an appearance on Lap 30.

After a flurry of pit stops, it appeared that Mercedes had thrown away the race win by putting Hamilton on slower rubber compared to Vettel. But Hamilton defended superbly on the restart and kept Vettel at bay once again before taking the chequered flag at Spa.

Ricciardo took full advantage of the Safety Car to grab another opportunistic podium spot, with Raikkonen recovering to fourth after serving a 10-second stop-go penalty and Bottas a disappointing fifth after a poor restart once the track went green again.

Nico Hulkenberg was an impressive sixth, as Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Ocon and Sainz collected the remaining points on offer.

Meanwhile, there was more woe for Fernando Alonso who retired with an engine problem, joining Perez, Verstappen and Wehrlein on the retirement list.

What to expect in Italy

Monza may be Ferrari’s backyard but the high-speed nature of the track means this should be another circuit that suits the more power-hungry Mercedes.

However, while the same was said for Spa, the Scuderia surprised by showing just how close they were able to stay to the Silver Arrows throughout Sunday’s race. It will be another very tight call this weekend as there really is hardly anything to separate them.

Bottas and Raikkonen are the secondary acts with points to prove after scruffy races last week, but it is even more likely now that both will be playing the team game in order to support the title fight between their respective team-mates.

Ricciardo will be there as always to feed off the scraps, yet an increasingly-frustrated Verstappen is going to need some convincing and some motivation as his Red Bull car is constantly letting him down.

More driver futures will be clarified in the next couple of weeks with Alonso poised to reveal his next move.

But after Vettel signed a three-year extension with Ferrari and with Hamilton set to follow suit at Mercedes, the focus for these two great drivers is purely on the racing.

Monza Circuit

The Italian Grand Prix and Monza are part of F1 royalty. The race is part of an elite group that featured in the inaugural F1 season back in 1950 – and it has been a part of the calendar ever since.

Originally built in 1922, Monza was the third permanent race track ever to be made and is referred to by the natives as ‘La Pista Magica’: the magic track. There will not be one F1 fan disagreeing with that statement.

The drivers are thrown straight into the deep end at Monza as their first obstacle is the Varianye del Rettifilo, which features a very sharp right-hander and an even sharper left with hardly any room to manoeuvre.

A good, clear exit is needed out of Turn 2 as the cars need to build up the speed quickly to take on the Curva Biassono (Turn 3) with the entry into Roggia (Turn 4) providing a great passing opportunity.

The left-right flick makes way for the double right-hander Lesmo which can be attacked with real high speed and can be carried all the way through the first DRS zone at Serraglio.

A quick left-right follows at Variante Ascari before the cars are thrown into the final corner following another long straight. Parabolica (Turn 11) is another corner which is begging to be attacked as the drivers make their way back to the start/finish straight.

Previous winners and track suitability

Even though Monza is the home of Ferrari, it is arch-rivals Mercedes who have been popping most of the champagne in recent years.

The Silver Arrows have won the last three grands prix in Italy and it is once again expected to suit their car more this year.

Nico Rosberg took a big step toward clinching the World Championship crown with victory at Monza in 2016, but Hamilton is no stranger to winning at this legendary track after winning three of the last four editions prior to Rosberg’s success.

Vettel also has three wins in Italy, with his victory in 2008 making him (at the time) the youngest-ever driver to win a Formula 1 race and giving Toro Rosso their first-ever Formula 1 win despite using a year-old engine.

How Vettel would love to be the driver to give Ferrari their first win on home soil since Alonso did so in 2010.

The Scuderia still lead the way with 19 victories overall, but Mercedes (seven wins) are beginning to close in on McLaren (10) in second place.

With Hamilton and Vettel both three-time winners, only two other F1 greats can boast more: Nelson Piquet (1980, 1983, 1986 and 1987) and, the grandmaster of them all, Michael Schumacher (1996, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006).