-
Click here for the details
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Italian Grand Prix: Monza & Ferrari fans have something to cheer for
The tifosi: Bare-chest and passionate about Monza
A week after one classic track, Formula 1 moves to another, swapping the pine forests and high-speed corners of Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps for the long straights and chicanes of the Monza royal park and the Italian Grand Prix.
The tracks are equally historic, but for evocativeness nowhere comes close to Monza.
Spa's past is visible everywhere. Half the current track formed part of the longer, faster old one. And the famous corners - Burnenville, Masta - are now part of the road network around the modern circuit.
But at Monza the history is tangible.
If that sounds ridiculous - I can only suggest you go there. Somehow at Monza, yesteryear is present, and the present carries the sense of future memories.
And the track has hardly changed. Apart from the chicanes that were inserted to slow it down 40 or so years ago, the one on which Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel will race this year is the same as the one from the 1970s, 1950s and the 1920s.
Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine make it a Ferrari one-two during the 1998 Italian Grand Prix
So much has happened there. Great triumphs and great tragedies; and the ghosts of both feel like they haunt the place.
The late-summer Lombardy light is golden. Trees casting tangential shadows through the early morning mists, Alps on the northern horizon.
There is a serenity to the place. But also a madness.
Campsites in the ancient woods, barbecues smoking morning and night.
Fans packing the grandstands, chanting, cheering. And the traffic can be crazy.
Silverstone is its equal in terms of the dedication of the fans, but only the Japanese at Suzuka can match the enthusiasm of the tifosi as they worship at this great temple of speed, and the famous team that is such a part of it.
This year should be something else again. This decade, a Ferrari driver has twice come to Monza as a title contender - Fernando Alonso in 2010 and 2012. But the Spaniard was fighting against the odds. This year, Vettel is not only leading the championship but is arguably the favourite for it.
It should be Monza in extremis. And there is nothing in motorsport like that.
Andrew Benson, chief F1 writer
The track
The locals call it 'La Pista Magica' - the magic track
Swami
The tifosi: Bare-chest and passionate about Monza
A week after one classic track, Formula 1 moves to another, swapping the pine forests and high-speed corners of Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps for the long straights and chicanes of the Monza royal park and the Italian Grand Prix.
The tracks are equally historic, but for evocativeness nowhere comes close to Monza.
Spa's past is visible everywhere. Half the current track formed part of the longer, faster old one. And the famous corners - Burnenville, Masta - are now part of the road network around the modern circuit.
But at Monza the history is tangible.
If that sounds ridiculous - I can only suggest you go there. Somehow at Monza, yesteryear is present, and the present carries the sense of future memories.
And the track has hardly changed. Apart from the chicanes that were inserted to slow it down 40 or so years ago, the one on which Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel will race this year is the same as the one from the 1970s, 1950s and the 1920s.
Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine make it a Ferrari one-two during the 1998 Italian Grand Prix
So much has happened there. Great triumphs and great tragedies; and the ghosts of both feel like they haunt the place.
The late-summer Lombardy light is golden. Trees casting tangential shadows through the early morning mists, Alps on the northern horizon.
There is a serenity to the place. But also a madness.
Campsites in the ancient woods, barbecues smoking morning and night.
Fans packing the grandstands, chanting, cheering. And the traffic can be crazy.
Silverstone is its equal in terms of the dedication of the fans, but only the Japanese at Suzuka can match the enthusiasm of the tifosi as they worship at this great temple of speed, and the famous team that is such a part of it.
This year should be something else again. This decade, a Ferrari driver has twice come to Monza as a title contender - Fernando Alonso in 2010 and 2012. But the Spaniard was fighting against the odds. This year, Vettel is not only leading the championship but is arguably the favourite for it.
It should be Monza in extremis. And there is nothing in motorsport like that.
Andrew Benson, chief F1 writer
The track
The locals call it 'La Pista Magica' - the magic track
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Italian GP: Valtteri Bottas leads Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes set Monza pace
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
Listen to the Italian Grand Prix across BBC Radio 5 live, sports extra, the BBC Sport website and mobile app
Mercedes dominated Friday practice at the Italian Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas topping the second session and Lewis Hamilton quickest in the first.
Bottas beat the Briton by 0.056 seconds in the afternoon, when Hamilton's title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was just 0.14secs off the pace.
Hamilton led Bottas by 0.435secs in the morning, with Vettel a second slower.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth, ahead of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Dutchman Verstappen and Australian Ricciardo face starting from the back of the grid because of a series of penalties for using too many engine parts.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso will join them for the same reason.
Hamilton has identified this race as a must-win, aiming to go into the Asian long-haul races with an advantage in the expectation that Ferrari will be difficult to beat in the next grand prix in Singapore.
"It's been a good day, a clean day," said Hamilton.
Predict who will top qualifying
The McLarens showed a surprising turn of pace on a track that exposes the lack of power from the Honda engine - Alonso was eighth fastest and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne seventh, 0.021secs ahead.
The two spent some of their time practising slipstreaming techniques, which they will use to try to get the Belgian as high up the grid as possible on Saturday.
Williams, after a terrible race in Belgium last weekend, looked more competitive, with Felipe Massa ninth fastest behind the Force India of Esteban Ocon.
Massa's team-mate Lance Stroll was 0.5secs slower, and down in 15th, after a high-speed spin at the Ascari chicane.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
Listen to the Italian Grand Prix across BBC Radio 5 live, sports extra, the BBC Sport website and mobile app
Mercedes dominated Friday practice at the Italian Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas topping the second session and Lewis Hamilton quickest in the first.
Bottas beat the Briton by 0.056 seconds in the afternoon, when Hamilton's title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was just 0.14secs off the pace.
Hamilton led Bottas by 0.435secs in the morning, with Vettel a second slower.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth, ahead of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Dutchman Verstappen and Australian Ricciardo face starting from the back of the grid because of a series of penalties for using too many engine parts.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso will join them for the same reason.
Hamilton has identified this race as a must-win, aiming to go into the Asian long-haul races with an advantage in the expectation that Ferrari will be difficult to beat in the next grand prix in Singapore.
"It's been a good day, a clean day," said Hamilton.
Predict who will top qualifying
The McLarens showed a surprising turn of pace on a track that exposes the lack of power from the Honda engine - Alonso was eighth fastest and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne seventh, 0.021secs ahead.
The two spent some of their time practising slipstreaming techniques, which they will use to try to get the Belgian as high up the grid as possible on Saturday.
Williams, after a terrible race in Belgium last weekend, looked more competitive, with Felipe Massa ninth fastest behind the Force India of Esteban Ocon.
Massa's team-mate Lance Stroll was 0.5secs slower, and down in 15th, after a high-speed spin at the Ascari chicane.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton breaks pole record with 69th career pole position at Italian Grand Prix
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
Lewis Hamilton broke the all-time record for pole positions by taking the 69th of his career with a sensational performance in wet qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was 1.148 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second place as title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari could manage only eighth.
But Vettel will start sixth because of grid penalties for Verstappen and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who was third.
Lance Stroll took a stunning fourth.
The Williams driver finished ahead of another notable performer as Frenchman Esteban Ocon took fifth in the Force India.
Hamilton dominated a rain-soaked qualifying session at Monza in the north of Italy
Hamilton's pole moves him one ahead of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher and it was a performance worthy of such a momentous achievement.
Conditions were awful - the first session was stopped after just one lap for seven drivers and did not start again for more than two hours.
When qualifying did finally re-start at 4.40pm local time - two hours and 40 minutes after it originally began - the track was still wet.
But Hamilton was a contender at the front throughout - second in the first session to Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas and fastest in the second session from the Finn by more than 0.7secs.
But he saved the best until last. With the rain coming down harder again, the Red Bulls looked like they might be hard to beat but Hamilton pulled out a superb lap as the clock ticked down to zero to put it well beyond doubt.
"I am so happy," Hamilton said. "To do this here in such a historic circuit and beautiful country, I am going to have some pasta tonight to celebrate."
); }
Can Hamilton seize opportunity?
There was nothing to cheer about for the home crowd as Ferrari's championship leader Vettel could only manage eighth
Hamilton's position at the front of the grid, with Vettel only sixth, gives him a great opportunity to take the outright championship lead for the first time this season.
He heads into the race seven points behind Vettel - the difference between first and second places - but has his team-mate Bottas, who will start fourth after qualifying sixth, as a buffer between him and Vettel.
Bottas was 2.279 seconds slower than Hamilton in the final session, underlining the quality of the Briton's performance.
With dry weather expected for the race and the pace Mercedes showed in similar conditions on Friday, Ferrari may find it difficult to beat Bottas.
Vettel has team-mate Kimi Raikkonen one place ahead of him on the grid.
The Ferrari mystery
Vettel said he did not understand why the red cars lacked pace in wet conditions - Raikkonen was 2.433secs off Hamilton with Vettel just 0.077secs adrift of his team-mate.
"I was surprised by how quick the others went," Vettel said. "We could not go the same pace. We don't know why at this stage. It was an important day; something did not come together. There are a couple of things we need to look into and try to understand."
But he said he was confident of recovering in the race.
"It should be more fun starting a bit further back," Vettel said.
"We can make up a lot of ground, the car is quick and you can overtake here, so we should be OK. It should be a fun race."
Two rising stars shine
Lance Stroll (front) of Williams will start on the front row after the two Red Bull drivers' penalties are applied
Stroll and Ocon may not be easy for the Ferraris to pass.
Their cars are not as fast as the Ferrari but they have a powerful Mercedes engine and will be keen not to surrender position lightly, especially after such superb performances on Saturday.
Ocon was already earmarked as a future star and he underlined his quality with accomplished driving in difficult conditions.
Stroll has had a more up-and-down rookie season - superb in taking a podium finish in Azerbaijan in June, but largely off the pace elsewhere.
But in the treacherous conditions of Monza in the wet he excelled, and left experienced team-mate Felipe Massa trailing five places and 1.219secs behind in ninth place.
"I'm going to have Stroll alongside and Ocon behind - wow, that's awesome," added Hamilton. "These young kids coming along and keeping me on my toes. It shows great promise for them."
The final man in the top 10 is McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne, also impressive in the wet conditions, which do not expose the lack of power of the Honda engine as much as the dry does.
Red Bull to drop back
Verstappen and Ricciardo will be at the back of the grid because of a series of engine penalties.
They will join McLaren's Fernando Alonso back there as well as Renault drivers Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hulkenberg, and Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, all suffering for the same reason.
Their exact order will be revealed by governing body the FIA ahead of the race.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
Lewis Hamilton broke the all-time record for pole positions by taking the 69th of his career with a sensational performance in wet qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was 1.148 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second place as title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari could manage only eighth.
But Vettel will start sixth because of grid penalties for Verstappen and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who was third.
Lance Stroll took a stunning fourth.
The Williams driver finished ahead of another notable performer as Frenchman Esteban Ocon took fifth in the Force India.
- Hamilton breaks pole record - how he did it in numbers
- Italian Grand Prix qualifying results
- Predict who will win at Monza
- Relive the epic qualifying session
Hamilton dominated a rain-soaked qualifying session at Monza in the north of Italy
Hamilton's pole moves him one ahead of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher and it was a performance worthy of such a momentous achievement.
Conditions were awful - the first session was stopped after just one lap for seven drivers and did not start again for more than two hours.
When qualifying did finally re-start at 4.40pm local time - two hours and 40 minutes after it originally began - the track was still wet.
But Hamilton was a contender at the front throughout - second in the first session to Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas and fastest in the second session from the Finn by more than 0.7secs.
But he saved the best until last. With the rain coming down harder again, the Red Bulls looked like they might be hard to beat but Hamilton pulled out a superb lap as the clock ticked down to zero to put it well beyond doubt.
"I am so happy," Hamilton said. "To do this here in such a historic circuit and beautiful country, I am going to have some pasta tonight to celebrate."
); }
Can Hamilton seize opportunity?
There was nothing to cheer about for the home crowd as Ferrari's championship leader Vettel could only manage eighth
Hamilton's position at the front of the grid, with Vettel only sixth, gives him a great opportunity to take the outright championship lead for the first time this season.
He heads into the race seven points behind Vettel - the difference between first and second places - but has his team-mate Bottas, who will start fourth after qualifying sixth, as a buffer between him and Vettel.
Bottas was 2.279 seconds slower than Hamilton in the final session, underlining the quality of the Briton's performance.
With dry weather expected for the race and the pace Mercedes showed in similar conditions on Friday, Ferrari may find it difficult to beat Bottas.
Vettel has team-mate Kimi Raikkonen one place ahead of him on the grid.
The Ferrari mystery
Vettel said he did not understand why the red cars lacked pace in wet conditions - Raikkonen was 2.433secs off Hamilton with Vettel just 0.077secs adrift of his team-mate.
"I was surprised by how quick the others went," Vettel said. "We could not go the same pace. We don't know why at this stage. It was an important day; something did not come together. There are a couple of things we need to look into and try to understand."
But he said he was confident of recovering in the race.
"It should be more fun starting a bit further back," Vettel said.
"We can make up a lot of ground, the car is quick and you can overtake here, so we should be OK. It should be a fun race."
Two rising stars shine
Lance Stroll (front) of Williams will start on the front row after the two Red Bull drivers' penalties are applied
Stroll and Ocon may not be easy for the Ferraris to pass.
Their cars are not as fast as the Ferrari but they have a powerful Mercedes engine and will be keen not to surrender position lightly, especially after such superb performances on Saturday.
Ocon was already earmarked as a future star and he underlined his quality with accomplished driving in difficult conditions.
Stroll has had a more up-and-down rookie season - superb in taking a podium finish in Azerbaijan in June, but largely off the pace elsewhere.
But in the treacherous conditions of Monza in the wet he excelled, and left experienced team-mate Felipe Massa trailing five places and 1.219secs behind in ninth place.
"I'm going to have Stroll alongside and Ocon behind - wow, that's awesome," added Hamilton. "These young kids coming along and keeping me on my toes. It shows great promise for them."
The final man in the top 10 is McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne, also impressive in the wet conditions, which do not expose the lack of power of the Honda engine as much as the dry does.
Red Bull to drop back
Verstappen and Ricciardo will be at the back of the grid because of a series of engine penalties.
They will join McLaren's Fernando Alonso back there as well as Renault drivers Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hulkenberg, and Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, all suffering for the same reason.
Their exact order will be revealed by governing body the FIA ahead of the race.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton wins to take title lead from Sebastian Vettel
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton took the outright championship lead for the first time this season with a dominant victory in the Italian Grand Prix.
A day after breaking the all-time record for pole positions, Hamilton was in total control at Monza, leading team-mate Valtteri Bottas to a one-two.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was third and is three points behind Hamilton.
It is a crucial milestone for Hamilton as F1 next heads to Singapore, where Ferrari are expected to dominate.
The victory was Hamilton's sixth of the season - Vettel has only four - and it capped a perfect weekend for him.
Hamilton's victory was among the most straightforward of the season. He fought off a brief challenge from Williams driver Lance Stroll, a remarkable second on the grid, on the run down to the first corner and disappeared into a race of his own.
"The team did an amazing job. Valtteri did a great job. Mercedes power is better than Ferrari power so that's one thing," Hamilton said, as he was booed by the Tifosi during the podium interviews.
The fight was all behind him, as Bottas and the Ferrari drivers set about fighting up from their unusually low grid positions.
The Finn, who started sixth, was up to fourth on the first lap behind Hamilton, Force India's Esteban Ocon, another star of qualifying, and Stroll, who dropped a place in a tussle at the first corner.
Bottas got Stroll into Turn One on lap three, Ocon in the same place a lap later, to give Mercedes total control of the race, which they never surrendered.
Vettel in a rearguard fight
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was left with a puncture after colliding with Felipe Massa (not pictured)
Vettel limited the damage to his title hopes as much as was possible in the circumstances, passing team-mate Kimi Raikkonen around the outside into the first Lesmo on lap three, Stroll a couple of laps later before picking off Ocon into Turn One on lap eight.
The German, though, was no match for the Mercedes at Ferrari's home race - generally dropping at least half a second a lap - and his focus in the second part of the race became holding off Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian, who qualified third but started 16th after being given a grid penalty for using too many engine parts this season, put in a brilliant recovery from his lowly grid position.
He picked his way through the slower cars in the first part of the race, pulling off a series of his trademark aggressive overtaking moves, and ran a long first stint to give himself fresher tyres for the final stint than the Ferraris ahead of him.
Ricciardo dived brilliantly inside Raikkonen from a long way back at the first chicane with 12 laps to go and began to set off after Vettel, who was just over 11 seconds ahead.
Initially, he began to close at a second a lap, but as the edge went from his tyres, his advantage reduced and Vettel crossed the line four seconds ahead.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso has only finished in four of the 13 F1 races so far in 2017 - Bahrain (14th), Spain (12th), Azerbaijan (ninth) and Hungary (sixth)
Vettel later told his team over the radio that he had gone off track at one point and felt "something was wrong" afterwards, explaining part of his lack of pace.
"My start was not so good - I had quite a lot of wheel spin and we didn't quite have the pace of the leading two cars but seeing the people and having that support was amazing," Vettel said afterwards.
"We have a very strong car and will have a very strong end of the season."
Ricciardo's team-mate Max Verstappen got up from 13th on the grid - also victim of a penalty after qualifying second in the wet - to be eighth on the first lap.
But he wrecked his race by tangling with Williams driver Felipe Massa on the second lap, damaging his front wing and getting a puncture and rejoined last.
Verstappen recovered to 10th place, incurring the anger of Haas' Kevin Magnussen, from whom he stole the final point, when he moved over on him while overtaking the Dane at the second chicane and forced him on to the grass.
Stroll and Ocon inevitably slipped back behind faster cars from their superb starting positions, earned with starring drives in the wet.
But both drove solid and strong races to finish sixth and seventh, the Canadian fending off team-mate Felipe Massa for seventh place on the last lap, as the pair also fended off the second Force India of Sergio Perez.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
- 5 hours ago
- From the section Formula 1
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton took the outright championship lead for the first time this season with a dominant victory in the Italian Grand Prix.
A day after breaking the all-time record for pole positions, Hamilton was in total control at Monza, leading team-mate Valtteri Bottas to a one-two.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was third and is three points behind Hamilton.
It is a crucial milestone for Hamilton as F1 next heads to Singapore, where Ferrari are expected to dominate.
The victory was Hamilton's sixth of the season - Vettel has only four - and it capped a perfect weekend for him.
- Mercedes have 'edge' after 'bad day' for Ferrari - Vettel
- How Hamilton broke pole record - in numbers
- Listen as Hamilton as booed by Tifosi
Hamilton's victory was among the most straightforward of the season. He fought off a brief challenge from Williams driver Lance Stroll, a remarkable second on the grid, on the run down to the first corner and disappeared into a race of his own.
"The team did an amazing job. Valtteri did a great job. Mercedes power is better than Ferrari power so that's one thing," Hamilton said, as he was booed by the Tifosi during the podium interviews.
The fight was all behind him, as Bottas and the Ferrari drivers set about fighting up from their unusually low grid positions.
The Finn, who started sixth, was up to fourth on the first lap behind Hamilton, Force India's Esteban Ocon, another star of qualifying, and Stroll, who dropped a place in a tussle at the first corner.
Bottas got Stroll into Turn One on lap three, Ocon in the same place a lap later, to give Mercedes total control of the race, which they never surrendered.
Vettel in a rearguard fight
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was left with a puncture after colliding with Felipe Massa (not pictured)
Vettel limited the damage to his title hopes as much as was possible in the circumstances, passing team-mate Kimi Raikkonen around the outside into the first Lesmo on lap three, Stroll a couple of laps later before picking off Ocon into Turn One on lap eight.
The German, though, was no match for the Mercedes at Ferrari's home race - generally dropping at least half a second a lap - and his focus in the second part of the race became holding off Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian, who qualified third but started 16th after being given a grid penalty for using too many engine parts this season, put in a brilliant recovery from his lowly grid position.
He picked his way through the slower cars in the first part of the race, pulling off a series of his trademark aggressive overtaking moves, and ran a long first stint to give himself fresher tyres for the final stint than the Ferraris ahead of him.
Ricciardo dived brilliantly inside Raikkonen from a long way back at the first chicane with 12 laps to go and began to set off after Vettel, who was just over 11 seconds ahead.
Initially, he began to close at a second a lap, but as the edge went from his tyres, his advantage reduced and Vettel crossed the line four seconds ahead.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso has only finished in four of the 13 F1 races so far in 2017 - Bahrain (14th), Spain (12th), Azerbaijan (ninth) and Hungary (sixth)
Vettel later told his team over the radio that he had gone off track at one point and felt "something was wrong" afterwards, explaining part of his lack of pace.
"My start was not so good - I had quite a lot of wheel spin and we didn't quite have the pace of the leading two cars but seeing the people and having that support was amazing," Vettel said afterwards.
"We have a very strong car and will have a very strong end of the season."
Ricciardo's team-mate Max Verstappen got up from 13th on the grid - also victim of a penalty after qualifying second in the wet - to be eighth on the first lap.
But he wrecked his race by tangling with Williams driver Felipe Massa on the second lap, damaging his front wing and getting a puncture and rejoined last.
Verstappen recovered to 10th place, incurring the anger of Haas' Kevin Magnussen, from whom he stole the final point, when he moved over on him while overtaking the Dane at the second chicane and forced him on to the grass.
Stroll and Ocon inevitably slipped back behind faster cars from their superb starting positions, earned with starring drives in the wet.
But both drove solid and strong races to finish sixth and seventh, the Canadian fending off team-mate Felipe Massa for seventh place on the last lap, as the pair also fended off the second Force India of Sergio Perez.
Swami