Italian GP Race: Alonso as the Winner – Monza Red with Joy

This Italian Grand Prix has just ended, and as the physiotherapists attend to the tired drivers after a demanding race on a narrow, very fast, and dangerous track, one team can boast of being back in the game: Ferrari. Certainly, the Scuderia has major issues with its engines, certainly the car is not the best on the grid, certainly the FIA has been lenient after a criticized attitude during the German GP, but today all that matters for the tifosi is the victory of a car with the prancing horse. No matter the rest of the championship because until the next race in Singapore, the Ferraris have made the Italian people dream.

The ‘Monza’ specifications prepared specifically for this GP are also important elements in the final result, beyond the talent of Alonso and Massa.

This is how Fernando Alonso took the first step in his personal challenge: Returning to the fight for the title. He claimed victory ahead of Jenson Button and his teammate Felipe Massa.

It should be noted that this result is even better than expected for Alonso since the former championship leader, Lewis Hamilton, damaged his McLaren in the first lap. A collision with Massa forced him to stop his car due to a broken steering rod. Mark Webber, the other championship contender, finished only in sixth place, allowing his young teammate, Sebastian Vettel, to finish fourth.

At the lights out, Button got the best start, pulling alongside pole-man Alonso who was already trying to squeeze him, surprised by the speed of the McLaren. The reigning world champion held off the attacks of the spirited Spaniard until Rettifilio, but couldn’t do anything when Alonso, positioned behind him, hit his rear diffuser, tearing off a deflector of the blown exhaust flow distribution. This maneuver didn’t prevent the British driver from quickly taking the lead in the race. In the pile-up of single-seaters in the first lap, Hamilton and Massa battled until the Roggia chicane. Massa emerged victorious by choosing an outside line, while the McLaren driver saw his right front wheel trampled by a prancing horse… Hamilton let his car roll to a stop in the Lesmo gravel. The English prodigy admitted his mistake after the race: “Clearly, it’s a mistake on my part, it can happen when you’re racing and pushing hard… I tried to position the car a certain way but I was too close to Massa, he hit my wheel and damaged the car. I couldn’t do anything.” In his misfortune, Hamilton can take solace in seeing Webber finish ‘only’ sixth. However, this retirement sounds like a warning for Lewis who acknowledges it as follows: “It’s not over, but there are days like this and mistakes like today, which mean you lose world championships… I have only myself to blame.”

In the leading pack, Button, the leader, is the first to change tires on the 35th lap. Alonso stays out one more lap before also proceeding with the tire change. It was this decision that allowed Alonso to gain an advantage over Button. The Spaniard exited the pits and approached the chicane at the end of the straight with the nose of the McLaren level with his side pods. It was once again at the Rettifilio that everything was to play for; despite having colder tires, Alonso held his ground against Button and regained his top speed to race towards victory. Once alone at the front, the Ferrari showed its full potential, with Alonso pulling away and leaving Button caught in a typically Italian sandwich with Massa on his trail.

Third victory of the year for Fernando Alonso, far from any team orders and other cheating.

Fourth in the race, Vettel surprised everyone—no accidents or mistakes. Indeed, at the beginning, he seemed off the pace, after reporting engine problems over the radio (losing more than 2 seconds to his opponents), allowing Webber to overtake him, among others. It wasn’t an engine problem, just a setup issue. Then, reinvigorated and thanks to a bold strategy with just one pit stop, made in the last lap of the race, Vettel beat Rosberg to secure this fourth place.

Webber had to fight hard to take the sixth place because the young Hülkenberg held his ground. Pushed to his limits, he made several mistakes, going straight through some chicanes multiple times, preventing the Australian from passing. The latter, annoyed, still managed to overtake the Williams with only three laps remaining. Hülkenberg can be satisfied with his race as he finishes seventh after outpacing Kubica at the pit exit. The Polish driver finishes eighth.

Where are the veterans in this top 10? Fortunately, it’s an old pair, well known to the tifosi, who close the ranks with Michael Schumacher in ninth and Rubens Barrichello in tenth.

Tonio Liuzzi, also racing at home, recovered well from his disastrous qualifying and finished twelfth after leading the chase behind Sébastien Buemi (11th). For his teammate at Force India, Adrian Sutil, it was a weekend marked by anonymity with a disappointing sixteenth place.

In the championship of the new teams, it’s Timo Glock who wins with the seventeenth place, narrowly ahead of Heikki Kovalainen (18th).

For another local, Jarno Trulli, this race has a bitter taste, that of the smoke from his gearbox, which gave up on him in the 47th lap, while he was leading the pack among the drivers of the new teams.

Alonso wins the first part of his bet, wanting to be champion with Ferrari, he knows he must have a flawless run until the end of the season. The upcoming circuits all have an exotic flavor and seem to suit the specifics of the Red Bull better. If only everything were written in F1…. Fortunately, these great drivers who defy the dangers of this high-tech sport prove to us at each GP that the passion for this sport does not die, and as the end of the season approaches, the excitement gradually mounts. Every point counts and the final battle makes us salivate in advance, bring on Singapore….

Italian Grand Prix

Autodromo di Monza, Italy

53 laps. 306,720 km

Weather: Sunny.

Ranking:

Abandons: