Sunday we saw one of the most exciting race of the season. The Italian GP that took place at the Monza racetrack it was all drama from the moment the red lights went off and the cars started accelerating. So, who would win this year?
Well, the results from Saturday’s qualifying sessions came out more or less as a surprise, considering that Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes GP and Renault filled the top ten slots on the grid. While Sebastian Vettel started Sunday’s race from pole, his teammate Mark Webber was stuck down in fifth. In between them Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button lined up second and third, Fernando Alonso fourth and Felipe Massa sixth as Vitaly Petrov, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Bruno Senna (in only his second race this season) took up position behind.
Despite the fact that Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was on the fourth place of the grid, he managed to beat both McLarens as well as pole man Sebastian Vettel and take the lead in turn one.
A spectacular crash ensued at the back, when Tonio Liuzzi lost control of his HRT. His car spinned uncontrollably in the grass and then reentering the asphalt, hitting the cars of Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg. Still, Rubens Barrichello, who was also involved, was able to continue.
Ferrari was leading the race, but Vettel was able to pass Alonso disappearing in the smoke cruising to another easy victory.
On the other side, his Red Bull comrade, Mark Webber, didn’t managed the situation as well considering that he collided with Felipe Massa from Ferrari. RBR’s #2 was out for the count, while Massa recovered from the spin and began fighting his way back up the field.
The greatest show however was the fight for third place between the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. Michael Schumacher demontrated its seven-times world champion skills, keeping the younger Hamilton, in his exhaust smoke for many laps.
From behind, Jenson Button managed to passing both, finishing on the third place. Lewis Hamilton eventually was able to pass Michael Schumacher, who finished fifth. In addition to that, Lewis Hamilton even got close to Alonso, but run out of time as the race came to an end.
While Sebastian Vettel took his eighth win of the season and the eighteenth of his career, Button finished in a well-deserved second place, Alonso rounding out the podium in front of the elated tifosi in third.
The remaining points went to Hamilton, Schumacher, Massa, Alguersuari, di Resta, Senna (for the first points of his F1 career) and Buemi. The results further entrench Vettel’s lead in the standings with 284, Alonso now in second with 172, Button and Webber in third and fourth with 167 apiece and Hamilton trailing with 158. Webber’s disappointing outcome hardly puts a dent in Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ championship at 451 points to McLaren’s 325 and Ferrari’s 254.
The next Grand Prix will take place on Singapore on September 25. For the 2012 Formula One calendar, click here.
Source: Carscoop
