Race

Hello and welcome to ESPNF1's coverage of the Italian Grand Prix from Monza.

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<2:02: The cars form up back on the grid.... Moments away from the start now!

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2:00: The cars depart on the formation lap and every car gets away nicely.

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1:58: You can't win a race at the first corner. But you can lose it! That will surely be going through the minds of both Mercedes drivers.

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1:56: Ricciardo's pre-race tweet. Amusing stuff from the man who calls himself the Honey Badger.

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1:55: Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Sutil, Gutierrez, Grosjean and Ericsson all starting on the hard compound. The rest start on mediums.

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1:51: Worth remembering Ericsson starts from the pit lane after ignoring yellow flags in FP3 yesterday morning. As he qualified last on the grid anyway the stewards could only relegate him to the pits. Any further back and he'd be starting from Switzerland.

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1:50: You can change something like a front wing in parc ferme as long as the configuration is identical. Paddy Lowe confirms to Sky Sports there's nothing wrong with Mercedes making a change at this stage.

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1:49: Hamilton having a front nose change on the grid.... Apparently the old one picked up some damage as the mechanics wheeled the car to the grid. Cue conspiracy theory madness.

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1:48:

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1:47: Stefano Domenicali is on the grid today, his first appearance since his resignation in April.

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1:45: Anthem-time on the grid. The tifosi in good voice despite Ferrari's low positions.

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1:44: Strategy-wise, Pirelli confirming yesterday a one-stop is the optimum if it remains dry. It said: "The most likely winning strategy will be to start on the medium tyre and then switch to the hard on lap 23."

Some could risk a longer stint on the mediums but risk traffic, while we might even see some earlier stops if we have a hotter track temperature than expected. Only a few tenths to choose from between the medium and hard compounds from the weekend so far.

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1:43: Too true, Neil.

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1:41: Not a huge amount for the tifosi to cheer about today, after Ferrari's worst qualifying performance at Monza since 1997. Alonso dragged the car to seventh, which he confessed was the absolute maximum and claimed he posted four identical lap times. A mistake from Raikkonen means he's up against it this afternoon, starting 11th after moving forward one position the grid due to Kvyat's engine penalty.

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1:37: When they have started off the front row this season, Hamilton has led Rosberg into the first corner of four of the five occasions. It was a supreme lap from Hamilton yesterday but he said on the drivers' parade, it will all be for nothing if he cannot convert it into a victory today.

Given the events of Spa the first corner here is going to be absolutely fascinating.

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1:33: The biggest story this morning is the announcement from Williams that it is retaining Bottas and Massa for 2015. That's looking like an increasingly strong driver line-up after this season, especially Bottas.

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1:32: Yes indeed, Jolyon Palmer has one hand on the GP2 title after his heroics this weekend. Incidentally, he was one of the drivers who seemed most bemused about Max Verstappen's early elevation to Formula One.

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1:29: Williams has a really great chance this afternoon, especially if something happens out in front. Bottas has been superb all season and is perhaps the most deserving race winner behind the three victors we've had in 2014.

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1.25: Few names are as evocative in Formula One as Monza. We have all the ingredients for a classic this afternoon - warring title rival team-mates on the front row, with a pair of quick Williams' behind waiting to pace in case we have a repeat of the collision at Spa.

Lap 1

Hamilton has a terrible start and drops down to fourth, Rosberg leads into the first corner! That's one way to avoid contact between drivers, I guess....

Looks like Hamilton twitched before the lights went out and then hesitated, possibly to avoid a jump start penalty.

Lap 2

Hamilton tells Mercedes he's having energy recovery problems in his Mercedes. Disastrous start for the Brit.

Hamilton frantic in his cockpit - trying to recover his energy recovery system. Championship-defining laps here.

Magnussen, meanwhile, had an incredible start and jumped up to second! Bottas has dropped down to 11th.

Lap 3

Rosberg sets a fastest lap, a 1:29.940. It's surely going to be plain sailing for him out in front.

Massa right up behind Magnussen but not close enough, Hamilton waiting patiently behind but will be lacking horsepower if he's not harvesting any power. DRS now enabled.

Lap 4

Another fastest lap from Rosberg who now leads by 2.8 seconds. Hamilton behind Magnussen and Massa and appearing to get faster. Gutierrez sweeps past Kvyat coming into the first corner for 16th.

Seeing a replay of the start, looks like Hamilton was completely down on power compared to Rosberg. Once again the Brit is going to have to do things the hard way this afternoon. You can hear his lack of power off the line as well.

Lap 5

Massa has a big lock up coming into the first chicane as he looks on the outside of Magnussen but can't find a way through, but he does into the Roggia quite comfortably. Hamilton gets a good exit from that chicane and drives down the inside of Magnussen into the first Lesmos.

Hamilton seemingly over those early issues now.

Lap 6

Another fastest lap for Rosberg, now a 1:29.711.

Bottas takes Hulkenberg for tenth as he starts recovering from his woeful start. Hamilton now flying and matching the times Rosberg is doing out in front.

Mercedes confirms Hamilton's race start mode did not work properly, which was a software glitch.

We have a Marussia in the gravel, its Chilton on the exit of the Roggia chicane. Yellows out...

Looks like he just hit a kerb and beached himself in the gravel.

Lap 7

Massa now does a fastest lap, a 1:29.49.. The gap to Rosberg out in front is now 3.8s.

Hulkenberg going well on those hard tyres early on, keep an eye on him later on as he'll be on an opposite strategy to the rest of the field.

Mercedes confirms Hamilton now has his ERS up and running. Six laps later than he would have wanted, mind....

Lap 8

Hamilton half a second quicker than Rosberg in that last lap. He's just half a second behind Massa but we saw how difficult he found it to pass a Williams in Germany when he was stuck behind Bottas.

Lap 9

Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:29.499 and Rosberg goes straight on over the first chicane! He doesn't lose the race lead nor much time, but a bit of an unforced error from the championship leader.

Bottas is now past Raikkonen for ninth. Massa, meanwhile in a superb position.

He's lost 1.7s to Massa there, big moment.

Lap 10

Lovely from Hamilton, taking the outside line into the chicane and passing Massa on the inside. Wonderful stuff and now he is two seconds down on Rosberg.

Massa didn't seem to put up a massive fight, suggesting Williams had told him not to put up a fight at this stage.

Lap 11

"Looks like you locked front and rears at the same time," Mike Ross tells Rosberg about his earlier run across the chicane. Hamilton now sets another fastest lap, a 1:29.306.

Lap 12

Rosberg responds with a fastest lap of his own, a 1:29.173, going green in all three sectors.

Magnussen has dropped six seconds behind Massa now and has Vettel reeling him in, that gap down to seven tenths. Button the next car back, six tenths behind the world champion.

Bianchi and Grosjean nearly come to blows as the Lotus tries to pass him down the inside in the first chicane.

Lap 13

This is wonderful stuff from the Mercedes drivers as Hamilton now takes a fastest lap, a 1:29.155. They are trading laps here and this is the sort of thing we were denied seeing in Belgium.

Lap 14

Hamilton sets another fastest lap, now 1:29.128, to narrow the gap to 1.9s. Bottas dives down the inside of Perez for eighth and now has Alonso in his sights.

Bottas now coming up to the Vettel/Button/Alonso duel.

Lap 15

Another fastest lap for Hamilton, lowering the mark again to a 1:28.948. He's going faster and faster. The gap now down to 1.5s.

Massa warned not to touch the throttle and brakes together in Turn 5.

Rosberg says: "Don't tell me the gap" to Mercedes. He can probably see it quite easily.

Lap 16

Bottas uses his superior power into the chicane and drives past Alonso for P7. One car down and there's three more in close quarters up in front, Magnussen, Vettel and Button all up next for the Finn.

Lap 17

Rosberg goes his personal best lap of 1:29.094, just 0.003s quicker than Hamilton. Remarkable.

There is about four seconds covering Magnussen and Perez, fourth to ninth.

Ricciardo having an uncharacteristically quiet afternoon. Once again he had a slow start, something he's struggled with a few times this year.

Lap 18

Rosberg now lapping slightly quicker than Hamilton but the gap consistently around the 1.5s mark.

Bottas now jumps to sixth with an easy move on Button, he had everything - power, the slipstream, lower drag. Vettel next up the road for Bottas.

Hamilton told he's now picking up a tow, meaning he's slower in the corners but faster in the straights.

Lap 19

Hamilton now 1.3s behind Rosberg.

Vettel the first man to pit this race, much, much earlier than we thought we would see anyone come in. He'll have an almighty stint on that hard tyre now. Looks like he had a big lock up coming into the pits, has he possibly picked himself up a penalty for speeding in there?

Lap 20

Hamilton edging closer to Rosberg but still not in DRS range. Rosberg told all drivers are struggling with tyre deg like he is.

Hulkenberg pits for Force India - despite being on the hard tyre. Perez comes in too but Hulkenberg we expected to stay out for much longer than this, and now will be on the medium tyre for a long time or consider a two stop.

Lap 21

Bottas makes light work of Magnussen, who dives to the right of the track but is powerless to prevent the Williams passing. Up into fourth now.

Raikkonen pits for hard tyres.

Lap 22

Magnussen and Alonso pits as Rosberg pulls the gap to 1.4s out in front.

Barely any difference between Magnussen and Alonso's pits and the McLaren driver emerges in front. They have come out behind Vettel, who has undercut Magnussen! But can the world champion possibly go to the end of the race on the hard tyre? I'm sure the majority will try too as it's the much faster strategy.

Lap 23

Rosberg told he has two more timed laps, presumably until his pit stop.

Button pits, and the McLaren has lost out - he's even fallen behind Perez, as well as Magnussen and Alonso, which is good for 11th.

Maldonado has an off at the second Lesmo corner but he's carried on.

Lap 24

Massa pits from third and rejoins behind Ricciardo, who is yet to pit. That's a set of hard tyres for Massa.

Hamilton told "it's Hammertime" now. Last lap 1:20.083 so let's see what a hammer time lap relates to, unless it means a pit stop - though Rosberg holds the lead on track.

Lap 25

Rosberg pits from the lead, meaning Hamilton's hammer time lap will be his in lap.

Rosberg's pit stop 2.8 seconds and he spent 24 seconds in the pit lane, all crucial seconds and now we wait to see how quick Hamilton can get around.

Bottas also pits and will he retain that position ahead of the train of the cars he passed and he is passed by Vettel and Magnussen into the first chicane and then Perez takes Bottas around Curva Grande! Bottas has to do it all again now.

Lap 26

Hamilton pits but Rosberg has set a fastest middle sector.

Hamilton's pit stop one tenth faster than Rosberg. Hamilton emerges just behind Rosberg, probably the same gap from before the pit stop. Those tyres should be good for the end of the race for both Mercedes drivers.

Bottas powers down the inside of Perez into the first chicane to move up to eighth place.

Lap 27

Ricciardo now pits from fourth. Herejoins in 11th behind Alonso.

Rosberg warned he needs to look after his fuel. Hamilton told "the race will be at the end" so is advised to sit in Rosberg's tow and save himself for the end. Not sure Hamilton is an expert in patience but there you go...

Lap 28

Hamilton then sets the fastest lap of the race! That's a 1:28.330, he's 1.3s off Rosberg. Peter Bonnington his race engineer suggested he hangs around two seconds back so let's see if Hamilton is in a listening mood at the moment.

In fact, Hamilton is now right in the DRS range after gaining five tenths on Rosberg through the middle sector...

Lap 29

Rosberg runs deep at the first chicane and Hamilton now leads! Disaster for Rosberg and these Mercedes drivers don't seem to want to have to actually pass one another. Hamilton puts Rosberg under pressure against the instructions of his team and his team-mate cracks.

Alonso has retired at the first chicane! He's just pulled off in front of the tifosi and his race is over.

Lap 30

Hamilton's lead now over two seconds, and now Rosberg is told he needs to save fuel and tyres to attack at the end of the race. That's two unforced errors from the German in this race so far but is he holding something back - the last graphic we saw showed Rosberg has used more fuel than Hamilton so far.

Lap 31

Bottas has a look around the outside of Magnussen but has to bail out across the bumps in the first chicane, not through the weaves that Rosberg went through though. He holds on for sixth with Perez lurking. Another example of good defensive driving from Magnussen, like we saw in Belgium. The kid is a fighter.

Lap 32

Hamilton's lead now three seconds.

Bottas has another look but doesn't get close enough to Magnussen into Turn 1, while behind him Perez holds off former team-mate Button with an impressive bit of defensive driving which he repeats into the Roggia to keep the 2009 world champion at bay.

Behind this scrap, Ricciardo is closing down Raikkonen in ninth.

Alonso trudges down the pits after his first retirement since Malaysia 2013.

Lap 33

Bottas really scrapping with Magnussen now but the Dane is not relenting, driving well through the second chicane to keep the faster Williams at bay.

Perez told: "Just keep it clean, Checo. Jenson wasn't as quick last time around. We hope to give you the fuel performance back soon." so maybe he's saving fuel as well.

Lap 34

Alonso waves to the crowd to big cheers from the tifosi opposite the pits. Those cheers don't last too long as Ricciardo sweeps past Raikkonen for ninth with a lovely move down the inside through the first chicane.

Lap 35

Stewards are investigating Magnussen and Bottas for the incident where the McLaren driver forced Bottas across the kerbs at the Rettifilo. Seeing a replay of it again Bottas had got slightly ahead and Magnussen left him a small amount of space, but there's not a great deal of space around there. Will be an interesting one, not sure what else Magnussen could have done without going off into the gravel on the outside of the chicane.

Ricciardo now closing up on the back of this big train of cars.

Lap 36

Hamilton now leads by 4.3 seconds. He's still used around a kg less of fuel than Rosberg, too. Amazing how fuel efficient such an aggressive driver can be, to be honest.

Perez told "I can't say enough how good a job you're doing" but it sounds like he's still saving fuel. Bottas now all over the back of Magnussen again.

Lap 37

Bottas sweeps by on the outside coming down the straight and Magnussen, perhaps knowing he has a potential penalty hanging over his head, doesn't put up a fight this time. He's made another great statement in this race, though.

Lap 38

Magnussen receives a five-second stop/go penalty. That will destroy his race with such a long pit lane here, especially as it's unlikely he planned another stop. Really penalty for Magnussen but he did force Bottas wide, but then that's how you defend a position. Harsh.

Lap 39

Button makes light work of Perez and pulls ahead under braking for the first chicane. Looks like Perez had been holding him up quite a lot but he comes back at Button at the Roggia but he's forced over the bumps! Button runs wide and they are wheel-to-wheel at the Lesmos and the Force India driver holds on to reclaim the position! He may well have to give that back though after going across the wide.

After all that, Ricciardo is now right up behind Button's gearbox. More excellent wheel-to-wheel racing from this supposedly boring sport.

Lap 40

Bottas picks off Vettel coming into the first corner while behind, Ricciardo leaps down the inside of Button to claim that position. His tyres are much fresher than the guys in front of him and now he's got Perez just a little further up the road.

Ricciardo really good at making those big moves stick.

"Did you see what he did to me!?" "I did, but that was brilliant!" - That's the interaction between Perez and his race engineer after that bit of driving from the Roggia through the Lesmos. Button complaining Perez cut the chicane.

Lap 41

Ricciardo tries another dive down the inside on Perez but has to hit the brakes to avoid contact. He weaves one way and then the other down the Curva Grande and dispatches Perez easily! Wonderful stuff and now Magnussen is up next.

Lap 42

The lead out in front still 4.3 seconds. Unless Rosberg has more in reserve than Hamilton - which he didn't earlier - this is the Brit's to lose.

Button passes Perez again into the first chicane but Perez has not given up the position and again tries it around the outside but Button holds on. Button gets an awful exit out of the chicane though and passes him again into the first Lesmo! This is excellent stuff from Perez and Vijay Mallya has a big, wide smile on his face on the Force India pit wall.

Lap 43

Button struggling to get past the man his team fired last year, while his own seat for 2015 is uncertain. I would suggest these are some important laps for Button now.

Lap 44

Correction from earlier. Magnussen doesn't need to serve his penalty in the pits, he will have time taken off his race time. Ricciardo gives him even more to think about as he dives down the inside of him at the first chicane. Next up? Vettel. This one will be interesting but Ricciardo is absolutely flying.

Lap 45

Hamilton has still used a kg less of fuel than Rosberg with eight laps left then. The gap now 4.5s and Hamilton clearly has something in reserve if he comes under attack from his team-mate.

Lap 46

Rosberg does a personal best now, but only two tenths quicker than Hamilton's most recent lap.

Ricciardo told he's eight tenths quicker than Vettel, and his race engineer signs off - "Let's get him". Big finish in store for the Red Bull drivers.

Lap 47

Magnussen only just told about his penalty but is told he needs good race pace to limit the damage to the cars behind. There's only five tenths between Vettel and Ricciardo but the Australian's tyres are seven laps younger. Ricciardo goes down the inside but has to pull out as Vettel holds firm.

Ricciardo pulls alongside him at Curva Grande and then ducks behind him and on the inside for Curva Grande. Superb driving from Ricciardo out there, what a class act.

Lap 48

Ricciardo told he needs to make his tyres last until the end of the race, Bottas is a bit too far down the road so I think Red Bull will be happy to settle for fifth giving where and how he started.

Lap 49

Give laps left and Hamilton 4.5s ahead of Rosberg.

Button has dropped seven tenths behind Perez but perhaps he's saving for one last hurrah in the final laps. Vettel is now coming under pressure from Magnussen, worth remembering Vettel was the first man to stop so his tyres must be absolutely shot out there.

Lap 50

Looks like the Mercedes drivers will be finishing in their current order unless something major happens, as we see a replay of Hamilton locking up into the first corner.

Still a big queue of cars behind Vettel.

I have barely mentioned him since the start but Massa on the verge of his first podium since Spain last year. Great drive from here and important for him to beat Bottas given how the last few races have gone.

Lap 51

Gutierrez is limping around the field with a puncture, he'll get it back to the pits.

Perez is now dinking around the track behind Magnussen. He's had a great race as well. I usually do the driver of the day after every race and there are several candidates - Ricciardo and Perez both superb this afternoon.

Lap 52

Perez now having to look in his mirrors to fend off Button through the Parabolica. Looks like his front brakes are pretty cooked at the moment.

Kvyat goes straight on at the first chicane but somehow doesn't collect the cars in front of him or the barriers! He gets it back on the track but that was a scary moment for the Toro Rosso driver with Raikkonen just in front of him.

Lap 53

Hamilton has started his final lap, three seconds clear of Rosberg.

Kvyat misses the second chicane as well and there's brake dust coming out of Perez's Force India so he may have a similar problem to the Toro Rosso.

But it's all about what's happening at the other side of the circuit as Hamilton rounds the Parabolica as he takes his second career Italian Grand Prix victory after a superb recovery driver and Mercedes achieves another one-two.

Massa pumps his first as he crosses the line to return to the podium.

"Nice work mate get in there. Beautifully recovered." Bonnington tells Hamilton, who pumps his first as he returns to parc ferme.

There was no handskake after qualifying and Rosberg not hanging around to congratulate his team-mate, who clambers out of his car and gives the team a thumbs up.

The crowd is streaming across the track and fair play to the tifosi, they are still dragging the big Ferrari flag to the grid with them. Hamilton arrives to be weighed to applause from the glamorous grid girls, followed by a grinning Massa. Rosberg and Massa then start talking Italian to each other, while Hamilton goes in search of a Pirelli cap for the podium.

Massa gets a rousing ovation as he walks across the gangway to the podium.

Rosberg and Hamilton doing a good job of ignoring each other. Hamilton talking to Massa about his first podium in a year. No boos this time and Rosberg is smiling, which is good to see. Hamilton takes his place at the top of the podium for the British national anthem.