Yuki Tsunoda (P14): 6/10
Yuki Tsunoda was one of the drivers handed a 'back of the grid' penalty for more engine components, which at least softened the blow of an additional mandatory ten place grid penalty for personally receiving five reprimands so far in 2022. We wonder if the final six races gives him enough time to rack up another five before Abu Dhabi? All in all, it's understandable that the Japanese driver might not have been in the most motivated form of his life in Monza: he was 15th at the end of Friday, one spot behind his AlphaTauri team mate Pierre Gasly. He made a point of showing he could make the cut in the first round of qualifying before sitting out the rest of the session certain in the knowledge that he would be lining up dead last on the grid on Sunday. Tsunoda actually gained a couple of spots at the start and was up to P12 by the time he pitted, only to drop back to 18th when he switched from the medium tyres to the hard. After that he got stuck behind Esteban Ocon until he was overtaken by Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher just before the final safety car.
Valtteri Bottas (P13): 6/10
Valtteri Bottas was narrowly pipped by his Alfa Romeo team mate Zhou Guanyu at the end of Friday's practice sessions, and slipped even further behind in final practice, but he perked up in time to make the first cut in qualifying and finished in 12th place - two places and three tenths quicker than the Chinese driver. A 15-place grid penalty dropped him down the grid for the start of the race, but in the end only to 15th because of so many other drivers also being penalised. Unfortunately he was hit from behind on the first lap, which sent him into the back of the Haas ahead in turn, dropping him to the rear of the field. A long first stint - he ran 35 laps on the mediums - elevated him into the top ten, but he was lapped by the race leader while in the pits and despite a switch to the soft tyres for the remainder of the race he found himself stuck behind Mick Schumacher until the safety car fixed him in 13th place at the finish line.
