14:02 The drivers return to the grid. We are ready to go. 14:00 The top ten are on mediums, Hamilton on hards, Raikkonen on hards, and Gutierrez is on hards. The rest on mediums 13:59 Watch out for Raikkonen and Hamilton at the start. They are 11th and 12th on the grid and need to make up some positions as soon as possible to breathe life into their slim championship hopes. Hamilton is on hard tyres. 13:57 Track temp is 29C and rising as the sun comes out. Air temp at 25C. 13:56 It looks like the rain has completely stopped. We might get the odd shower here and there but for the moment it is definitely slick tyre weather. 13:54 Meanwhile, the drivers are being belted in to their cars. Just over five minutes to lights out so time for all the media, VIPs and hangers on to leave the grid to the teams and drivers. 13:52 Bernie Ecclestone is talking to David Hasselhoff on the grid. I would love to know what that conversation is about. 13:50 If it does remain dry we are probably looking at one-stop strategies from most drivers. That should be the quickest strategy, but if you can time the pit stops correctly, three sprints and two stops may work for some drivers. 13:47 Sir Jackie Stewart thinks the race will remain dry from now on. But he warns the drivers of damp patches under the trees at the two Lesmos. 13:46 Felipe Massa arrives on the grid. He will start from fourth, but will it be the last time he lines up on the Monza grid as a Ferrari driver? 13:44 Hulkenberg says it is fully dry for most of the circuit. It seems it's just around the paddock and the exit of Parabolica that is damp. 13:43 But it is definitely greasy and that will make it interesting into the first corner, which is dicey at the best of times. 13:40 Lots of drivers leaving it late to arrive on the grid. Everyone wants to get a feel for the circuit conditions. The rain is now just a fine drizzle and Pirelli's Paul Hembery thinks the drivers will start on slicks. In fact, Webber has just arrived on slicks so clearly the track is not too bad. 13:38 Most drivers have gone to the grid on intermediates. The track isn't soaking but slicks would be a huge gamble at the moment as the rain continues to fall. 13:36 There were some concerns Jenson Button's McLaren might not be ready for the start of the race after a fuel system issue, but he has gone to the grid so hopefully will start from his ninth place grid slot. 13:30 Welcome to ESPN's live commentary of the Italian Grand Prix. The race is just 30 minutes away and, guess what, it's raining. That should make for a thrilling race because these cars are hard enough to drive in the dry with their low drag packages, in the wet its going to be pretty wild. |
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Lap 1 |
Vettel leads Massa into turn one but made a huge lock up under braking. Alonso is all over the back of Webber after being very aggressive off the start. Perez appears to make contact with someone as carbon fibre flies. Di Resta's lost his front wing and his race is over at the second chicane. Raikkonen has front wing damage and pits on the first lap. |
Lap 2 |
Massa is 1.1s off Vettel and the Red Bull is looking quick already. Alonso is all over the back of Webber as Hulkenberg hold fifth from Rosberg. Hamilton is up to tenth with Vergne ahead of him. Button dropped to 11th at the start. |
Lap 3 |
Alonso has a look at Webber but there's not enough space at turn one to make it stick. The Ferrari is on the back of the Red Bull through the Curva Grande. Alonso squeezed to the edge of the track at the second chicane but makes the move stick around the outside. Great move. |
Lap 4 |
Vettel is now 1.8s ahead of Massa. Webber has a look at Alonso into turn one but he's less likely to be able to make a move stick now because that Ferrari is very quick in a straight line. A replay shows that Raikkonen made a good start but then had Perez pull over in front of him and hit the brakes for turn one. Raikkonen locked up and went into the back of the McLaren. I don't think the stewards will look at it but it wasn't Raikkonen's mistake. |
Lap 5 |
A replay of di Resta's crash shows he locked up and went into the car in front. That was his error and now he is out of the race. Raikkonen now the fastest man on the track in clear air at the very back of the field. He is 14.4s off Chilton. However, he says the car doesn't feel right. |
Lap 6 |
Vettel leads Massa by 2.8s now. Alonso is 1.1s back. Webber a further 1.0s off Alonso and appears to have some damage to his front wing. Mercedes cannot hear Hamilton on the radio and ask him to turn it on and off. He's still 10th at the moment. |
Lap 7 |
Vettel continues to extend his lead over Massa. Alonso is now 0.8s off his team-mate, will we see a Ferrari shuffle? The pit wall can hold Massa's 2014 contract over him. Button attacking Hamilton now as the Mercedes gets bottled up behind Vergne's Toro Rosso. This will be very frustarting for Hamilton who believes he has a fast car this weekend. |
Lap 8 |
Alonso passes Massa into turn one. Massa does not put up a fight. Now Alonso has a 4.1s gap to Vettel. Button passes Hamilton easily in the DRS zone ahead of Ascari. Button is on the medium compound and had so much more pace that the Mercedes on hard compounds coming out of Lesmo 2. |
Lap 9 |
Vettel told the team is monitoring right front at all times and it isn't good. I suspect that was from his lock up into turn one. The tyre could be flatspotted. Meanwhile, he is still scampering away from Alonso who is 4.8s off the Red Bull. |
Lap 10 |
Vettel sets another fastest lap. Raikkonen is still quick but has now caught the back of the field. The stewards will investigate di Resta's collision with Grosjean after the race. The Force India could face a penalty for Singapore. |
Lap 11 |
Vettel is now 5.2s ahead of Alonso. Barring any issues with his front right or rain, he is bossing this race. Massa has dropped to 1.3s off Alonso and has Webber 0.7s off. |
Lap 12 |
Raikkonen goes fastest again. He is really shifting at the back of the field but does have fresher tyres. Hamilton has a slow puncture on his front right and is told to pit. That's a disaster after he started on hard tyres with the intention of going long on his first stint. |
Lap 13 |
The gap is looking very big at the front now. A sad scene for the tifosi. Hamilton does not pit this lap. Maybe he has a problem with his radio still. The pit board is out. He's holding position behind Button but needs to pit if he has a slow puncture. |
Lap 14 |
Hamilton pits now. The team puts him on medium compound tyres and an engineer holds a sign out to him. Unfortunately we could only see the back of it, which said Fuel Out. I suspect something else was on the front. Vettel now leads by a clear six seconds. |
Lap 15 |
Radio reset is the message now being put on Hamilton's pit board. Webber has a look at Massa into turn one but cannot make it stick. Massa does not seem to have the pace of the cars around him at the moment with a gap of 2.1s to Alonso. Vergne is out of the race with a plume of smoke from the rear of his Toro Rosso at the second chicane. |
Lap 16 |
Webber still trying to find a way past Massa. He can't make it stick at the moment and may not have the top speed to take on the Ferrari without a much better exit from Parabolica. |
Lap 17 |
Another very impressive performance from Hulkenberg here, who is holding his own in fifth, 2.5s behind Webber and 1.2s ahead of Rosberg. Are you watching Ferrari? Back on Raikkonen-watch and he is past the back markers and up to 15th place. Fellow Finn Bottas is next. |
Lap 18 |
Vettel has his rain light on which usually indicates a change in differential settings to a wet setting. As far as I can tell he is the only one using it. Massa sent a reassuring message that Webber does not have the pace to get by at the moment. But Massa has to keep pushing. Raikkonen sets another fastest lap now he has found clear air. |
Lap 19 |
Vettel continues to lead. He has a 6.6s advantage over Alonso now. Massa a further 3.6s back with Webber 0.6s off him as they cross the line. Hamilton is currently 6.3s off Raikkonen back in 16th. Those two will be wondering what they have done to deserve this. |
Lap 20 |
Perez is closing on Ricciardo but is not close enough to make a move. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg is told to push like hell. Will we see a pit stop soon? Half distance is 6 or 7 laps away so we should be seeing pit stops soon for a one stop and a change to the hard tyres. |
Lap 21 |
Alonso found some time on that last lap and closed the gap to 5.8s. Grosjean pits for hards but it was a slow getaway. Alonso is looking quick at the moment. Only Hamilton and Raikkonen are quicker on newer tyres. |
Lap 22 |
Alonso takes another tenth out of Vettel's lead. But I suspect the Red Bull is pacing itself to get the optimum pit stop. |
Lap 23 |
Button pits and comes out behind Hamilton, who has just set the fastest lap. Ricciardo will pit now. Told to push on his in lap. Perez also pits behind Ricciardo. They exit the pits in the same places with Ricciardo slotting in between Hamilton and Button, but Perez comes out behind Button. |
Lap 24 |
Vettel pits. It's a quick and clean pit stop and needed to be as Webber followed him in and pitted too. Very slick work on both cars from the Red Bull team. Webber comes out just ahead of Raikkonen. A slow motion camera shows Webber has no front wing endplate on the right-hand side. |
Lap 25 |
Massa pits. A 3.3s stop and he heads out again. Hulkenberg also pitted. Massa comes out behind Webber, Red Bull have done a very good job to get him ahead of the Ferrari. Raikkonen is now on the back of Massa, Hulkenberg comes out behind the Lotus with a small lock up into turn one. |
Lap 26 |
Alonso leads the race from Rosberg but neither have pitted yet. Vettel, meanwhile, sets the fastest time of the race. Alonso needs to pit. |
Lap 27 |
Alonso does not pit. It's hard to see why they wouldn't bring him in unless they have a forecast for rain. He is losing time to the likes of Webber at the moment. Rosberg pits from second, which is what we expected him to do. |
Lap 28 |
Now Alonso pits, but staying out for those extra two laps over Vettel made no sense to me. Alonso rejoins in second place, but Webber is now about a second off the back of the Ferrari. Webber is looking quick at the moment and has a gap of 2.2s over Massa already. Raikkonen is matching Massa at the moment in sixth but has been on those tyres since the start of the race and it's likely he will have to pit again. |
Lap 29 |
Hamilton passes Rosberg for seventh into turn one. There wasn't much in it as the went through the left right. However, Hamilton is likely to have to pit again after his early stop for a puncture. |
Lap 30 |
Vettel's lead is now 10.2s over Alonso, so he gained roughly four seconds by pitting earlier than Alonso. Perhaps it's more accurate to say Alonso lost four seconds. Maybe Ferrari was worried about the life expectancy of the hard tyres. |
Lap 31 |
Raikkonen now pits for another set of mediums. Hamilton, meanwhile is the fastest man on the track and attacks Hulkenberg at the second chicane. In reality Hamilton is fighting Raikkonen for the last of the points because he will probably have to pit again. |
Lap 32 |
Vettel continues to lengthen his lead. He is in a class of his own today. Webber 1.2s off Alonso. Hamilton attacks Hulkenberg again in the first chicane, he doesn't pass there but gets a much better exit and passes the Sauber on the inside of the Curva Grande. |
Lap 33 |
Ricciardo has two McLarens stacking up behind him in the battle for eighth place. Button and Perez look quicker but we know that Toro Rosso is very fast on the straights. |
Lap 34 |
Hamilton's times still look good at the moment. It will be interesting to see how long he can go into this race on the mediums after his early swap from hards with a puncture. Raikkonen is back in the thick of it and pushing hard once more. He's 14th at the moment but quicker than the cars around him and on much fresher medium tyres. |
Lap 35 |
Hamilton sets a new fastest lap so there is still life in those Pirelli's yet. He has 3.6s to Massa who is stationed 1.6s off Webber's gearbox. Vettel, meanwhile, is monitoring a comfortable 10.7s lead at the front. |
Lap 36 |
Rosberg was starting to gain on Hulkenberg and was less than a second off across the line, but he locked up into the first chicane and went straight on. Hulkenberg has a bit more breathing space, but that's a battle we should see again before the end of the race. |
Lap 37 |
Vettel is stretching his legs again. 11.3s is the gap now. Hamilton's pit crew is out in the pits but the Mercedes carries straight on down the pit straight. Grosjean has joined the queue behind Ricciardo. The Toro Rosso is 0.6s ahead of Button but has the straight-line speed to keep him behind. For now. |
Lap 38 |
Hamilton sets another fastest lap but is told to box. Radio problems still? Grosjean passes Perez for tenth. Good move into turn one as he caught the McLaren napping a bit. |
Lap 39 |
Alonso now has the Red Bull of Webber looming in his mirrors. 0.8s is the gap. Now Hamilton pits for another set of mediums and comes out behind Raikkonen once more. Those two are in 13th and 14th. |
Lap 40 |
Webber was very close into the Parabolica on that last lap but couldn't turn it into a move at turn one. He's close again into the second chicane and is now well and truly in the DRS zone. He could pull a move on Alonso but it require some bravery as that Ferrari is fast on the straights. |
Lap 41 |
Raikkonen is now only 8.7s off Ricciardo in seventh. So he will fancy some points towards the end of this race. Webber's charge may have hit the skids. He is told to short shift coming out of the second chicane. The first Lesmo follows and that isn't an overtaking point, so maybe they will manage it there and allow him to attack for the rest of the lap. |
Lap 42 |
Webber remains 0.6s off Alonso as they cross the line on the last lap. So he's not completely backed off at this stage. Grosjean is now all over the back of Button who is still stuck behind Ricciardo. He might fancy his chances of making a move stick. Massa is keeping a watching brief of that battle 2.2s off and will be keen to pick up any scraps if Webber lunges into turn one. |
Lap 43 |
Raikkonen is on the move now and passes Gutierrez for 12th down the pit straight. Next up is Sutil 2.4s down the road. Webber reminded to short shift between gears two and three. |
Lap 44 |
Vettel is also told to short shift. He has a 12.1s lead over Alonso. Red Bull did have to change some ratios and dog rings in the higher gears on both cars overnight. They didn't incur a penalty as an FIA seal didn't need to be broken, but the same problem may have emerged now. |
Lap 45 |
Can Alonso smell blood? He narrows the gap to 11.5s. Raikkonen passes Sutil into the Parabolica for 11th. Raikkonen is now fancying his chances of passing Perez 3.3s ahead. Hamilton follows Raikkonen past Sutil too. |
Lap 46 |
Webber told again to short shift between gears two and three to finish the race. He's hanging on to Alonso who is 10.8s off Vettel. Meanwhile, Rosberg is 0.5s off Hulkenberg and will fancy a move soon. |
Lap 47 |
Alonso isn't gaining at a fast enough rate so I think Vettel is just managing the gearbox here and not in real trouble. 10.4s is the gap. Raikkonen is under attack from Hamilton. Raikkonen told not to flatten his KERS battery. He may become a sitting duck for Hamilton if his power boost packs in. |
Lap 48 |
Vettel still monitoring the gap nicely to Alonso. Webber still a concern for the Ferrari driver 0.5s behind. |
Lap 49 |
Hamilton attempts to pass Raikkonen but the Lotus blocks him into turn one and just holds onto the place. They are still gaining on the McLarens in front. Massa is told to push and his engineer believes he can pass Webber. 1.6s is the gap to the Red Bull. Hamilton passes Raikkonen after outfoxing him in the first chicane and getting a better exit to pass around the outside of the Curva Grande. Hamilton up to 11th and is now attacking Perez for a point. |
Lap 50 |
Hamilton passes Perez into turn one and is pushing very hard. Button up next. |
Lap 51 |
Vettel told to protect the fronts under braking as well now. He has a gap of 8.3s to Alonso with three laps remaining. Hamilton takes ninth from Button with ease down the straight. The McLarens' low top speed means they have no answer to the Mercedes. |
Lap 52 |
Vettel's lead drops to 7.8s but Alonso will still be more worried about Webber behind. Massa's charge has waned and he is now 2.1s off Webber. Rosberg remains 0.6s off Hulkenberg in the battle for fifth. |
Lap 53 |
Vettel wins in Monza. Alonso 5.4s back in second. Webber takes third, Massa fourth, Hulkenberg fifth, Rosberg sixth, Ricciardo seventh and Grosjean holds eighth from Hamilton. Button takes the final point in 10th ahead of Raikkonen who fails to score for the second race in a row. A comfortable margin for Vettel in the end but Red Bull look genuinely relieved on the pit wall after a number of issues during the race. The tifosi have a Ferrari driver on the podium, but it's not been a great weekend for Alonso. The tensions at Ferrari will no doubt continue to rise ahead of Singapore. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vettel starts the final lap. Told just to "bring it home. We've got enough issues". Hamilton attacking Grosjean and Ricciardo on this final lap. Hamilton lock up into the second chicane and skips the second apex. He has to give the position back. |
We have the customary track invasion here at Monza. The crowd floods onto the track to gather under the podium. It may have been a Red Bull win, but there are too big Ferrari flags on the pit straight and the chanting is very much for Alonso. The drivers head out onto the podium to cheers from the crowd. We'll leave you now but make sure you keep checking the site for all the news and reaction after the race. That's the end of the European season. Singapore is up next and Vettel heads to the Far East with a 53-point lead. |