Straight after Spa came Monza, a similar circuiting holding legendary status which is also heavily drenched in history. The old track first held a race in 1922, but things have really changed. Replacing the high speed oval was a circuit of equal challenge. Fast, long straights now mix with tight chicanes and flowing medium speed bends.
The F1 2012 season went into the last European race of the season with rumours spreading around the paddock like wildfire. Gossip of the silly season and beyond, but the focus soon turned to the racing.
Here is my full weekend report from the Italian GP, with every F1 track session being covered.
FP1
Glorious sunshine bathed the classic Monza track for the last European F1 practice session. The 90 minute's of track time ended with Michael Schumacher topping the time sheets. However championship leader Alonso slowed towards the end of the session with a mechanical failure.
With doubts surrounding his place in F1 for 2013, Michael came out all guns blazing and set an eventual best time of 1m25.422 after a useful 26 laps of running. He edged 3 tenths clear of Belgian GP race winner Jenson Button, with team mate Lewis Hamilton showing McLaren's strong pace in 6th. The two, who resolved the issues surrounding the "tweet gate" saga, lapped the iconic track 29 and 30 times respectively.
FP1 only drivers Valtteri Bottas, Jules Bianchi and new boy Ma Quing Hua finished 13th, 16th and 24th. Jerome D'Ambroiso got some important laps under his belt in the Lotus E20, his last time driving the car was at Mugello in May.
Both Red Bull cars were a little down the order in comparison to their nearest challengers. Webber just scraped into the top 10, while Vettel was 4 thousandths outside it. Variante Alta was a challenge for even the best of drivers, with Raikkonen, Vettel and Webber both either cutting or running off the track. The current championship leader Fernando Alonso slowed towards the end of the session with a mechanical failure.
FP2
McLaren showed their strong form in Hungary and Belgium was no fluke, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way in FP2. The 90 minute session saw both McLaren's run strongly, with Jenson Button ending up 0.038 seconds off Hamilton's best lap of 1m25.290.
Fernando Alonso cemented Ferrari's strong form in 3rd, but the session was not free of issues for the 2005 and 2006 world champion. He missed some running after a brake issue, before rejoining and experiencing problems with the gearbox. Massa proved he is still in the mix, setting the 4th fastest time.
First practice toppers Mercedes were both in the top 10, with Rosberg ending up 6th and Schumacher in 10th. Between them, Raikkonen and the two Force India drivers kept up with the leading pace. One off racer for Lotus, Jerome D'Ambrosio, continued the steep learning curve and progressed 3 places from his first practice position to 12th.
Red Bull had a low key session, eventually dropping to 11th (Webber) and 13th (Vettel). Senna, Di Resta and Karthikeyan all got decent running in after missing the first 90 minute session.
FP3
The final 60 minute practice session for the Italian GP was a busy one. Last minute set up changes and data gathering were finished, and by the chequered flag it was Lewis Hamilton who was fastest.
However, he was top by the slimmest of margins. Just 0.001 seconds behind his fastest lap of 1m24.578 came Fernando Alonso, who got some good track time after problems on Friday. Paul Di Resta put in a strong lap to go 3rd, with Massa and Jenson Button rounding out the top 5.
Red Bull continued to struggle, with Webber ending up 11th and Vettel 12th. The latter slowed with just a few minutes left of the session remaining, explaining on the radio there was "no battery". Schumacher also incurred problems, his KERS failing. This meant he spent much of the session without the boost, leading to a 14th fastest lap.
Drivers continued to struggle with the circuit's challenging corners, with numerous off track excursions at the first and second chicane, as well as some wild moments at the Parabolica.
Qualifying
With overtaking opportunities at Monza being strong, thanks to the long straights and heavy braking, qualifying is not a key factor (unlike Monaco). However, the pressure was still on after seeing what happened when starting mid-pack at Spa. The title contenders just wanted to be clear of the danger zone.
Q1
The pressure on the midfield was eased with a problem for Nico Hulkenberg at the beginning of the session. He went straight on at turn 1 and never emerged from the escape road, reporting the "engine stopped" and he was unable to change gears. A gearbox or hydraulics problem for the Force India.
With the front runners feeling safe, the end of the session was relatively quiet. Alonso finished the first session at the front, with Hamilton, Button, Rosberg and Di Resta slightly further back. Vettel was up in 7th, while his team mate Webber looked to be struggling. He just managed to make it in, ending up 14th.
Out in Q1 was Kovalainen and Petrov, who were slightly closer than usual. Timo Glock beat his less experienced team mate Charles Pic, while Narain Karthikeyan out qualified a team mate for the first time in 7 years. Nico Hulkenberg will start from the back of the grid. However with 2 DRS points and numerous overtaking chances, the Monza circuit cushions the blow.
Q2
Qualifying heated up in Monza, with the strong midfield battling over just 3 or 4 spaces. As the flag fell, it was Fernando Alonso who just managed to beat Jenson Button to top honours in the 15 minute session. A late lap moved Di Resta up to 3rd, with Hamilton finishing 4th. Massa and Rosberg closely followed.
Vettel just made it in to Q2, with Raikkonen also narrowly progressing. The shock in Q2 was Mark Webber who missed out on the cut. Pastor Maldonado also failed to set a fast lap time, after losing time on his final lap by running onto the grass at the Ascari chicane. Maldonado will start the race from 22nd after his double penalty. Sergio Perez also failed to progress.
Bruno Senna finished the session in 14th, meaning both Williams cars did not make the cut. Daniel Ricciardo out qualified his team mate again, with Vergne setting the 17th fastest time.
Between the two Toro Rosso drivers finished 1 off Lotus racer Jerome D'Ambrosio, who made Q2 for the first time in his F1 career. He was 1.2 seconds off the pace of Alonso and Button. However these drivers will advance a spot due to the penalty for Maldonado.
Q3
The green light for Q3 came on, and it got interesting. A little bit of help from Fernando Alonso gave Massa the early lead on his first run, but Hamilton soon displaced that bench mark with his effort. Button was slightly slower than the Brazilian in 3rd, while Vettel's first time was almost 1 second off the McLaren.
Alonso's first time was some way off after helping his team mate, meanwhile the midfield pack took their chance to set a time. Rosberg went 4th momentarily, 8 tenths behind Hamilton. He was soon displaced to 5th by his team mate, with Schumacher going 3 tenths faster. Raikkonen looked slower than predicted, going 6th. However that was set to change with the last minute of qualifying.
Paul Di Resta went 2nd for Force India, with a 5 place grid penalty., eventually dropping to 4th. That was his position for the moment, as the chequered flag was waved. Massa's last effort put him 2nd, with Alonso going 10th. However Button dropped the Ferrari down the order to qualify 2nd, with a front row lock out for McLaren.
Vettel progressed to 6th, moving Rosberg, Raikkonen and Kobayashi down to 7th, 8th and
9th.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.010s
2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.133s + 0.123s
3. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m24.247s + 0.237s
4. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.304s + 0.294s***
5. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m24.540s + 0.530s
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m24.802s + 0.792s
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.833s + 0.823s
8. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m24.855s + 0.845s
9. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.109s + 1.099s
10. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m25.678s + 1.668s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m24.742s Gap *
11. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m24.809s + 0.567s
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m24.820s + 0.578s****
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.901s + 0.659s
14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m25.042s + 0.800s
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.312s + 1.070s
16. Jerome d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault 1m25.408s + 1.166s
17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.441s + 1.199s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m25.834s Gap **
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m26.382s + 2.207s
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m26.887s + 2.712s
20. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.039s + 2.864s
21. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.073s + 2.898s
22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m27.441s + 3.266s
23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m27.629s + 3.454s
24. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes
*** 5 place grid penalty **** 10 place grid penalty
The Race
The sun was out and shining over the royal park, where the historic Monza circuit is set. On a non-race weekend, the park is tranquil and peaceful. However, for 1 weekend a year that all changes.
There was McLaren domination in qualifying, but anything can happen at Monza. The Monza track has a number of overtaking spots, notably turn 1,3 and 7, so those who started at the back were not too disadvantaged. With speeds of up to 200 MPH and an average speed of 160MPH, the race is certainly fast paced.
Despite the low downforce and high top speed needed, Sebastian Vettel clinched the win on Red Bull's supposed "bogey circuit". The race was on, no one was out of it. The Tifosi were showing their passion and cheering on the red team, illustrating their love for the sport.
The race was on, the revs rose (even above the loud Tifosi crowds) and the lights went out. Off the line and on the long run to turn 1, both McLaren drivers had decent starts but Massa was challenging Hamilton into the chicane, before slotting in ahead of Button. Alonso also made it past Di Resta, and there was only minor contact at the first chicane.
Button was soon challenging Massa, meanwhile Webber fell back to 14th. As lap 2 got underway Alonso disposed of Kobayashi and then Raikkonen into turn 1. Hamilton had a strong lead of 1.4 seconds over Massa, who was hanging on well. Turn 1 was the spot to overtake, with Vettel moving ahead of Michael Schumacher. The DRS was enabled at the end of lap 3, making the racing even more interesting.
Alonso was on fire, pacing Schumacher easily on the start finish straight. What looked like a disappointing weekend for Alonso was reversed, with Fernando advancing 5 places early on. Bruno Senna was barged off track by Di Resta at turn 3, the Brazilian then rejoining just in front of Mark Webber. There was a big accident at turn 1 for Jean-Eric Vergne. Travelling at 200MPH, it looked like a rear suspension failure which pitched him into a spin. He was then launched over the speed bump kerb, pitching his car into the air. The French driver became the first retirement of the Italian GP.
DRS proved useful again, this time with Webber passing Di Resta into Ascari. Maldonado was the first driver to pit on lap 14, rejoining way down the field. Rosberg followed the Venezuelan in on the next lap, with Schumacher pitting on lap 15. This cemented their strategy of a 2 stop race. The stops were in full flow, with Raikkonen hitting his Lotus pit marks on lap 18 for the hard tyres.
Button muscled his way past Massa on lap 19 in a confident move around the outside at turn 3. The Ferrari was struggling and ended up pitting for a new set of hard tyres on lap 20. The front runners reacted on lap 21, with Vettel and Alonso pitting for a fresh set of boots. Webber and Di Resta pitted together on lap 22, while Massa moved past Ricciardo after sitting behind the Aussie for a few laps.
Button took to the pit lane on lap 23 but there was a slight delay on the front right. Despite that little glitch, he still emerged ahead of Massa after a blinding in lap. Hamilton also pitted for the first time and had a more straight forward stop, at 2.7 seconds. A scary move on lap 25 for Alonso after he ran wide at turn 2, in a similar move to Vettel on the Spaniard last year.
The Ferrari favourite managed to safely pass the German into turn 3 a few laps later, no grass needed. However, the stewards deemed the previous move too harsh and gave Vettel a drive through penalty. It was not all rosy at McLaren, with Jenson Button slowing on the run to Parabolica and pulling off. After just setting his best lap time, he became the second retirement. His title challenge had turned on its head after the strong result in Spa.
A good little battle was going on between Raikkonen and Perez, with the Mexican moving ahead. The Iceman then dropped into the clutches of Rosberg and lost out again, as the Red Bull drivers closed in too. Alonso was also battling with his team mate, but this time he was the one challenging Felipe. Fernando was soon past, with a little help from DRS.
Sergio Perez moved into a podium position on lap 43, passing Massa easily into Parabolica. The Sauber driver was on fire, closing in on championship leader Alonso. Webber was warned of a possible quick stop on track for Vettel with a problem, and it happened on lap 48, with Sebastian's engineer warning him to stop quickly so he could save the engine. It was confirmed in that message that the problem was the same as the one experienced in FP3.
Red Bull experienced more problems with an off for Webber at the Ascari chicane. he hit the kerb hard in the middle part and lost control, spinning across the track. As the laps counted down, Perez was closing in on leader Hamilton.
Webber pulled into the pits to retire on the penultimate lap, with massive flat spots on the tyres after that spin.
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| All images (C) Sky Sports F1 (unless it says otherwise) |
Here is my full weekend report from the Italian GP, with every F1 track session being covered.
FP1
Glorious sunshine bathed the classic Monza track for the last European F1 practice session. The 90 minute's of track time ended with Michael Schumacher topping the time sheets. However championship leader Alonso slowed towards the end of the session with a mechanical failure.
With doubts surrounding his place in F1 for 2013, Michael came out all guns blazing and set an eventual best time of 1m25.422 after a useful 26 laps of running. He edged 3 tenths clear of Belgian GP race winner Jenson Button, with team mate Lewis Hamilton showing McLaren's strong pace in 6th. The two, who resolved the issues surrounding the "tweet gate" saga, lapped the iconic track 29 and 30 times respectively.
FP1 only drivers Valtteri Bottas, Jules Bianchi and new boy Ma Quing Hua finished 13th, 16th and 24th. Jerome D'Ambroiso got some important laps under his belt in the Lotus E20, his last time driving the car was at Mugello in May.
Both Red Bull cars were a little down the order in comparison to their nearest challengers. Webber just scraped into the top 10, while Vettel was 4 thousandths outside it. Variante Alta was a challenge for even the best of drivers, with Raikkonen, Vettel and Webber both either cutting or running off the track. The current championship leader Fernando Alonso slowed towards the end of the session with a mechanical failure.
FP2
McLaren showed their strong form in Hungary and Belgium was no fluke, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way in FP2. The 90 minute session saw both McLaren's run strongly, with Jenson Button ending up 0.038 seconds off Hamilton's best lap of 1m25.290.
Fernando Alonso cemented Ferrari's strong form in 3rd, but the session was not free of issues for the 2005 and 2006 world champion. He missed some running after a brake issue, before rejoining and experiencing problems with the gearbox. Massa proved he is still in the mix, setting the 4th fastest time.
First practice toppers Mercedes were both in the top 10, with Rosberg ending up 6th and Schumacher in 10th. Between them, Raikkonen and the two Force India drivers kept up with the leading pace. One off racer for Lotus, Jerome D'Ambrosio, continued the steep learning curve and progressed 3 places from his first practice position to 12th.
Red Bull had a low key session, eventually dropping to 11th (Webber) and 13th (Vettel). Senna, Di Resta and Karthikeyan all got decent running in after missing the first 90 minute session.
FP3
The final 60 minute practice session for the Italian GP was a busy one. Last minute set up changes and data gathering were finished, and by the chequered flag it was Lewis Hamilton who was fastest.
However, he was top by the slimmest of margins. Just 0.001 seconds behind his fastest lap of 1m24.578 came Fernando Alonso, who got some good track time after problems on Friday. Paul Di Resta put in a strong lap to go 3rd, with Massa and Jenson Button rounding out the top 5.
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| (C) Red Bull |
Red Bull continued to struggle, with Webber ending up 11th and Vettel 12th. The latter slowed with just a few minutes left of the session remaining, explaining on the radio there was "no battery". Schumacher also incurred problems, his KERS failing. This meant he spent much of the session without the boost, leading to a 14th fastest lap.
Drivers continued to struggle with the circuit's challenging corners, with numerous off track excursions at the first and second chicane, as well as some wild moments at the Parabolica.
Qualifying
With overtaking opportunities at Monza being strong, thanks to the long straights and heavy braking, qualifying is not a key factor (unlike Monaco). However, the pressure was still on after seeing what happened when starting mid-pack at Spa. The title contenders just wanted to be clear of the danger zone.
Q1
The pressure on the midfield was eased with a problem for Nico Hulkenberg at the beginning of the session. He went straight on at turn 1 and never emerged from the escape road, reporting the "engine stopped" and he was unable to change gears. A gearbox or hydraulics problem for the Force India.
With the front runners feeling safe, the end of the session was relatively quiet. Alonso finished the first session at the front, with Hamilton, Button, Rosberg and Di Resta slightly further back. Vettel was up in 7th, while his team mate Webber looked to be struggling. He just managed to make it in, ending up 14th.
Out in Q1 was Kovalainen and Petrov, who were slightly closer than usual. Timo Glock beat his less experienced team mate Charles Pic, while Narain Karthikeyan out qualified a team mate for the first time in 7 years. Nico Hulkenberg will start from the back of the grid. However with 2 DRS points and numerous overtaking chances, the Monza circuit cushions the blow.
Q2
Qualifying heated up in Monza, with the strong midfield battling over just 3 or 4 spaces. As the flag fell, it was Fernando Alonso who just managed to beat Jenson Button to top honours in the 15 minute session. A late lap moved Di Resta up to 3rd, with Hamilton finishing 4th. Massa and Rosberg closely followed.
Vettel just made it in to Q2, with Raikkonen also narrowly progressing. The shock in Q2 was Mark Webber who missed out on the cut. Pastor Maldonado also failed to set a fast lap time, after losing time on his final lap by running onto the grass at the Ascari chicane. Maldonado will start the race from 22nd after his double penalty. Sergio Perez also failed to progress.
Bruno Senna finished the session in 14th, meaning both Williams cars did not make the cut. Daniel Ricciardo out qualified his team mate again, with Vergne setting the 17th fastest time.
Between the two Toro Rosso drivers finished 1 off Lotus racer Jerome D'Ambrosio, who made Q2 for the first time in his F1 career. He was 1.2 seconds off the pace of Alonso and Button. However these drivers will advance a spot due to the penalty for Maldonado.
Q3
The green light for Q3 came on, and it got interesting. A little bit of help from Fernando Alonso gave Massa the early lead on his first run, but Hamilton soon displaced that bench mark with his effort. Button was slightly slower than the Brazilian in 3rd, while Vettel's first time was almost 1 second off the McLaren.
Paul Di Resta went 2nd for Force India, with a 5 place grid penalty., eventually dropping to 4th. That was his position for the moment, as the chequered flag was waved. Massa's last effort put him 2nd, with Alonso going 10th. However Button dropped the Ferrari down the order to qualify 2nd, with a front row lock out for McLaren.
Vettel progressed to 6th, moving Rosberg, Raikkonen and Kobayashi down to 7th, 8th and
9th.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.010s
2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.133s + 0.123s
3. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m24.247s + 0.237s
4. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.304s + 0.294s***
5. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m24.540s + 0.530s
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m24.802s + 0.792s
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.833s + 0.823s
8. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m24.855s + 0.845s
9. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.109s + 1.099s
10. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m25.678s + 1.668s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m24.742s Gap *
11. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m24.809s + 0.567s
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m24.820s + 0.578s****
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.901s + 0.659s
14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m25.042s + 0.800s
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.312s + 1.070s
16. Jerome d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault 1m25.408s + 1.166s
17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.441s + 1.199s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m25.834s Gap **
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m26.382s + 2.207s
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m26.887s + 2.712s
20. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.039s + 2.864s
21. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.073s + 2.898s
22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m27.441s + 3.266s
23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m27.629s + 3.454s
24. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes
*** 5 place grid penalty **** 10 place grid penalty
The Race
The sun was out and shining over the royal park, where the historic Monza circuit is set. On a non-race weekend, the park is tranquil and peaceful. However, for 1 weekend a year that all changes.
There was McLaren domination in qualifying, but anything can happen at Monza. The Monza track has a number of overtaking spots, notably turn 1,3 and 7, so those who started at the back were not too disadvantaged. With speeds of up to 200 MPH and an average speed of 160MPH, the race is certainly fast paced.
Despite the low downforce and high top speed needed, Sebastian Vettel clinched the win on Red Bull's supposed "bogey circuit". The race was on, no one was out of it. The Tifosi were showing their passion and cheering on the red team, illustrating their love for the sport.
The race was on, the revs rose (even above the loud Tifosi crowds) and the lights went out. Off the line and on the long run to turn 1, both McLaren drivers had decent starts but Massa was challenging Hamilton into the chicane, before slotting in ahead of Button. Alonso also made it past Di Resta, and there was only minor contact at the first chicane.
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| (C) BBCF1 |
Alonso was on fire, pacing Schumacher easily on the start finish straight. What looked like a disappointing weekend for Alonso was reversed, with Fernando advancing 5 places early on. Bruno Senna was barged off track by Di Resta at turn 3, the Brazilian then rejoining just in front of Mark Webber. There was a big accident at turn 1 for Jean-Eric Vergne. Travelling at 200MPH, it looked like a rear suspension failure which pitched him into a spin. He was then launched over the speed bump kerb, pitching his car into the air. The French driver became the first retirement of the Italian GP.
DRS proved useful again, this time with Webber passing Di Resta into Ascari. Maldonado was the first driver to pit on lap 14, rejoining way down the field. Rosberg followed the Venezuelan in on the next lap, with Schumacher pitting on lap 15. This cemented their strategy of a 2 stop race. The stops were in full flow, with Raikkonen hitting his Lotus pit marks on lap 18 for the hard tyres.
Button muscled his way past Massa on lap 19 in a confident move around the outside at turn 3. The Ferrari was struggling and ended up pitting for a new set of hard tyres on lap 20. The front runners reacted on lap 21, with Vettel and Alonso pitting for a fresh set of boots. Webber and Di Resta pitted together on lap 22, while Massa moved past Ricciardo after sitting behind the Aussie for a few laps.
Button took to the pit lane on lap 23 but there was a slight delay on the front right. Despite that little glitch, he still emerged ahead of Massa after a blinding in lap. Hamilton also pitted for the first time and had a more straight forward stop, at 2.7 seconds. A scary move on lap 25 for Alonso after he ran wide at turn 2, in a similar move to Vettel on the Spaniard last year.
The Ferrari favourite managed to safely pass the German into turn 3 a few laps later, no grass needed. However, the stewards deemed the previous move too harsh and gave Vettel a drive through penalty. It was not all rosy at McLaren, with Jenson Button slowing on the run to Parabolica and pulling off. After just setting his best lap time, he became the second retirement. His title challenge had turned on its head after the strong result in Spa.
A good little battle was going on between Raikkonen and Perez, with the Mexican moving ahead. The Iceman then dropped into the clutches of Rosberg and lost out again, as the Red Bull drivers closed in too. Alonso was also battling with his team mate, but this time he was the one challenging Felipe. Fernando was soon past, with a little help from DRS.
Sergio Perez moved into a podium position on lap 43, passing Massa easily into Parabolica. The Sauber driver was on fire, closing in on championship leader Alonso. Webber was warned of a possible quick stop on track for Vettel with a problem, and it happened on lap 48, with Sebastian's engineer warning him to stop quickly so he could save the engine. It was confirmed in that message that the problem was the same as the one experienced in FP3.
Red Bull experienced more problems with an off for Webber at the Ascari chicane. he hit the kerb hard in the middle part and lost control, spinning across the track. As the laps counted down, Perez was closing in on leader Hamilton.
Webber pulled into the pits to retire on the penultimate lap, with massive flat spots on the tyres after that spin.
Lewis Hamilton wins the Italian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton took his second win in 3 races, after dominating the Italian GP. He put the car on pole position and led from the get go. A late scare with Perez did not put him off, with the Brit scoring a controlled wins when his rivals faltered. He also gave McLaren a hat trick of wins.
Sergio Perez claimed a stunning second place after starting 12th. He made his 1 stop strategy work, but unlike his closest rivals he started on the hard tyres. He passed the likes of Massa and Alonso in stunning and controlled moves, his best drive. Fernando Alonso moved up from 10th on the grid to score important points for the championship, taking the last podium spot. He progressed on the opening laps, moving up to 5th early on. A scary moment on the grass when attempting to pass Vettel led to the Red Bull getting a drive through. Felipe Massa dropped behind his team mate and just took 4th, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing the race in 5th.
The Lotus driver had a quiet race and had a late battle with Schumacher, who took 6th. Nico Rosberg made a 2 stop strategy work, like his team mate, to take 7th and setting the fastest lap. Di Resta scored more valuable points on a track where Force India had high hopes. After dropping to 11th in the early stages, he moved up when others faltered. Kobayashi made it a double points finish for Sauber, giving them a fantastic opportunity to challenge Mercedes for 5th. Senna scored the final point for Williams after Ricciardo had a problem on the final lap.
The STR driver finished the race 11th, with Maldonado and D'Ambrosio finishing further back. The Belgian driver had a quiet run to the flag, 1 lap ahead of 14th place finisher Kovalainen.
Of the back markers, Kovalainen and Petrov ended up just 0.3 seconds apart. Pic and Glock also finished for Marussia, with the French driver beating his more experienced team mate. De La Rosa and Karthikeyan were 1 lap down in 18th and 19th , with Webber being classified next up in 20th despite retiring. Hulkenberg also pulled into the pits late on with a mechanical failure.
Of the retirements, Vergne had a suspension failure early on. Button slowed with a fuel pump problem, while Vettel suddenly stopped with an alternator problem, similar to their issues in FP3.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h19:41.221
2. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 4.356
3. Alonso Ferrari + 20.594
4. Massa Ferrari + 29.667
5. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 30.881
6. Schumacher Mercedes + 31.259
7. Rosberg Mercedes + 33.550
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 41.057
9. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 43.898
10. Senna Williams-Renault + 48.144
11. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 48.682
12. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 50.316
13. d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault + 1:15.861
14. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
15. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
16. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
20. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 2 laps
21. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 3 laps
22. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 6 laps
Fastest lap: Rosberg, 1:27.239
Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap
Button McLaren-Mercedes 32
Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h19:41.221
2. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 4.356
3. Alonso Ferrari + 20.594
4. Massa Ferrari + 29.667
5. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 30.881
6. Schumacher Mercedes + 31.259
7. Rosberg Mercedes + 33.550
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 41.057
9. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 43.898
10. Senna Williams-Renault + 48.144
11. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 48.682
12. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 50.316
13. d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault + 1:15.861
14. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
15. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
16. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
20. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 2 laps
21. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 3 laps
22. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 6 laps
Fastest lap: Rosberg, 1:27.239
Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap
Button McLaren-Mercedes 32
Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
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