The Italian GP that took place on Sunday at the Monza racetrack was nothing if not exciting. From the moment the red lights went off and the cars started accelerating, it was all drama. Although Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was on the fourth place of the grid, he was able to beat both McLarens as well as pole man Sebastian Vettel and take the lead in turn one.
At the back, there was a huge crash when Tonio Liuzzi lost control of his HRT, spinning uncontrollably in the grass and then reentering the track, hitting the cars of Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg, while Rubens Barrichello who was also involved managed to continue.
Naturally, the Tifosi went wild at the stands as a Ferrari was leading the race in Monza. But it didn’t last for long, as Vettel was able to pass Alonso disappearing on the horizon and eventually cruising to another easy victory.
His Red Bull team-mate, Mark Webber, didn’t fare as well as he collided with the Ferrari of Felipe Massa, losing his car’s front wing and, a few seconds after, spinning off the track with terminal understeer and retiring.
The greatest spectacle however was the fight for third place between the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. The German silenced all those who said that he should retire and delighted his fans, driving like the Formula 1 seven-times world champion that he is and keeping the younger Hamilton, who tried everything but couldn’t find a way past, behind for many laps.
This worked to the advantage of Jenson Button who closed in on the pair and after passing both, drove faultlessly to finish third. Hamilton eventually managed to pass Schumacher, who finished fifth, and even got close to Alonso, but run out of time as the race came to an end and never got close enough to challenge for third place.
Besides Vettel, who as we’ve said before has almost secured the title, and Schumacher who seems to have regained his form, Alonso was the one who benefited from the outcome of the last European GP for 2011, as he moved up to second place in the drivers’ standings.
The next Grand Prix will take place in Singapore on September 25