Gasly tops ‘crazy’ Italian Grand Prix

MONZA: Pierre Gasly secured a maiden Formula One triumph on Sunday (Monday in Manila) when he won a tumultuous Italian Grand Prix for the Alpha Tauri team after crashes, penalties and safety cars had tipped expectations upside down at Monza.

The first French race winner in 24 years seized his opportunity and resisted late pressure from Carlos Sainz of McLaren to claim his team’s second victory with Lance Stroll finishing third for Racing Point.

“It was such a crazy race,” said Gasly.

It was the Alpha Tauri outfit’s second win on Italian soil — the first having been scored for them when they raced as Toro Rosso by Sebastian Vettel, his maiden F1 win in a rain-hit race in 2008.

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton was on his way to a comfortable win before a 10-second stop-go penalty for taking a pit stop when the pit lane was closed, pushed the Mercedes world champion to the back of the pack.

The six-time champion eventually ended up in seventh place.

Gasly, who was dropped by Red Bull to rejoin the junior sister team last year, jumped for joy as he leapt from his car, was the first French driver to win a Grand Prix since Olivier Panis was triumphant at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix.

The Ferrari-bound Sainz said he was “halfway disappointed” with his first podium finish.

Lando Norris came home fourth in the second McLaren ahead of Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes and Daniel Ricciardo of Renault.

Despite the penalty, Hamilton still managed to extend his record run to 41 successive points finishes.

He has a 47-point lead over Bottas in the championship.

Hamilton also had the fastest lap of the race as he finished ahead of Esteban Ocon in the second Renault, Daniil Kvyat in the second Alpha Tauri and Sergio Perez in the second Racing Point.