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Euro 2020 final: England v Italy Formula 1 style

Euro 2020 final: England v Italy Formula 1 style

11-07-2021 10:30

On Sunday evening, the England football team will play in their first major tournament final since winning the 1966 World Cup. Gareth Southgate's team will play Italy at Wembley. Over the years, Formula 1 has seen plenty of top drivers from both countries, and to build-up to the match, we thought we'd do the Euro 2020 final in a Formula 1 style battle. 

1. McLaren v Ferrari

A battle that all Formula 1 fans will be familiar with. These two teams have been competing against each other through many generations of F1 and will continue to do so for many more to come. Two of the biggest and most famous constructors in the world, they've got almost 2,000 Grands Prix starts between them and together scooped 24 World Championships, often fighting against each other. 

In 2021, the two teams won't be fighting for another title, but instead the 'best of the rest' position in the Championship. Currently, McLaren leads the way by 19 points. 

2. Lewis Hamilton v Riccardo Patrese 

The first of our cross-generation battles. Hamilton has managed to achieve many records in Formula 1. Particularly over the last 12 months where he has taken a myriad of records from Michael Schumacher. But for 19 years, Patrese held the record for the most Grands Prix starts. His F1 career stretched 17 seasons, two more than Hamilton but given the number of races we see in modern F1, Hamilton has more Grands Prix to his name.

Patrese never managed to win the title but finished second in the 1992 season. This cross-generation battle also highlights the difference in points system. In modern F1, there are far more points available. Patrese would've scored at least 1,115 points using the current system plus plenty more with the extra races in 2021. Patrese has six wins to his name. 

 
 
 
 
 
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3. Lando Norris v Jarno Trulli 

These two drivers have scored almost exactly the same amount of points in Formula 1. Norris' podium in Austria tipped him over Trulli's total by half a point. In a similar way to the last England v Italy battle, this highlights the points difference between the two eras. The Italian has 11 podiums to his name, and one win from the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix

The McLaren driver is yet to secure his first win in Formula 1 but is quickly racking up the podiums in 2021. 

4. Jenson Button v Giancarlo Fisichella

We're back to similar generations with these two drivers. Up until Button's World Championship winning season with Brawn, these two drivers were very evenly matched. At the end of the 2007 season, both drivers had three pole positions. Fisichella had two more wins than Button at this stage. 

But in 2009, Button and Brawn shocked the world of Formula 1 where the Englishman secured six wins, and nine podiums in one season. He then joined McLaren where he found more success but never won the World Championship again. This battle highlights how a sudden career move or twist in the right direction can change everything. 

5. George Russell v Antonio Giovinazzi 

These two drivers are battling it out in 2021. They both started their first full season at the same time, though the Italian has more Grands Prix due to filling in twice for Sauber in 2017. 

Russell is widely regarded as the better driver and despite completing one Grand Prix for the World Champions, Giovinazzi's statistics look marginally better at this stage of their careers. Russell has been stuck in an underperforming Williams car, whilst the Alfa Romeo driver often gets a sniff at some points. The next chapter in these two careers will be interesting.