Formula One 2021: Ricciardo helps McLaren win Italian Grand Prix; first in 9 years

McLaren won a Grand Prix for the first time in almost nine years, as Daniel Ricciardo emerged victorious in the Italian Grand Prix on September 12. Adding to their celebration, McLaren finished with a 1-2 at Monza, with 21-year-old Lando Norris finishing at P2. McLaren last won a race during the Brazilian GP in 2012, where Jenson Button won a race for the last time in his career. 

McLaren’s 1-2 finish was helped by a dramatic crash between title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Lap 26. As both the drivers suffered DNF after the crash, Daniel Ricciardo had his way clear and claimed a sensational victory. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas finished behind the McLaren pair at P3. Having found their maiden win of the season, McLaren added valuable points to their Constructors’ Championship standing and reached 215 points with five podium finishes in the season.

Ricciardo last won a race during the Monaco GP in the 2018 Formula One season

As mentioned on the official website of Formula One, Ricciardo said,

“It means everything. I definitely try not to make or dictate, my life happiness around the sport because it’s been three-and-a-half years since I won so I’d be pretty miserable most of the time if I just based my happiness on winning races. It’s just wild… but deep down I never lost faith or the belief and I think I needed to step back and that’s where I think having some time off in August helped, and I truly think that helped this weekend, to get to this position”. 

Meanwhile, in the Drivers’ championship table, Lando Norris finds himself in fourth place with 132 points, behind Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Valtteri Bottas. On the other hand, Ricciardo, with his first podium finish in the Formula One 2021 season, finds himself at eighth position with 83 points, ahead of Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly and Alpine driver Fernando Alonso. After the completion of the triple-header at Spa, Zandvoort, and Monza, Formula One will now move to the Sochi Autodrom for the 2021 Russian Grand Prix from September 24 to 26.

(Image: McLaren F1- Twitter)