Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Alonso wins for Ferrari at Monza

Fernando Alonso revitalised his title challenge by claiming a highly popular victory for Ferrari in its home race at Monza, ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button and Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari

The result was even better for Alonso as erstwhile championship leader Lewis Hamilton damaged his McLaren on the first lap and retired, and while Red Bull's Mark Webber inched into the points lead, he could only finish sixth. His team-mate and fellow title contender Sebastian Vettel was fourth.

Button had made the better start, shrugging off both Alonso's attempts to squeeze him off the line, and then a tap from the Ferrari at the Rettifilio - which did minor damage to both cars - to hold the lead.

As Alonso jinked around behind the McLaren, both Massa and Hamilton tried to take advantage. Hamilton took a speculative look down the inside of Massa into the Roggia chicane, but was only partially alongside the Ferrari, and as Massa turned in on the racing line, contact was made that broke Hamilton's steering, sending him ploughing into the Lesmo gravel and out.

The only consolation for Hamilton was that his main championship rival Webber had been shoved back to ninth on the first lap, two places behind Red Bull team-mate Vettel, as fast-starters Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Robert Kubica (Renault) and Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) filled the top six.

The top three easily pulled away from Rosberg, with Alonso clinging to Button's tail and taking the odd look at passing. Both took turns setting fastest laps as they tried to make a break, with the gap never getting larger than 1.5 seconds, and generally much smaller, while Massa lurking just a few seconds behind.

The stalemate lasted nearly two thirds of the race, as Monza's kindness to tyres meant pitstops did not start in earnest until the closing stages.

Button was first to change tyres, coming in at the end of lap 35. Alonso stayed out just one lap longer, but it was enough to overcome Button's advantage, rejoining right alongside the McLaren, clinging to the inside through the Rettifilio to hold the lead, and then immediately setting a new fastest lap to escape from Button.

As Alonso disappeared to take this third win of the year - and the first that was not aided by either attrition ahead or controversial team tactics - Button easily held off Massa for second.

Vettel finally emerged a surprise fourth. In the early stages it looked like he was set to retire, as he reported engine problems over the radio and lapped 2s off the pace for a while, allowing Webber past as he did so. But some system tweaks appeared to solve the problem, and by virtue of staying out until the penultimate lap before finally pitting, Vettel beat Rosberg to fourth.

Webber had to fight hard to take sixth, scrapping past Hulkenberg with three laps to go, having been enraged by the Williams cutting chicanes and defending firmly to stay ahead. Kubica lost out to the Williams in the pits, then to Webber as Hulkenberg came out right in front of him and cost him momentum, pushing him back to eighth.

Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Rubens Barrichello (Williams) completed the top 10. Last year's winner Barrichello had lost ground on the first lap and only gained the final point when Renault's Vitaly Petrov - on a similar strategy to Vettel - finally pitted on lap 51.

Tonio Liuzzi recovered from his disastrous qualifying to chase Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) and Barrichello home in 12th. But Liuzzi's Force India Adrian Sutil could only finish 16th following a first lap incident.

Virgin's Timo Glock narrowly beat Heikki Kovalainen to new team honours in 17th, as the latter's Lotus team-mate Jarno Trulli retired in a cloud of smoke late on, having led the 'class' most of the way.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Italian Grand Prix
Autodromo di Monza, Italy;
53 laps; 306.720km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Alonso        Ferrari                    1h16:24.572
 2.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +     2.938
 3.  Massa         Ferrari                    +     4.223
 4.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +    28.193
 5.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    29.942
 6.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    31.276
 7.  Hulkenberg    Williams-Cosworth          +    32.812
 8.  Kubica        Renault                    +    34.028
 9.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +    44.948
10.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +  1:04.213
11.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:05.056
12.  Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes       +  1:06.106
13.  Petrov        Renault                    +  1:18.919
14.  De la Rosa    Sauber-Ferrari             +     1 lap
15.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
16.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +     1 lap
17.  Glock         Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
18.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth             +    2 laps
19.  Di Grassi     Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
20.  Yamamoto      HRT-Cosworth               +    2 laps

Fastest lap: Alonso, 1:24.139

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth               47
Senna         HRT-Cosworth                 12
Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes             1
Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari               1


World Championship standings, round 14:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Webber       187        1.  Red Bull-Renault          350
 2.  Hamilton     182        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          347
 3.  Alonso       166        3.  Ferrari                   290
 4.  Button       165        4.  Mercedes                  158
 5.  Vettel       163        5.  Renault                   127
 6.  Massa        124        6.  Force India-Mercedes       58
 7.  Rosberg      112        7.  Williams-Cosworth          47
 8.  Kubica       108        8.  Sauber-Ferrari             27
 9.  Schumacher    46        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         10
10.  Sutil         45       
11.  Barrichello   31       
12.  Kobayashi     21       
13.  Petrov        19       
14.  Hulkenberg    16       
15.  Liuzzi        13       
16.  Buemi          7       
17.  De la Rosa     6       
18.  Alguersuari    3       
       
All timing unofficial

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Red Bull lowers targets for Monza
Next article Hamilton: Error could cost me the title

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe