Mercedes takes 1-2 on Ferrari turf as Hamilton wins Italian GP and leads F1 championship
Lewis Hamilton became the first repeat winner of the 2017 Formula 1 season as he led the Italian Grand Prix from start-to-finish in Mercedes’ second one-two of the season. The poleman was unchallenged and pitted on lap 33 for a set of softs as he cruised to victory.
Sebastian Vettel finished third, but a brief charge from Daniel Ricciardo, who recovered his Red Bull from 16th to fourth, threatened the former championship leader’s podium place over the last 10 laps.
Hamilton is now leader of the drivers’ championship by three points owing to Vettel’s third place finish.
The gulf between Ferrari and Mercedes at Monza was apparent in qualifying on Saturday, but today it became even more pronounced as Hamilton had already built up a 23 second lead on the nearest Ferrari of Vettel midway through the race. Vettel eventually finished 36s behind Hamilton.
Hamilton led through the first chicane while Force India’s Esteban Ocon jumped a cautious Lance Stroll at the start for second.
Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas battled in their inimitable style on the opening lap as the two rubbed wheels through Turn 2 and were again wheel-to-wheel at Curva Grande, but Bottas had the advantage.
Within five laps Bottas had swept past Stroll and Ocon for second place, setting a Mercedes one-two in stone early on.
Raikkonen fell back to sixth by lap 10 while team-mate Vettel calmly took third, all but cementing the podium order as he raced himself to third place but no further. However, Ricciardo was a menacing figure throughout, finishing just 4s behind Vettel at the chequered flag.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen picked up a puncture and a damaged front wheel as he tangled with Felipe Massa through Turn 2 on lap three after having gained five places through the first few corners. Verstappen recovered to finish 10th and no further action was taken.
Ricciardo recovers to fourth
Stuck behind the pair of Stroll and Ocon, Raikkonen couldn’t find a way past and pitted for softs on lap 16, exiting in 11th. Ocon responded a lap later and exited six seconds ahead of Raikkonen as the Ferrari pitstop was sluggish.
Two laps after Raikkonen, Stroll pitted for softs but Williams was unusually slow to put the left-rear on and Stroll left the pits behind his two rivals.
Raikkonen overtook Ocon midway through the race, braking late into Turn 1 as the Force India driver looked on helplessly – fourth place was Raikkonen’s for the time being.
However, Ricciardo had fourth in his sights from the get-go, even as he was forced to start 16th. By lap 10 the Australian was 10th and by lap 20 he was in fourth having begun the race on soft tyres.
Ricciardo masterfully made the tyres last for 38 laps before a slick Red Bull pitstop put him on super-softs in fifth position and he began to chase the Ferraris in front.
A lap 41 overtake on Raikkonen through the inside of the first chicane capped off a stunning recovery, and Ricciardo had opened up the possibility to catch Vettel with 12 laps remaining, taking a second per lap off Vettel consistently.
Yet the tyres dropped off with four laps to go and Ricciardo had to settle for fourth having produced the day’s memorable performance with the fastest lap of the race to boot.
Ocon took sixth place behind Raikkonen while the Williams pair of Stroll and Massa finished seventh and eighth. Force India’s Sergio Perez finished ninth having started 12th. A five-place grid penalty bumped him down the order for the race as a new gearbox was fitted to his VJM10.
Under four seconds separated Ocon and his team-mate in ninth at the chequered flag as Williams and Force India sparred closer than ever this season at Monza.
Down the order
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen missed out on 10th due to Verstappen’s charge up from last place, but he finished ahead of an anonymous 12th place Daniil Kvyat.
Nico Hulkenberg finished 13th for Renault in what was another poor weekend for the team as Jolyon Palmer retired late on. Palmer had previously incensed Fernando Alonso by cutting the chicane at Turn 4 on lap 20.
A five-second penalty was made arbitrary by Palmer’s impending retirement but an irate Alonso continued his tirade down the radio, branding Palmer’s fate as “karma.”
Alonso became the last retiree of the race having come to a halt on lap 52, just after Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson had his race end early. McLaren had Stoffel Vandoorne, who briefly ran in 10th, retire as well in another torrid race weekend.
With the European season over, more high-downforce and fewer power-hungry circuits fill the calendar. McLaren will be seeking consolation, and Vettel will now be looking to topple Hamilton as Asia and the Americas beckon.
Vettel has never lost a world championship that he has led, and the Tifosi who greeted Hamilton with jeers as he stood on the podium will be hoping that history repeats itself.
Have your say on Hamilton’s victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the comment section below.
Source :https://www.jamesallenonf1.com
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