Italian GP 2007

SEPTEMBER 9, 2007

Race Notes - Alonso dominates Italian GP

Start, Italian GP 2007
© The Cahier Archive

Fernando Alonso dominated the Italian Grand Prix, at Monza, taking the win from pole. His team mate Lewis Hamilton took second place 6 seconds behind, followed by Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari in third - 27.3 seconds behind the leader.

The win was Alonso's fourth victory of the season and his first career win at Monza. It was also the first ever 1-2 finish for McLaren at the Italian event.

Lewis Hamilton's lead in the Drivers World Championship was cut to just three points over Alonso with just four races remaining.

Nick Heidfeld in the Sauber-BMW finished fourth, followed by his team mate Robert Kubica in fifth, Nico Rosberg in the Williams-Toyota in sixth, Heikki Kovalainen in the Renault in seventh and Jenson Button in the Honda taking in teams second point of the season by finishing in eighth.

At the start, pole-sitter Alonso leads into the first corner with Hamilton and Massa battling behind him - the two touching, but Hamilton coming out ahead, while Raikkonen passes Heidfeld for fourth place.

At the end of lap 1 Sebastian Vettel pits after contact with Ralf Schumacher.

On lap 2 David Coulthard's front wing fails on the run to the second chicane and crashes out at the Curva Grande - bringing out the Safety Car.

The race resumed on lap 7 - everyone getting through cleanly - while Davidson in the Super Aguri and Fisichella in the Renault battle for 14th place.

On lap 8 Button overtakes Rosberg for 8th place.

On lap 9 Massa pits his Ferrari unexpectedly from 3rd place, seemly having a suspension problem the Brazilian driving slowly around and pits again - retiring from the race.

At lap 10 Alonso led his team mate by 1.1 seconds, followed 5 seconds further back by Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Kubica, Kovalainen, Button, Rosberg, Webber and Barrichello in tenth place.

On lap 14 Rosberg repasses Button by cutting the chicane - then lets Button back by to avoid a penalty.

The two McLarens continued to trade fastest laps while pulling away from Raikkonen's Ferrari.

On lap 18 Hamilton makes his first pit stop from second place, followed on lap 20 by leader Alonso, coming out still ahead on his team mate - while Raikkonen assumes the lead.

Meanwhile Rosberg and Button continue to battle for seventh place - the Williams driver retaking the position, making a pass into the first chicane.

On lap 22 Heidfeld and Kovalainen make their first stops, followed by Kubica on lap 23 - having a long stop after the car fell off the front jack during the stop.

On lap 25 Raikkonen pits from the lead, presumably on a one-stop strategy,

At halfway, Alonso led Hamilton by 2.2 seconds followed 14 seconds further back by Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Button, Webber, Barrichello, Trulli and Kovalainen in tenth.

On lap 30 Rosberg and Trulli make their pitstops, followed by Button and Fisichella on lap 33, Webber and Barrichello on the next lap, followed by Davidson on lap 35 and Wurz - the last of the one-stoppers to pit - on lap 37.

At lap 38 Alonso continued to stretch his lead on Hamilton to 5.9 seconds, followed by Raikkonen in third, some 29.9 seconds behind the leader, followed by Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Kubica, Rosberg, Button, Webber and Barrichello in tenth place - the two-stoppers yet to make their final stops.

On lap 39 Heidfeld peels into the pits for his final stop, followed by Hamilton the next lap - coming out in third behind Raikkonen in his Ferrari.

On lap 41 Kovalainen pits from fourth place.

On lap 42 Hamilton makes a late breaking pass on Raikkonen into the first chicane to retake second place.

On lap 43 Alonso makes his final stop and rejoins in the lead, followed on the same lap by Kubica.

On lap 48 Kubica passes Rosberg to take fifth place.

At lap 50, Alonso leads Hamilton by 8 seconds, followed 14.3 seconds further back by Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Kubica, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Button, Webber and Barrichello in tenth place.

The order remained the same to the line.