Post-GP Statistical Analysis: Italy

Vettel's historic weekend

Sebastian Vettel became in Monza the youngest Formula One pole-sitter ever, at the age of 21 years, two months and eleven days, demoting Fernando Alonso to second, after he took the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix his first pole at 21 years, seven months and 22 days.

On race day, Vettel became the youngest winner ever, beating Alonso's record from the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix (22 years and 26 days).

Vettel holds another two age-related records: in the 2007 US Grand Prix he was the youngest driver to score points, at 19 years 11 months and 14 days, and in Japan last year he was the youngest driver to lead a race at 20 years, 2 months and 27 days.

Vettel scored the 79th pole for Germany, which now ties France at third on the all-time table. The first two spots are occupied by Great Britain (192) and Brazil (122).

It was also the first front row, pole, podium and win for Toro Rosso, the 36th team to start from pole and the 32nd to win a race.

The "slowest" winner ever

Vettel has notched up another interesting record in Monza last weekend: he also became the "slowest" winner in the history of Formula One.

The young German was 14th fastest in the race, according to the list of fastest laps. In fact, his fastest race lap was only 27th among all laps posted by all drivers during the 53-lap race.

This is the first time a driver with such a 'slow' lap wins that same race - but Vettel is following in the right footsteps: Until now, the driver who won a race with the slowest fastest lap was Michael Schumacher, in the 1997 Belgian Grand Prix.

Back then, the Ferrari driver struggled on a track that was drying up, and at the end of the race posted only the 12th fastest lap of the race.

Except for Vettel and Schumacher, there were only three more races where the winner had the 10th or worst fastest lap: Bruce McLaren, Argentina 1960 (11); Thierry Boutsen, Hungary 1990 (10); and Jody Scheckter, Argentina 1977 (10).

13 pole sitters

The Monza race grid had 13 drivers who started at least once from pole position: Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica, Alonso, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Vettel, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. This is the third highest number of pole sitters of all-time value.

In Formula One history, only one race had at the start 15 pole sitters: the 1979 Italian Grand Prix. The second all-time value, 14 pole sitters, was recorded 17 times in history.

The last time there were 13 pole sitters at the start was at the 1986 Monaco Grand Prix.

13 drivers on the podium

Sebastian Vettel was the 13th different driver that climbed on the rostrum this year. Although the same value was recorded in 2005, in that year the Indianapolis race featured only six cars at the start and Tiago Monteiro took advantage of the situation, coming home third and causing the statistical "anomaly".

To find another year with more than 13 drivers on the podium we have to go back to 1997, when there were 15.

Vettel is also the sixth winner this year after Massa, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kubica and Kovalainen. The most recent occurrence of more winners was 2003, with eight.

Youngest podium ever

The presence of Sebastian Vettel on the top step of the podium helped the 2008 Italian Grand Prix to become the youngest podium in Formula One history, with Vettel, Kovalainen and Kubica averaging 23 years, 11 months and 16 days. The previous record was set this season at the German Grand Prix, with Hamilton, Nelson Piquet Jr and Massa averaging 24 years, 7 months and one day.

Eight of the ten youngest Formula One podiums were scored in the last two seasons; the list includes Monaco 2008, Spain 2007, Monaco 2007, USA 2007, Europe 2008 and Australia 2007.

At the other end of the chart, the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix, with Nino Farina, Juan Manuel Fagioli and Rosier averaging 46 years, 8 months and 20 days.

Qualifying notes

• Best career qualifying performance for Sebastien Bourdais. In the last three races he consistently improved his personal best from tenth in Valencia, to ninth in Spa and fourth in Monza.

• Nico Rosberg equalled his best qualifying performance of the season, a fifth place he obtained also in Canada.

• Best performance of the season for Giancarlo Fisichella, who for the first time in history put a Force India car in the second qualifying session.

• Worst season performance for Robert Kubica, eleventh. In his career, he fared worse only in the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, when he was 12th.

• Kimi Raikkonen recorded his worst showing since last year's Monaco Grand Prix, when he was 16th after a contact with the barriers.

• Worst career qualifying performance for Lewis Hamilton in 15th. Before the Monza session, the Briton always made it to the top 10, and his worst showing was at the Nurburgring last year (10th) when he was victim of an accident.

• The average speed of Sebastian Vettel in his fastest qualifying run was 213.774 km/h and is the slowest in Monza since 1977, when James Hunt recorded 212.887 km/h. Since 1984, the pole lap in Monza was always above 240 km/h.

Race notes

• For the fourth time this season Fernando Alonso classified fourth. He misses from the podium since the last race of the 2007 season, the Brazilian Grand Prix.

• Red Bull after the Italian Grand Prix count exactly 100 points scored since their first race back in 2005.

• Felipe Massa scored his first points in Monza at his sixth race.

• Nick Heidfeld has reached Michael Schumacher's all-time record sequence of race classifications, 24 after Monza.

• With Vettel's win, Toro Rosso recorded in one race more points than they managed to do in their first two seasons in Formula One and more points than Minardi managed to do in their best season. Minardi's highest points tally was recorded in 1993 and 2005 with seven.

• Toro Rosso were the ninth team to climb on the podium this year, the same number recorded in 1997. This year only Force India and Super Aguri weren't able to climb on the rostrum (yet).

• The average speed of the race was 212.039 km/h, the slowest since 2000 (210.286); that year, the race featured ten laps behind the safety car.

• With the track drying up on the last lap, Kimi Raikkonen was able to record a lap at an average speed of 236.859 km/h, the slowest in twenty years in Monza. To find a lower speed on the fastest race lap we have to go back to the 1988 edition, when Michele Alboreto was the fastest, lapping at 234.422 km/h.