Auto Racing: Gasly surprise Italian GP winner as Hamilton given penalty - Boston Herald

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AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly claimed an unlikely victory at the Italian Grand Prix after a chaotic race which saw world champion Lewis Hamilton receive a 10-second stop-go penalty and both Ferraris fail to finish at their home circuit on Sunday.

It was Gasly’s first-ever win in Formula One. The 24-year-old Frenchman finished 0.415 seconds ahead of McLaren driver Carlos Sainz and 3.358 ahead of Racing Point’s Lance Stroll on an entirely unexpected podium. All three drivers had never won a race and each had only one top-three finish to their name.

“This is a loss for Mercedes and the big teams, but it’s a victory for the sport. That was great entertainment today and it was fantastic to see the young guys fighting out front,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.

Hamilton appeared on course for a comfortable victory from pole position but he was given the penalty for entering the pit lane after it closed to allow crews to clear Kevin Magnussen‘s stricken car that had come to a stop nearby

Hamilton, however, kept his championship lead of 47 points, with Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas moving into second despite only finishing fifth after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had to retire with a mechanical problem. Verstappen is now 54 points behind Hamilton, who remains favorite to win a seventh title to tie Michael Schumacher‘s record.

Hamilton finished seventh, 17.245 behind Gasly, who was emotional as he crossed the line to become the first French winner at any GP since Olivier Panis in 1996.

“It was such a crazy race. The car was fast, and to go through so much in the space of 18 months. First podium last year (in Brazil), now first victory in Monza. I have no words,” said Gasly, who was dropped by Red Bull last year.

Ferrari’s troubles deepen after double failure at Monza

Ferrari is in trouble. Double trouble.

In its worst display at its home circuit for 70 years, both Ferrari cars failed to finish the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Italian team has had double retirements at the so-called Temple of Speed before — with the last such incident coming in 1995. But never before at Monza has Ferrari not featured either in the top 10 of the grid or in the race result, at least with one car.

“This is the worst conclusion of a difficult weekend,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said. “Already yesterday quali was very difficult. Not finishing the race is even worse.”

After an appalling performance at the Belgian GP, with the cars finishing 13th and 14th, Ferrari was hoping for something better on home soil.

But Ferrari endured a miserable Saturday and its problems only worsened during the race itself. Sebastian Vettel had a brake failure on Lap 6 and limped into the pits with his right-rear brake disc in flames. His teammate Charles Leclerc crashed on Lap 25, causing the race to be red flagged.

Rhodes holds on in overtime for first Trucks win since 2018

Ben Rhodes moved to the front when he stayed out instead of pitting during overtime and held on for his first Truck Series win in two years on Sunday.

Sheldon Creed, who came in after winning two of the past three races, was cruising in front with three laps left. But a wreck involving Matt Crafton, David Ragan and Josh Reaume brought out a caution and OT.

Creed, a Darlington first-timer, went in for tires while Rhodes remained on the track. And then Creed was called for speeding on pit road, ending any chance he might’ve had to regain the lead.

Derek Kraus briefly surpassed Rhodes on the restart. But Rhodes rebounded for his first victory since 2018 at Kentucky.

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