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The 2022 F1 Italian GP marks the sport's return to the 'Temple of Speed'. Monza is Ferrari's home track and every year we have the Tifosi coming out in huge numbers. This time around, the race is the third of a triple header and that can be a bit tiring for drivers and teams alike. Especially since it is right after the summer break.
Having said that, heading into the 2022 F1 Italian GP, multiple teams will be eyeing the race with expectations and are desperate for a strong result. Who are these teams? Let's take a look!
#1 Ferrari
The 2022 F1 Italian GP is the most important race on the calendar for Ferrari. The way the team has operated this season, a lot of its sins will be forgotten by the highs of a win at the venue.
To be fair, the Italian squad has been on a downward spiral for a while now. Since the 2022 F1 Australian GP, the team has gifted more race wins to Red Bull than it has won. Earlier, the pressure was on the strategy unit because the consistent lack of proper decision-making is not what you would expect from a team that is fighting for a championship.
At the same time, you don't expect the most successful team in the history of F1 to have its drivers extensively dictate the race strategy. The worst part for Ferrari, however, was the car's lack of performance at Zandvoort as compared to Mercedes. It was clear as day that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz did not have the speed to compete with the Red Bull or Mercedes drivers at the Dutch venue. If it wasn't for Lewis Hamilton gambling on a medium tire at the safety car restart, Leclerc would not have jumped him on the track.
The last time Ferrari won a race in Monza was in 2019 with Charles Leclerc and it's safe to say that the team would be craving that success again. They have machinery with which they can challenge for the win. They have a driver who can fight for the win. The team will be desperate to make it happen this weekend.
#2 McLaren F1
McLaren now finds itself 24 points adrift of rivals Alpine in the constructors' standings, with the battle for P4 expected to get even more intense in the upcoming races. The problem for McLaren, which is starting to become progressively visible, is that neither does the team have a car that works in all conditions nor does it have two efficient drivers.
While Lando Norris is still firing on all cylinders and is arguably one of the best drivers on the grid, Daniel Ricciardo is not himself anymore. The way he's been treated by McLaren has had an impact on him as the Australian is low on confidence and motivation. In stark contrast, Alpine has two drivers pushing each other for every tenth and taking the team forward in every which way possible.
Over the summer break, McLaren secured the services of Oscar Piastri for the 2023 F1 season. In a way, the decision makes a lot of sense. If the team had two competitive drivers, it would not find itself behind Alpine in the championship (Norris is still ahead of both Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso). At the same time, though, the car is just not up to the mark. It is at par with Alpine on high downforce tracks like Zandvoort but it gets blown out of the water on low downforce tracks like Spa.
Heading to Monza, another low downforce track, McLaren is behind Alpine in the constructors' standings with a sizeable point difference. The Woking-based outfit will be under pressure to perform as a P5 finish looms large for the team this season.
#3 AlphaTauri
AlphaTauri has had a disaster of a season in 2022. Last season, the team had a car capable of being the third-fastest at times and even scored a podium at Baku. The car has been nowhere this season. It's not even a consistent part of the midfield battle as it has been left to fend for itself at the bottom of the championship table.
AlphaTauri finished the 2021 F1 season P6 in the championship with a car that was overall the fifth-fastest car on the grid. The team already finds itself eighth in the championship this season, only four points ahead of Aston Martin. This is shocking, to say the least, for a team that has drivers of the caliber of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. At the 2022 F1 Italian GP, the team should have a car that suits the conditions and will be desperate to score some points to further its result in the championship.
