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F1 Monza: 1-2 victory for Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes Alonso ahead of Hamilton
The start: For the fourth time this year, Fernando and Lewis started from an all Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
front row. Whilst Fernando accelerated into an immediate lead, Lewis held off charging Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and maintained second place. Following an accident of David Coulthard (Red Bull Renault) on lap
two, the Safety Car was deployed. The race was re-started at the end of lap six.
The race: Fernando and Lewis were in the lead with a gap of about 1.5sec between each other. On lap 15,
Fernando posted the fastest lap of the race with 1min22.871.
At the end of lap 18, Lewis came in for his first pit stop (8.3sec) and resumed in sixth place. Fernando pitted
two laps later (9.1sec) and came back into the race ahead of Lewis.
After the pit stops of Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber/lap 21), Heikki Kovalainen (Renault/lap 21), Robert Kubica
(BMW Sauber/lap 23) and Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari/lap 25), Fernando was back in the lead followed by his team mate.
Lewis came in for his second stop on lap 40 (6.0sec)
and resumed behind Räikkönen. At the beginning of lap 43, Lewis overtook the Finn with a spectacular outbraking manoeuvre entering the first chicane and was second again. At the end of the same lap,
Fernando made his second stop (5.8sec) and maintained his lead in front of Lewis and Räikkönen.
After 53 laps, Fernando took the chequered flag first with 6sec ahead of Lewis. It is the 60th win for
Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1 since 1954.
19th Grand Prix win for Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
"To win at Monza for the first time is very special.
Sometimes everything goes in the right direction; this weekend was one of those times and we were able to keep up the momentum. My start wasn't perfect, and I had to defend my lead coming in to the first corner. In
the second corner I was a bit worried as I thought Lewis and I would touch but fortunately this did not happen. The safety car could have caused us a few problems as it was important for our strategy to open
up a gap as soon as possible. However it was a perfect afternoon today with the car and the team working really well, and to win in front of the enthusiastic Italian Formula 1 fans is very emotional."
Lewis Hamilton
"Obviously I didn't get the best getaway and Felipe managed to shoot past me. I outbraked both him and Fernando into Turn One, and I almost thought I was
going to get past, but then Felipe clipped me and sent me over the second chicane. I was suffering vibrations on my tyres in the first stint, so I opted to pit earlier to
play it safe. Once we knew that Kimi was on a one-stop strategy, it was key to really optimise my second stop. Unfortunately, I came out behind him, but I knew I was
faster on the new tyres, if only for a couple of laps, and so I just took the opportunity when I caught him up. It was really important for me to get that place
back, not only for my position in the Championship, but also for all the team. We had the 1-2 in qualifying yesterday, and to maintain this in the race was the icing on the cake. They have all done a fantastic job."
Ron Dennis
"We always want to win and to have McLaren's first one-two at Monza today is really special. The entire team has done a fantastic job both on and off track in
difficult circumstances, and our dominance this weekend is a just reward for all their efforts. Fernando and Lewis put in excellent performances and controlled the race from the front. Lewis, overtaking manoeuvre
to reclaim second place showed his determination. We now focus on the week ahead and the race at Spa next weekend."
Norbert Haug
"This race was a classic and the right answer on the
race track. Congratulations to Fernando on his great victory. Apart from Friday's first session, he has been fastest throughout the weekend and really deserved
this win. Lewis did a great job, and it was excellent how he first passed Felipe into the first corner and towards the end Kimi after his second pit stop to secure the
fourth 1-2 win for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes since the team's first one this year in Malaysia. The team worked really hard to make this possible, and today's result is the best reward for everybody's efforts during
the last months. Thank you all, together we will keep on pushing."
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Scuderia Ferrari
Kimi Räikkönen, 3rd + 27.3
Felipe Massa Retired Lap 8
McLaren-Mercedes took the one-two victory this weekend in Monza, Italy, with Fernando Alonso taking the top step on the podium
next to his team mate Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Räikkönen finished in third while Felipe Massa retired on lap 8 following a mechanical problem.
Lisa Lilley Shell's Technology Manager for
Ferrari commented after the race: "This weekend in Monza we introduced a new Shell Helix engine oil which we have been developing for Ferrari - it brings a slight power increase whilst continuing to protect
the engine as it performs under the harsh conditions like these seen today. It was of course a disappointing weekend for the team but we can be pleased with the progress made with this new engine oil development
and we look forward to moving onto Spa."
In the FIA Formula One Constructors' World Championship, McLaren-Mercedes holds 166 points, leading Scuderia Ferrari by 23 points.
Lewis Hamilton continues to head up the Drivers' Championship but following his win Alonso now trails him by three points only. Räikkönen stands fifteen points behind Alonso in third place.
Teams immediately travel to Spa, Belgium for the final race of the European season on 16 September.
Selected comments from Scuderia Ferrari after the race:
Jean Todt:
"We are very disappointed at having failed to secure a better result than just this third place for Kimi in our home Grand Prix. Felipe was forced to retire in the early stages
because of a mechanical problem with the rear suspension, the cause of which has yet to be analysed. With Kimi, we ran a different strategy to our rivals but we did not have
enough speed to get ahead of them. Clearly the situation in both championships is now more difficult. We will aim to do our best in the four remaining races, starting next weekend in Spa-Francorchamps."
Felipe Massa:
"I am very disappointed. It's horrible to see your chances go in the early stages because of a reliability problem. There was something not working with the rear suspension:
coming into Ascari I could feel a problem under braking and came into the pits, thinking it might be due to a puncture. However, once the tyres were changed that was still undriveable and I had to retire. We
must tackle the coming races with the same spirit. Here we were competitive and I think that will be the same in the near future. This is very disappointing but these things happen in racing."
Kimi Räikkönen:
"This was definitely a tough race for me because of the pain I felt in my neck after yesterday's accident, which was bad enough to make it hard for me to hold my head
steady under braking. Having said that, today we were not really quick enough. We knew it would not be an easy weekend, as we had already realized that in last week's test, with Friday and yesterday confirming it.
The car was not bad in the first stint but then we were not strong enough. Hamilton's overtaking move? I tried to defend my position but he was definitely quicker than me. In the final stages I slowed to save the
car for the next race. We were keen to win in front of our fans but we did not manage it. At least I got onto the podium. Now we tackle another fascinating circuit at Spa-Francorchamps where I think that we
and our closest rivals will be more evenly matched."
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