Conclusions: Ricciardo made the wrong choice, last year for Albon

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix took Formula 1 back to Italy for the third time this season. This time the circuit was an old friend of Formula 1: Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, better known as Imola. These are the main conclusions we can draw from the past race weekend.

Verstappen and Italy don't work well together

Three races in Italy this year and three DNFs for Max Verstappen. Not only that but also for the third time it was a problem that Verstappen couldn't do anything about. According to Pirelli, this time it was due to debris on the track. He started in Mugello with an engine problem and also had to retire in Monza with engine problems. Verstappen has raced F1 in Italy eight times, with the best result being fifth place in 2018.

Albon could be in his last year

It seems possible that Alexander Albon won't be in Formula 1 in 2021. The British-Thai has lost more credit with a silly spin in the final phase of the Grand Prix at Imola. The Red Bull Racing driver lost the chance for a podium place. A return to AlphaTauri also seems out of the question, as adviser Helmut Marko has already hinted at the arrival of Yuki Tsunoda.

Did Ricciardo make a bad choice?

Daniel Ricciardo has only four races to go before making the switch from Renault to McLaren, but with the advance of the French team, that doesn't seem like the best choice. Since the Belgian Grand Prix, the Australian has finished in the points in every race and he is now fourth in the drivers' standings, while McLaren seem to have fallen back a bit in recent race weekends. It is also questionable whether the Mercedes engine that will be in the back of the McLaren from 2021 will make a big difference compared to 2020.

Perez deserves a seat with a top team

Sergio Perez has been demonstrating all this season that he is an incredibly consistent driver. The Mexican has scored points every race so far and is in a neat sixth place in the championship despite missing two Grands Prix due to illness. He has been in the interest of Red Bull for a long time, which now also seems to be his only option. It would be a shame if we no longer see Perez on the grid in 2021.

Vettel no longer has it

Sebastian Vettel has lost his mojo. The four-time world champion could not do much about the loss of points in Imola, but even without Ferrari's very bad pit stop, the German would have ended up in around tenth position. Vettel is outclassed by his teammate Charles Leclerc. It is, therefore, the big question of whether Aston Martin made the right choice to put Perez aside for Vettel.