• The Final Stint - Italian Grand Prix

Rosberg cracked under the pressure

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Another race, another chapter in this season's fascinating title battle. Lewis Hamilton's victory in Italy was less dramatic than Nico Rosberg's second place in Belgium but seems equally crucial in the context of the championship. Hamilton was faultless from the get-go in Italy and, once he had recovered from a starting issue off the line, turned in a superb drive to win, one so dominant it forced Rosberg into a crucial mistake on lap 29. Rosberg admitted he was happy to limit the damage to just seven points in the title fight but the moment - wrongly interpreted by a rather misguided minority as somehow orchestrated from the Mercedes pit wall - could well be another pivotal moment in the 2014 season.

Rosberg's error forced by Hamilton, not Mercedes

Put yourself in Nico Rosberg's racing boots on the run down to the Variante del Rettifilo on lap 29. On the previous lap your team-mate Lewis Hamilton took 0.5s out of your lead in the middle sector alone. You know the guy is on a mission, he's already fought his way back from fourth place after a bad start and still has a serious point to prove after what happened two weeks ago in Spa. However, if you keep ahead of him it will bring you a significant step closer to the championship you've craved for since you were a boy, and possibly deal a killer blow to Hamilton's psyche. On the pit straight your Mercedes is maxing out at 331km/h (without a car in front and the benefit of DRS, Rosberg was the second slowest car through the speed trap on Sunday) but Hamilton is closing in your mirrors and going roughly 25km/h quicker.

It's a speed differential that could make a passing move possible on the next lap … you have to act. Turn 1 is fast approaching but it has been tricky all weekend - even more so at this stage of the race after the pit wall told you to move the brake bias forwards to protect the skinny rear brakes and lift and coast to save fuel (once again you've used nearly a kilo more than Hamilton at this point of the race). Time to pick a braking point; make it late but don't forget to manage the … 'SCREECH!' The front right locks, you have to quickly come off the brakes or risk a flat spot that could ruin your tyre and force another pit stop. Too late to make the apex now, it's behind you … but unfortunately Hamilton is not. The fight is over before it began. The only thing that could make this worse is if people are stupid enough to suggest you did it on purpose…LE

Hamilton thrives on controversy

The Mercedes drivers were in contrasting moods on Thursday © Getty Images

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The contrast in the demeanour of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton was the most telling part of the Thursday press conference at Monza. Rosberg looked agitated and awkward at the questions about Spa and the U-Turn he had made to accept responsibility for the events of Spa, which he half-convincingly argued had been his own decision. By comparison, sat the other side of an amused Fernando Alonso was Hamilton, smiling and relaxed despite his 29-point deficit in the championship. Earlier this year Hamilton said he did not play mind games but the 2008 world champion has been masterful in this department recently. When both were asked if Toto Wolff's warning about further consequences about another collision this season would be "ringing in the ears", Hamilton said: "It won't be ringing in my ears" [our italics]. Maybe it was ringing in Rosberg's as Hamilton closed down on him on the run down to Retiffilo.

The demeanour continued throughout the weekend, and Hamilton was frighteningly fast compared to Rosberg in qualifying - partly down to the greater speed he was able to carry into corners such as the Lesmos compared to his team-mate. Hamilton has managed to shift all the attention onto his team-mate this season and, whether his post-race comments in Spa which stirred the controversy further were calculated or not, Rosberg has gone from being cool and consistent to being booed and making crucial mistakes in just two short race weekends. For a character like Rosberg that has to have had an impact on his confidence. By contrast, Hamilton has always been a Marmite figure in F1 since his debut in 2007 - there's very little middle ground with the Englishman, he's loved or he's hated in equal measure, and he thrives on it. Hamilton cracked in Monaco and spent several races recovering. Rosberg goes not have that luxury at this stage of the season despite his championship lead.NS

Hold the final curtain

Every theatre needs its showman, Monza has Luca di Montezemolo. However, this year his annual pilgrimage to join the Scuderia for qualifying day at the Italian Grand Prix had added drama. He arrived in the paddock to be met by questions about his future, with media - stacked 10 cameras deep outside the Ferrari motor home - clamouring to hear the president speak. The Italian press is convinced he will stand down soon, possibly to become chairman of Alitalia, with FIAT boss Sergio Machionne ready to take over the reins at Ferrari. All the story needed was a nod and a wink from Montezemolo in Monza, but instead it got a firm rebuttal. After a visit to the pit wall to wave at the Tifosi, he talked of a three year commitment to Ferrari and this year's plans for both the road car division and the F1 team. It was not the rhetoric of a man looking to move on, but possibly that of a man wanting to cling on. The question does not seem to be whether Montezemolo wants to jump, but whether he may be pushed.LE

McLaren's solution closer to home

Romain Grosjean said on Thursday in Monza that Fernando Alonso holds the key to the 2015 driver market, referencing the supposed interest in the Spaniard from McLaren. Sebastian Vettel is also believed to have been sounded out by the Woking outfit as it looks to enter its new Honda partnership with at least one 'big name' driver. On Saturday and Sunday McLaren had reminders it has budding star drivers on its books already. The first of these is Stoffel Vandoorne, who took victory in the opening GP2 race of the Monza weekend. The Belgian went through a downturn in form after winning his debut race of the series but has bounced back in style - in the last 11 races, he has two wins and five podiums to his name. McLaren is unlikely to rush on a decision on Vandoorne, with Eric Boullier admitting another season to go for the GP2 title could be a possibility, but his weekend win was a huge statement with Ron Dennis in the paddock.

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The following day, McLaren's other young gun impressed once again. His frankly heroic effort (albeit one spoiled by a late penalty) at Spa against Fernando Alonso, the man widely considered the most complete driver in the sport, proved Kevin Magnussen has the ability to race against the best. He was at it at Monza, starting brilliantly to briefly occupy second before refusing to lie down against Valtteri Bottas - even forcing the Finn to abort a passing move over the kerbs at Rettifilo. The punishment which followed was slightly outrageous, and it's fair to say what Magnussen did to Bottas was less extreme than what Rosberg did to Hamilton in Spa, a move which went unpunished by the stewards. Magnussen was well within his rights to defend his position and in doing so proved he has the same confidence to go wheel-to-wheel with anyone as Daniel Ricciardo, the man stealing all the plaudits this year.

Meanwhile Jenson Button, who had been brilliantly out-qualified by Magnussen in the closing seconds of Q3, failed on numerous occasions to get past Sergio Perez - a man who McLaren binned in favour of Magnussen last year and who also did a wonderful job in Italy. Button may hold on to his seat by virtue of McLaren failing to sign a bigger name but the 2009 world champion is looking increasingly vulnerable.NS

2015 looking clearer

It's a Monza tradition for the early drafts of next season's calendar to be leaked to the media. There are several stages for the drafts to go through before they become reality, so a lot can still change. Early indications suggest a similarly-structured first half of the year up until the summer break, with the season kicking off in Australia on March 15. New venue Mexico will pair up with the USA as a double header before a two week break until Brazil on November 15. Most versions of the calendar show the season finale taking place in Abu Dhabi on November 29, meaning even less downtime over the winter for teams, drivers and the rest of the F1 circus. A meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Beijing on Friday should produce a provisional calendar, with further changes or confirmation expected in December.LE

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