Lewis Hamilton WINS the Italian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has won the 2017 Italian Grand Pix at Monza, leading Mercedes to a one-two with Bottas and taking the title lead from Vettel in the process.
Apart from having to fend off an attack from young Master Stroll in the Williams at the start, Hamilton disappeared in to a race of his own at the front, leaving the fight for the also-rans going on behind him.
The fight back from their relatively lowly start positions saw Raikkonen, Vettel and Bottas move up the rankings, with Bottas running shotgun for Mercedes in second in the space of a few laps.
Vettel did well to get up behind the Mercedes in pretty quick order, but he was never a real challenge, with the Mercedes clearly in control of the race.
Remarkably, as the race unfolded, Daniel Ricciardo moved from his 16th place start in his Red Bull to try and hustle Vettel for third spot in the closing laps of the race, but having taken Raikkonen 12 laps from the end the 11 second gap to Vettel was too big an ask.
Ricciardo’s team mate Verstappen managed to fight back from 13th to 10th, although he could have done more if he hadn’t a coming together with Massa in the Williams on the second lap.
Behind the top four of Hamilton, Bottas, Vettel and Ricciardo, it was Kimi Raikkonen in fifth spot followed by the two stand-outs from yesterday’s qualifying – Ocon and Stroll – in sixth and seventh, Massa in the Williams in eighth, Perez in ninth for Force India and the last points place to the aforementioned Verstappen.
Life was no easier for McLaren at Monza than anywhere else this year, with Vandoorne retiring on lap 33 and Alonso on lap 50.
Next up is Singapore, and it’s a track which could see Vettel take back the deficit of three points he now has to Hamilton.
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