Lewis Hamilton surged into third place for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix after completing a beautifully judged overtake on Pierre Gasly, continuing a remarkable recovery that had taken him from eighth to the podium positions following the race restart. By lap 10, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion had gained five places and put himself back into contention near the front at Monza.
The move on Pierre Gasly was the clearest demonstration yet of the Briton’s progress through the field. Rather than forcing a late braking manoeuvre down the inside of the first chicane, the Ferrari driver positioned his SF-26 on the outside for the opening part of the sequence, giving himself the inside line as the cars changed direction on the exit.
Lewis Hamilton takes third from Pierre Gasly at Monza
Lewis Hamilton’s approach allowed him to complete the pass cleanly through the Variante del Rettifilo. By committing to the outside line initially, he was able to place the Ferrari in the stronger position for the second part of the chicane and emerge ahead of Pierre Gasly.
The Alpine driver did not immediately concede the place. Pierre Gasly attempted to respond as the cars accelerated along the curved run towards the second chicane, but Hamilton had already established the advantage and there was no opportunity for the Frenchman to reclaim third.
It was a particularly important move because Gasly had been one of the leading figures of the Monza weekend. Getting past him put Lewis Hamilton firmly back among the front-running positions after beginning the restarted phase of the race in eighth.
Hamilton gains five positions after Italian GP restart
The speed of the recovery was as significant as the Gasly overtake itself. By lap 10, Lewis Hamilton had advanced from eighth to third, gaining five positions in the relatively short period since racing resumed.
For Ferrari, that represented a major change in the complexion of the race. Hamilton had been forced to recover rather than simply defend a front-running position, but his progress through the order quickly returned the remaining SF-26 to the podium places.
The pass on Pierre Gasly also stood out because it required more than straight-line speed. Hamilton had to position the car correctly through one of Monza’s most important overtaking areas, sacrificing the conventional inside line on entry to gain the preferred line for the second part of the chicane.
With the move completed, Lewis Hamilton had turned an eighth-place restart into third position by lap 10, giving Ferrari fresh momentum at its home Grand Prix and completing one of the strongest recoveries of the opening phase of the race.
Leave a Reply