Italian Grand Prix: Main talking points

The jewel of Formula One, the circuit of Monza produced yet another fast paced thrilling race, where apart from the top 2, no other position was decided until the very end. Lewis Hamilton extends his advantage over second place Nico Rosberg by over 50 points now, with this victory.

Tifosi favourite, Sebastian Vettel came second to put the Red Scarlet Ferrari on the podium before the home fans, while Felipe Massa, battled all the way through to the chequered flag with his teammate, Valtteri Bottas to round up the podium.

Before the race, everyone observed a minute of silence for Justin Wilson, the IndyCar driver who lost his life last week.

It was an exciting race, none the less, and we bring you the main talking points from the Italian Grand Prix.

1. Mercedes under fire:

Post race, Lewis Hamilton and  Nico Rosberg were investigated by the stewards following a 0.3PSI pressure less than the minimum set by Pirelli. After summoning representatives from both the drivers, a final decision was pending by the FIA which decided to let Hamilton take the victory and with that 25 crucial championship points.

A lot of questions will be raised for Mercedes. They decided to ask Hamilton to push in the end and increase his lap times without informing him about why it was necessary.

“Stewards determine that the pressures were at the minimum start pressure recommended by Pirelli when they were fitted to the car,” said the Stewards.

“Tyre warming blankets had been disconnected from their power source as is normal procedures and the tyres were significantly below the maximum permitted tyre blanket temperature at the time of the FIA measurement on the grid and significantly different temperatures from other cars measured on the grid.

“The stewards decide to take no further action.

“Nevertheless the stewards recommend the tyre manufacturer and the FIA hold further meetings to provide clear guidance to the teams on measurements.”

1. Rosberg’s engine fires up, and so does his championship chances.

   

Nico Rosberg had the worst of fortunes from the starting of the weekend. While he simply lacked pace during all the practice sessions compared to his teammate Hamilton, he had to move to the older spec engine, the one he used in Spa, for qualifying due to some issues, as compared to Hamilton who carried the new advanced engine. He ended up Qualifying fourth, a clear 0.4s off his team-mate carrying the faster and the newer engine. The start of the race wasn’t too spectacular for him either, he managed to move up the ladder  through his sheer pace and the clever strategies set by his pit wall. He was completely charged up and looked set to overtake Sebastian Vettel in second place, a mere 2s ahead of him, before his engine decided to catch fire just two laps before the end!

Rosberg was quick enough to get out of the car without any injuries, but serious harms will be caused to his championship battle, being 53 points adrift Lewis Hamilton and only 7 races to go.

With Hamilton’s and Vettel’s current form, Nico Rosberg might have to pull a trick or so from the sack to gain some advantage over both of them. Considering the things that they are right now, he really needs to pick up his performance in Qualifying and his start of the race.

1. Kimi stalls as Vettel shines

   

It was Kimi Raikkonen’s first front row start in ages, and it couldn’t have gone more wrong. He completely stalled and his car was immobile while others zoomed past him. By the first corner, he was amongst the bottom four drivers.

Despite this, his confidence was upbeat and like a charging lion, he moved his way up the field. He truly drove like Nigel Mansell today who was famous for such capabilities to move up the field. Sebastian Vettel on the other was clean as a whistle. He had a normal start and maintained his pace and his position well enough.

He never really could challenge Hamilton, who finished 25s ahead of him. While Ferrari sure did show signs of immense pace, they simply lacked that extra few bits that they showcased during the Qualifying.

They still have a few engine tokens left and seven races to go. The upgraded power unit that they brought to Monza, sure did help them on Saturday, if only they can somehow use the extra pace to run the race distance as well.

1. Poor Lotus

   

Team Lotus is probably in the worst of scenarios right now. It’s future is still hung on a possible Renault deal and they still have pending law suits over them. Their cars arrived in Italy on Wednesday only and the mechanics and the staff worked day and night to ensure that the car was ready by Friday.

They showed good pace during the pre-race sessions, and even had a tremendous qualifying, with Romain Grosjean 9th and Pastor Maldonado 11th. All the hard work of the administration to get their cars clear to race and of the mechanics to get them ready were in vain, as before the end of the third lap, both cars were out of the race!

While Romain Grosjean had some mechanical issues with the car, Pastor got unlucky after getting clipped by a McLaren, jumping over a kerb and retiring in the race. The result is even more disappointing after they managed to secure a podium last race, and showing good pace throughout the weekend.

1. Too slow for anyone else, too fast for the Manors: McLarens in a league of their own.

   

After a poor Qualifying session, both drivers, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso went to the race with a negative and troubled mindset, expecting not much of a good race.

Jenson Button had a very good start jumping all the way into the top 10, while Fernando Alonso hovered around the 14th-15th place.

One by one, every one of the drivers behind Button, overtook the world champion as he hopelessly tried to have some fun, desperately trying to maintain his position. Honda’s claims of having a more powerful engine compared to Renault, seemed a bit over the top, after the Toro Rosso’s found it very comfortable to overtake the McLarens.

Two world champions, struck behind the back, were running the race in a hope of just seeing the chequered flag. They were slower than the Saubers as well and showed hardly signs of competitiveness.

Apparently, they were too slow for anyone else, but too fast for the Manors. Both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso were racing no one but each other, until the closing few laps, where Alonso’s car broke down and he had to retire.

Just a horrible day for the second most successful team in the history of the sport.

1. Another strong finish for Force India

   

Starting from the Austrian Grand Prix after the debut of their new spec car, Force India has produced strong performances and Monza was a similar occasion for them.

Sergio Perez finished 6th and Nico Hulkenberg 7th, in a race where they showed good pace. Perez was in a battle with Kimi through the large part of the race, and many at times proved why he is a tough pass for the Finn.

Hulkenberg battled his way through the race fighting the Sauber of Erricson and the charged up Red Bulls and held off his seventh place to secure a fantastic double points finish for the team.

1. Someone get Williams a race strategist

   

They messed it up in the British Grand Prix after failing to react to Mercedes’ strategies and losing their shot at the victory. They messed it up again in Spa when they messed up the tyre compounds for Valtteri Bottas. And it would have been termed as a mess up again, if not for Nico Rosberg’s retirement.

After the start where Rosberg messed up, Felipe Massa was third and Valtteri Bottas fourth. Nico Rosberg was stuck behind them and seeing the opportunity, decided to under-cut the two Williams. The Williams responded by getting Felipe Massa in the pits, but the slow thinking coupled by a relatively slow pit stop meant Nico Rosberg got the better of him.

Same was with Valtteri Bottas who ended up fifth after the first round of pit stops.

Their car is fantastic, and so are their drivers. Felipe Massa said in the pit radio after the end of the race, “I’m too old for that, too old,” laughingly to which the Williams team responded, “We’re just starting out mate,”

Both Massa and Bottas were involved in a frantic battle till the very last corner for the final podium position, which can be termed as the battle of the race!