It was a full house for the Italian GP, with most of the crowds wearing red &/or Ferrari gear. The Tifosi were definitely showing their support and not just on race day, but all weekend - as they eagerly wanted to see how Vettel and Raikkonen would perform around Monza & also hoped they could produce podium results.
Before the race, there was a touching moment of silence for Justin Wilson, IndyCar & Ex-F1 driver. Wilson passed away recently due to injuries sustained during the Indy race at Pocono. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues during this time.
When the lights went out, most were expecting Raikkonen to jump right past Lewis Hamilton, as the Ferrari driver was starting from 2nd on the grid. However, instead, Raikkonen stalled and nearly the whole rest of the grid swerved to avoid him as they passed his slow-rolling car. He managed to get it going but it was going to be a game of catch-up for the rest of the race.
During laps 1-2, Lotus ended up with a double retirement with both cars out due to accident damage. While neither collided with other cars, it's being said that Maldonado hit a kerb on the escape path, causing damage to his car while Grosjean possibly had contact with a Sauber - However, there was no investigation regarding a collision.
Force India got an impressive start with Perez easily making his way up to P5 with his team-mate, Hulkenberg, close behing in P7. Williams were also enjoying an easy start. Massa was able to get up to P3 after Raikkonen's faulted start. Bottas was right behind him in P4.
As for Mercedes, while Hamilton was leading the race, Rosberg was being warned about his brakes. The team went over the radio to tell him that the temperatures were high and he needed to be cautious. They later told him the situation had improved, but that didn't mean there wasn't another issue. Rosberg was using components from the race in Spa and it was unknown whether or not the engine would be reliable for the whole race.
While there wasn't any unsafe releases this time around, there was plenty of lock-ups from cars as they headed into Pit-Lane, one where Merhi almost ran into the back of Hamilton's car as they both pitted. Luckily, no damage to either car.
By lap 48, it was clear that something had gone wrong as Hamilton got a radio message, telling him to "Execute" and "Don't ask questions" - They also said it would be explained later after the race. Fans were left wondering if there was an engine or brake problem that wasn't being talked about. To make matters worse for Mercedes, Rosberg retired on Lap 51 with the back of his car on fire due to an engine failure.
Fernando Alonso had retired just a few laps before Rosberg, also because of an engine problem and it was just after he and Button had been trying to pass each other.. Suddenly Alonso was not on track, but instead in the pits, his race over and another disappointing day for McLaren-Honda.
Hamilton brought home the win & while the Tifosi were hoping to see Vettel in 1st - The German still finished second and held the trophy high & also held up a huge Ferrari flag on the Podium, thanking the fans in Italian. Felipe Massa finished in 3rd and was also greeted with cheers from the crowds below.
However, it was the drama that happened after the race that caused quite a stir among the spectators. Mercedes were under investigation for a "Tyre breach" - Both drivers left-rear tyres were found to be under the legal minimum pressure. Hamilton's was 0.3 below and Rosberg's was 1.1 below. It was talked about that Hamilton could possibly be disqualified from the race all together and lose his win. However, the FIA stated that no further action would be taken and the race results stand as they were at the end of the race.
Here are the results - The next race will see the teams leave Europe and head to Asia for the Singapore GP. It's a stunning night race on a street circuit & definitely a favourite.
RACE RESULTS:
1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 15 Points
4. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 12 Points
5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia / + 4 Points
9. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / + 2 Points
10. Daniil Kvyat / Red Bull-Renault / Russia / + 1 Point
11. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain /
12. Max Verstappen / Toro Rosso-Renault / Netherlands /
13. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil /
14. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain /
15. Will Stevens / Manor-Ferrari / Great Britain /
16. Roberto Merhi / Manor-Ferrari / Spain /
RETIRED - Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / Engine
RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Engine
RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Mercedes / France / Damage
RETIRED - Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Mercedes / Venezuela / Damage
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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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