Italian GP 2017

SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

Race Notes - Hamilton takes Mercedes 1-2 at Monza

Podium, Italian GP 2017
© Martin Trenkler

 

By Mark Karp

Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his Mercedes GP, over his team mate Valtteri Bottas in second, 4.4 seconds behind, and Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari, a distant third, 36.3 seconds behind the winner.

Hamilton wins his fourth Italian GP, and his sixth win of the season, and takes the lead in the Drivers World Championship, three points ahead of Vettel.

A charging Daniel Ricciardo (40.3s) in his Red Bull finished fourth, followed by Kimi Raikkonen (60,0s) in the second Ferrari was fifth, Esteban Ocon (1m11.5s) in the Force India-Mercedes was sixth, Lance Stroll (1m14.1s) in the Williams-Mercedes was seventh, his team mate Felipe Massa (1m14.8s) was eighth, Sergio Perez (1m15.2s) in the second Force India was ninth and Max Verstappen (1 lap) in the Red Bull finished in the final points paying position in tenth place.

A sunny Italian day unfolded after yesterday's rain, Hamilton took his record-setting 69th career pole, and due to the reshuffling from grid penalties, youngster Stroll starts from the outside of row one, Ocon and Bottas start from row two, the Ferraris of Raikkonen and Vettel on row three, Massa and Kvyat on row four, and Magnussen and Perez round out the top ten starters. Verstappen, after qualifying second would start from 13th while his team mate Ricciardo starts 16th.

Most drivers looking for a one-stop tyre strategy with the drivers at the front looking to go from super soft to medium tyres, and some further back starting on soft and then switching to super soft tyres.

At the appointed time the drivers took to the track for the formation lap, the lights went out and the race began with Hamilton taking the lead, Ocon taking second over Stroll, Raikkonen getting past Bottas for fourth. At the end of the first lap Bottas goes side-by-side with Raikkonen in the parabolica and takes back fourth place.

Grosjean and Ricciardo touch at the back and Grosjean's front wing is damaged.

On lap 2 Bottas is all over the back of Stroll and takes third place.

Verstappen is up to eighth place, and he and Massa touch - Verstappen limps back to the pits with a punctured tyre.

On lap 3 Bottas makes a clean pass of Ocon for second place. Vettel passes Raikkonen for fifth place.

On lap 5 Vettel passes Stroll and takes fourth place.

Grosjeam pits for soft tyres and a new wing.

Vettel passes Ocon for third place.

On lap 7 Bottas sets fast lap at 1m25.379s.

Raikkonen brakes late at the first corner and takes to the escape road and runs in sixth.

Raikkonen asks if he has damage at the rear of the Ferrari.

On lap 8 Bottas again sets fast lap at 1m25.287s.

Hamilton responds the next lap with a 1m25.262s.

Hulkenberg pits for soft tyres.

At lap 10 Hamilton leads Bottas by 2.9 seconds, followed by Vettel (10.8s), Ocon (13.6s), Stroll (14.5s), Raikkonen (15.9s), Massa (18.2s), Perez (19.8s), Ricciardo (22.0s), Kvyat (29.5s) in tenth place.

On lap 12 Magnussen pits for soft tyres.

Ocon, Stroll and Raikkonen run nose to tail. Alonso and Palmer battle for 13th place.

Raikkonen tells his engineer, "I don't know how to fix the rear end."

Raikkonen pits for soft tyres and rejoins in 11th.

On lap 17 Ocon pits for soft tyres and rejoins in 10th ahead of Raikkonen.

Hamilton sets another fast lap at 1m24.830s.

Stroll pits for soft tyres and rejoins in 11th, with a slow stop.

Palmer is handed a 5 second-penalty for gaining an advantage leaving the track in his battle with Alonso.

Kvyat pits for super soft tyres.

Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m24.770s.

At lap 20 Hamilton leads Bottas by 4.6 seconds, followed by Vettel (17.6s), Massa (33.1s), Ricciardo (33.8s), Perez (36.5s), Ocon (51.6s), Raikkonen (53.0s), Vandoorne (54.2s) and Stroll (55.0s).

On lap 21 Massa pits from fourth for soft tyres and rejoins in tenth.

Verstappen complains to the team that his front tyre is blistered.

Raikkonen is running closely behind Ocon in sixth place.

Massa passes Vandoorne, yet to pit, for ninth place.

On lap 26, Raikkonen passes Ocon for sixth place at the first chicane.

Vettel complains that his rear tyres are struggling - he is lapping a second slower than the Mercedes ahead.

On lap 29 Verstappen pits again and takes another set of super soft tyres.

At lap 30 Hamilton continues to lead Bottas by 4.1 seconds, followed by Vettel (23.2s), Ricciardo (38.0s), Perez (47.3s), Raikkonen (58.4s), Ocon (60.9s), Stroll (61.8s), Massa (63.9s) and Vandoorne (73.9s) in tenth place.

Stroll is looking for a way past Ocon for seventh place. Vettel pits from third place for soft tyres, and rejoins in fourth ahead of Perez.

Renault calls Palmer in to retire the car.

On lap 33 Hamilton pits from the lead for soft tyres and rejoins in second place. Perez pits for soft tyres as well.

The next lap Bottas pits from the lead for soft tyres as well and rejoins behind his team mate.

On lap 34 Vandoorne slows and retires in the pits.

Verstappen and Grosjean touch at the chicane but continue.

On lap 35 Bottas sets fast lap at 1m23.234 seconds, and trails Hamilton by 3.5s.

Hamilton responds the next lap and sets fast lap at 1m24.034s, and then again the next lap at 1m23.975s.

On lap 38 Ricciardo pits from third place, and switches to super soft tyres and rejoins in fifth behind Raikkonen.

Kvyat passes Hulkenberg for 11th.

On lap 40 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m23.924s.

Ricciardo passes Raikkonen for fourth place.

At lap 40 Hamilton still leads Bottas by 4.5 seconds, followed by Vettel (31.3s), Ricciardo (42.9s), Raikkonen (44.4s), Ocon (50.8s), Stroll (51.8s), Massa (52.7s), Perez (60.1s) and Magnussen (1 lap) in tenth place.

Ricciardo is lapping a second a lap quicker than Vettel and is 10 seconds behind the Ferrari in the final podium position.

On lap 43 Ricciardo sets fast lap at 1m23.915s.

Verstappen passes Hulkenberg for 12th place.

Verstappen battles and passes Magnussen for tenth place.

On lap 48 Ricciardo sets another fast lap at 1m23.675s, and has closed to 5.4 seconds behind Vettel.

Magnussen is conplaining to the team that Verstappen pushed him wide.

On lap 49 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m23.542s, then Ricciardo retakes it at 1m23.361s.

At lap 50 Hamilton leads Bottas by 5.3s, followed by Vettel (36.4s), Ricciardo (40.8s), Raikkonen (55.2s), Ocon (66.9s), Stroll (68.2s), Massa (68.7s), Perez (70.1s), and Verstappen (1 lap) in tenth place.

McLaren calls Alonso to retire the car from 16th place.

At the line Hamilton wins over Bottas and Vettel.

After the finish Vettel tells Ferrari, that the last 15 laps, "something was wrong, thats why I went up-and-down on the engine."