14:00 The drivers leave on the formation lap. All the cars get away cleanly. Now they are putting heat into the tyres to ensure they offer as much grip as possible away from the line and into the first chicane.

The cars are now lining up on the grid again. Less than 30 seconds to go ....

13:58 Massa looks calm in his cockpit, it'll be interesting to see what kind of role he will play in this grand prix. His team-mate is starting from pole but if he can get ahead of Button he will be very popular in the among the Tifosi and on the Ferrari pit wall.

13:56 Confirmation is now on my screen that Kobayashi will start from the pit lane. He was supposed to be starting from 13th but has had gearbox problems.

13:54 The grid is now starting to clear as just the teams and drivers are left to make their last-minute preparations.

13:50 A random bit of info from Lotus: "Jarno and his wife Barbara on the grid in Monza. First time she has ever been on the grid."

13:48 Jenson Button says he hasn't got a clue how it's going to go from the front row of the grid. He appears pretty confident though.

13:45 "Pit lane closed, Koybayashi to start from the pit lane if he is able," Mike Gascoyne says.

13:43 Koybayashi back in the garage, 2.5mins to get out

13:43 Rubens Barrichello says that drivers will have to look after their tyres at the start because they have heavy fuel and low downforce.

13:42 Most drivers will be starting on soft tyres according to Mike Gascoyne: "Practically everyone going to the grid on options as expected"

13:38 Fernando Alonso starts from pole, Ferrari's first P1 in qualifying since 2008. The Tifosi's expectations are very high but the real pressure on Alonso is that if he doesn't score well here his championship is over.

13:34 The tree-lined circuit is alive with the sound of 2.4 litre V8s as the drivers head to the grid.

13:30 Welcome to a sunny Monza for race day in Italy. We should be set for a fantastic race today, with the top four on the grid split by less than 0.5 seconds in qualifying. Championship leader Hamilton starts in fifth but should be able to make use of his straight-line speed to move through the field.

Lap 1

Button leads away from the start but is hit from behind. Hamilton is out. He tagged Massa in the second chicane and broke his steering arm. He outbraked himself and understeered into the side of the Ferrari. No excuse for that.

Lap 2

Alonso is much faster than Button down the straights and the gap is just 0.6 seconds as they cross the line. Great start by Rosberg, up to fourth, Webber is back ninth.

Lap 3

Sutil has pitted after damaging his car and is back in 22nd.

Lap 4

Alonso is the fastest man on the track and 0.6 behind Button across the line.

Lap 5

Alonso is all over the back of Button into the first chicane. We should be set for a terrific battle between these two.

Massa is told that Rosberg is fourth but falling away and told to wait behind Alonso in case he makes a mistake trying to get past Button.

Lap 6

Webber gets past Schumacher into the first chicane. Good driving by both and Schumacher had a go around the outside into the second chicane but it didn't pay off.

Lap 7

Alonso sets another fastest lap but is still 0.6 off the back of the McLaren across the line.

Meanwhile, Hamilton returns to the McLaren motorhome.

Webber is now closing on Vettel but will be hard pushed to find a way past his team-mate.

Lap 8

Alonso is close to Button into the second chicane but not close enough to attempt a passing move. Button is faster through the Lesmo corners and Alonso is faster down the straights.

Lap 9

Webber is told to look after this set of tyres, it'll be interesting to see who is first to pit and when they do it.

Massa is keeping close to Alonso, just 1.3 seconds separating the top three. Massa told he is doing a good job.

Lap 10

Alonso has another little look into the first chicane but its only a warning shot not a serious move. The question is how long that Ferrari can stay in the hot wake of the McLaren without suffering some kind of overheating.

Lap 11

Alonso got a good run through the middle sector on that last lap but made a mistake in the Parabolica and had to back off a touch.

Liuzzi passes de la Rosa for 12th. He's on a charge through the field from 19th on the grid.

Lap 12

Vettel is closing on Hulkenberg and Webber isn't afr behind. Kubica leads that train of cars in the Renault.

Lap 13

Button has now upped his lead to 1.5 seconds across the line.

Senna's race has come to an end and he has pulled off the track after the second Lesmo.

Lap 14

Button is now the fastest man on the circuit as Alonso tries to keep the gap at around 1.5 seconds. He may have turned down that Ferrari engine before launching another attack around the time of the pit stops. But it looks as though Button will be able to pit later.

Lap 15

The two Red Bulls have settled behind Hulkenberg. They don't look as though they have the pace to pass at the moment.

Lap 16

Alonso is closing the gap again, it's down to 1.3 seconds now.

Lap 17

Alonso is once again the fastest man on the track and the gap is now 1.1 seconds.

Lap 18

Alguersuari is the first to pit back in 15th. Sutil is making his way back through the field in the Force India. He is up to 17th now, closing down Trulli. Of course he pitted early with damage.

De la Rosa is the next to pit from 13th place.

Lap 19

So when will the first front runner pit. All of the top six bar Alonso set a personal best on the last lap, so the tyres still appear to be working.

Massa locks up the rear of his Ferrari into turn one and had to take to the escape road. He is struggling to keep in touch with Alonso, the gap is now 2.7 between the Ferraris.

Lap 20

Alonso sets a new fastest lap and closes the gap to a second. Of course as the fuel comes down the times will improve.

Four laps until Rosberg's stop and his team gives him encouragement over the radio to keep pushing until then.

Lap 21

Liuzzi is closing on Barrichello and has great straight-line speed.

Vettel has an engine problem and has dropped behind Webber. He is lapping a second and a half slower than his Red Bull team-mate.

Lap 22

Vettel is staying out for now. It was a brand new engine in his Red Bull on Saturday morning. They will try to monitor it and just hope for the best.

Lap 23

Massa is now the fastest man on track as Vettel's pace picks up again. Vettel is now a tenth off the pace of Webber.

Lap 24

Alonso is now within 0.9 seconds off Button as they cross the line. They will come up on traffic soon.

Lap 25

Button is struggling to carve his way through the field and Alonso has closed to within 0.6 seconds.

Lap 26

Hukenberg just skipped the first chicane. But didn't really gain an advantage in the process.

Lap 27

Webber is now closing on Hulkenberg and could find a way past soon.

Lap 28

Red Bull mechanics were in the pits but have now returned to the garage.

Lap 29

Button extends the lead at the front to 0.8 seconds with a new fastest lap. Webber is now darting in and out of Hulkenberg's slipstream under braking, just firing a few warning shots and trying to force the rookie into an error.

Lap 30

There is an ambulance in the pitlane. And it looks as though a mechanic is being stretchered away.

Yamamoto left the pitlane while a mechanic was working on the car. He is a bit battered and bruised but still conscious.

Lap 31

Alonso is still 0.9 behind Button.

Lap 32

Massa sets a new fastest lap as the fuel comes down and is now 2.7 behind Alonso.

Force India are ready for Liuzzi in the pits. The hard tyres go on and it is a quick stop.

Lap 33

Button makes a mistake into the first chicane and Alonso is all over the back of the McLaren into the second chicane. But Button's extra downforce gets him out of trouble through the Lesmo corners.

Lap 34

Kubica pits from fifth and gets away with no problems at all.

Button is told he is approaching the pit stop and is told to push. Alonso is now 0.8 seconds behind and gaining marginally on each lap.

Lap 35

Liuzzi is closing on Buemi after being passed by him in the pits.

Lap 36

Webber pits and comes out behind Kubica, can he pass Hulkenberg in the stops?

Lap 37

Button pits with a clean pit stop. Ferrari should be in on the next lap.

Hulkenberg pits and comes out ahead of Kubica and gains position. Webber had a go at Kubica but couldn't make it stick in the first chicane. However, he then got a better drive and passed in the seconnd chicane.

Lap 38

Alonso pits and beats Button into the first chicane. He holds position and takes second place behind Massa, who is yet to pit.

Lap 39

Massa pits and comes out behind Button, who is 0.4 seconds behind Alonso.

Lap 40

Hulkenberg skips the first chicane again under pressure from Webber. He should yield that position as the stewards will probably frown upon that.

Lap 41

13 laps remaining and Button is now 0.7 seconds behind Alonso and dropping away.

Lap 42

Vettel is very quick in the Red Bull having decided not to pit yet. He could leapfrog the Hulkenberg, Webber and Kubica battle.

Webber has asked his team to look into the Hulkenberg incident and they said they are talking to the stewards. No official line yet from the stewards.

Lap 43

Button is now 1.8 seconds behind Alonso as the Ferrari sets the fastest lap of the race.

Webber runs a bit wide and is dropping off Hulkenberg now.

Lap 44

It looks as though the stewards will not investigate the Hulkenberg incident as Webber was not sufficiently close enough to pass.

Lap 45

Massa is now gaining on Button, the gap is down to 1.7 seconds. 3.7 seconds separates Alonso and Button.

Lap 46

Webber sets the fastest lap with a 1:24.531 and closes the gap to Hulkneberg to 1.1 seconds.

Lap 47

Vettel is currently 19.1 seconds ahead of Rosberg, a pit stop here takes 19.8 seconds plus stationary time.

Lap 48

Webber has the gap to Hulkenberg down to 0.8 seconds.

Lap 49

Alonso sets a new fastest lap with just five laps remaining. The gap at the front is now 3.8 seconds.

Vettel is now 19.9 seconds ahead of Rosberg but only has five laps left to make his stop.

Trulli is out of the race with what looked like an engine failure.

Lap 50

Webber is all over the back of Hulkenberg and gets through at the second chicane after a lap-long battle with the Williams.

Lap 51

Alonso had to skip the first chicane after coming up behind de la Rosa. He recovered to the track with no damage done.

Two laps left and we are still waiting for Vettel to pit.

Lap 52

Vettel will pit on the last lap. He has a gap of 22.1 seconds over Rosberg. Webber is now closing on the Mercedes of Rosberg too, it'll be very close on the last lap.

Vettel pits and locks just ahead of the pit lane speed limiter. He comes out ahead of Rosberg and should finish fourth.

Lap 53

Alonso wins in Monza for Ferrari. The crowd goes wild and Button crosses the line in second ahead of Massa.

Vettel is fourth, Rosberg fifth, Webber sixth, Hulkenberg seventh, Kubica eighth, Schumacher ninth and Barrichello gets the last point in tenth.

Buemi ended up finishing ahead of Liuzzi but both were out of the points.

Alonso parks up beside the pit building and damage on his nose is visible from that first corner clash with Button. That would have cost Button for the whole race as he lost a big part of the undertray of his car.

Domenicali is ready to congratulate his two drivers on the podium.

Alonso climbs up on the podium that sticks out over the pit lane at Monza, to hear the Spanish national anthem.