Italy – Race: Hamilton puts on a show in Monza!

The sun and the fervor of the tifosi flood the starting grid of the thirteenth Grand Prix of the 2012 Formula 1 season, in Monza. At the front, the two McLarens will be eager to confirm their excellent qualification by locking in the top two positions, while further back, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso will try to gain as many positions as possible. The hot conditions might favor Kimi Räikkönen’s Lotus. All these questions will be answered in the mid-afternoon when the checkered flag falls as the first man crosses the finish line after 53 laps of the Lombard circuit.

At the start, everything goes well at the first chicane. Massa gains an advantage over Button due to a better start. The Brazilian brakes late to position himself alongside the poleman, but Hamilton, on the inside, takes the lead. Behind Button, in third, Schumacher has maintained his fourth place, but Vettel is now fifth. Alonso has already gained two places, before overtaking Kobayashi and then Räikkönen at the beginning of the second lap. The Spaniard is behind his championship rival, Vettel. The reigning double world champion overtakes Schumacher at the first chicane in the fourth lap. The Mercedes driver will now have to fight against Alonso. After five laps, Hamilton is two seconds ahead of Massa.

In the seventh lap, Alonso overtakes Schumacher on the straight and takes fifth place. Di Resta, tenth, is attacked by Senna, but the Scot squeezes him. The Brazilian is forced to go straight and falls behind the Force India driver as well as Webber, who was behind him. The top 10, at the start of the tenth lap, consists of Hamilton, Massa, Button, Vettel, Alonso, Schumacher, Räikkönen, Pérez, Kobayashi, and Di Resta. Vergne experiences a braking problem at the first chicane: the Frenchman makes an instant mistake, takes off on the curbs, and comes to a stop on the grass. He exits his car unharmed but complains about his back. Di Resta is overtaken by Webber for the tenth position. The Australian, very aggressive, has a small scare at the exit of the second Lesmo, heavily encroaching on the sides.

Around the fifteenth lap, the pit stops begin: Rosberg is the first driver from a leading team to dive into the pits. His teammate, struggling greatly, comes in during the sixteenth lap. Both Mercedes drivers switch from medium (white) tires to hard (silver) tires. Up front, Hamilton has a five-second lead over Massa. Button, for his part, is one second behind the Brazilian. Pérez gains an advantage over Räikkönen and takes the sixth position; the Finn is in the pits, putting on hard tires.

After 19 laps, Button is on Massa’s heels. The McLaren driver manages to outmaneuver Massa just before the second chicane. The 2008 world vice-champion heads to the pits, seemed in trouble, and switches to hard tires. He returns in eleventh position. It’s Vettel and Alonso’s turn to pit, and they almost rejoin side by side, just behind Massa. Jenson Button is in the pits on the 23rd lap, obviously returning on hard tires. Pérez provisionally takes second position. The leader refuels and returns second, behind the Sauber driver.

After 25 laps, Ricciardo gains the upper hand over Senna and thus takes seventh position, but both men need to refuel. They return to the track in 16th and 17th, respectively. Pérez is still in the lead, having yet to refuel. He is ahead of Hamilton, Button, Massa, Vettel, and Alonso. The Spaniard puts pressure on the Red Bull driver: in the Curva Grande, the Ferrari driver attempts to pass on the outside, but with all four wheels on the grass and gravel, he nearly loses control and has to ease off. Alonso complains about Vettel’s defense to his team. An investigation will be conducted on this phase of the race. Meanwhile, Sauber encourages Pérez to stay on track. The Mexican, still on the same set of soft tires since the beginning of the race, is overtaken by Hamilton in the first chicane. Meanwhile, Alonso has managed to get past Vettel.

On the thirtieth lap, Pérez goes through the pits. He rejoins in ninth position. Hamilton therefore takes the lead and sets the fastest time. He is still ahead of Button, Massa, Alonso, and Vettel. The Red Bull driver is penalized for his defensive maneuver deemed too dangerous by the stewards: he receives a drive-through penalty. Another twist at the front as Jenson Button is slowing down on the straight before the Parabolica! He retires: « fuel pump problem » is indicated to him on the radio. Vettel, who has gone through the pits, rejoins behind his teammate in ninth position. The battle for fifth place is fierce, and Pérez takes advantage over Räikkönen.

In the fortieth lap, Alonso overtakes Massa who doesn’t defend. The Spaniard, in second place, can regain valuable points on his main rivals. Pérez, in fourth, catches up with Massa. The Mexican is within DRS range of the Brazilian and outmaneuvers the Ferrari at the entrance of the Parabolica. With less than ten laps to go, the Sauber driver has Alonso’s Ferrari in his sights, just like at the Malaysian Grand Prix earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s pit alerts Webber that Vettel has a problem. A little further back, Schumacher overtakes Kobayashi for ninth place. Pérez is gaining one and a half seconds per lap on the Spaniard. The DRS can be activated, but he doesn’t use it and overtakes Alonso just before Ascari. The Mexican is eleven seconds behind Hamilton with seven laps remaining.

After 48 laps, another twist as Vettel retires as well, on the pit straight. The top 10 with five laps to go is as follows: Hamilton, Pérez, Alonso, Massa, Räikkönen, Schumacher, Webber, Di Resta, Rosberg, and Kobayashi. The end of the race is somewhat chaotic due to different strategies: the two Mercedes are flying on the track and outclass their opponents. Webber makes a mistake at the exit of Ascari and recovers miraculously, but slows down afterward and returns to the pits. Hülkenberg also retires.

At the start of the final lap, Hamilton has less than six seconds ahead of Pérez. The Briton wins in Monza, marking the twentieth victory of his career and the 180th for the McLaren team. Pérez achieves his third podium of the season, confirming his potential. Alonso, meanwhile, has had a very good Grand Prix, a well-oiled team strategy, and a bit of luck to secure a greater lead in the F1 World Championship over his new runner-up, Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Räikkönen is only one point behind the Briton.

2012 Italian Grand Prix Standings: