Erion won D1’s Monza race from 14th on the grid, beating MacoDelVolante by just 0.134 seconds as the top three finished within 0.365 seconds. John Marco took fourth to complete a 45-point afternoon for McLaren — their third successive round with both cars starting outside the top ten and finishing in the top five.
The provisional victory followed Erion’s recovery from 15th to second in Japan. This time he finished ahead of both front-row starters, with polesitter MacoDelVolante second and last week’s winner HPJones third.
“ERION WON??” was Wadz’s response in race chat. The congratulations soon shared space with complaints: HPJones suggested contact might yet have a bearing on the win, while Gen’s explanation of brake trouble drew a sarcastic response from the Williams driver.
Baku to Monza: McLaren’s purple patch gathers pace
MacoDelVolante’s 1:18.497 had secured pole by 0.066 seconds over HPJones. Erion’s qualifying lap was almost seven tenths slower, leaving him on the seventh row. By the finish, he had gained 13 places for the second week running.
The run began in Baku, where Erion climbed from 11th to second, finishing 1.511 seconds behind PolyTromp. Alongside him, pwjones went from 17th to third. Both McLarens had started outside the top ten; together they delivered a 42-point double podium.
Japan brought another recovery from both drivers: Erion moved from 15th to second, just 1.033 seconds behind HPJones, while pwjones climbed from 19th to fifth. Their 36 points kept McLaren’s run going; at Monza, John Marco took over the second car’s contribution with 12th to fourth as Erion finally reached the top step.
McLaren keep coming through the field
D1 grid → finish · Baku, Japan and Monza · Season 7
That is 123 points, four podium finishes and 71 places gained across three D1 races. Every McLaren entry in that stretch started outside the top ten. Every one finished in the top five.
McLaren’s three-race purple patch
D1 · Baku, Japan and Monza · Season 7
Erion is making a habit of these recoveries: 11th to second, 15th to second, then 14th to first, earning 76 points. If he can sort out his qualifying pace and start near the front, how dominant could he be?
| Position | Driver | Grid | Gap to winner | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erion | 14th | — | 30 |
| 2 | MacoDelVolante | 1st | +0.134s | 24 |
| 3 | HPJones | 2nd | +0.365s | 19 |
| 4 | John Marco | 12th | +3.868s | 15 |
| 5 | MagMagnussen | 4th | +4.808s | 13 |
| 6 | Rizla | 11th | +6.256s | 11 |
Ferrari score one point as Arti climbs nine places
Ferrari went backwards from third and sixth on the grid. BULLDOGGER47 finished 12th for a single point, while xAQxFr ended a lap down in 17th despite setting the fastest lap, a 1:19.921.
Arti Moreno gave Audi a more rewarding afternoon, climbing from 18th to ninth. ForestalWaif1 moved from 17th to tenth, while Rizla gained five places to finish sixth behind MagMagnussen.
HPJones questions contact with victory just out of reach
HPJones was quick to suggest third might not be the end of his afternoon: “Got pushed off a few times there so the win may still be on”.
The podium covered by 0.365 seconds
Time behind Erion at the finish, in seconds · D1 Monza
His own racing also came under scrutiny. Challenged by The Car Geek over a move on Maco, he insisted he had returned the position. The Car Geek disagreed. Maco, meanwhile, suggested lag might explain some of the strange behaviour he had seen.
Gen’s brake problems draw complaints from rivals
A week after finishing third in Japan, gennaro1173 came home 14th and reported that his brakes would not reach 100% near the end of the race. He apologised, describing a problem that occurred intermittently.
Penguinboy blamed Gen for losing him ninth place. HPJones sarcastically asked whether the brakes also explained Gen swerving across him after letting his team-mate through. Gen bit back: “You hit me too mate you aren’t innocent”.
The discussion grew sharper when HPJones said he had not intended to report anything. Gen’s response was brief: “Whatever your heart desires”.
