2015 F1 Italian GP: Lewis reigns in Italy

The Italian Grand Prix, long recognized as the home of the iconic Ferrari team, has been in the Formula One calendar since the 1950s. Recently, there were talks that Monza has gone past its due date, and rumors about it being dropped for the 2016 calendar was the buzz in the paddock. But that didn’t deter the tifosi, who trooped to Monza to support their team. The largely partisan crowd, dressed in Ferrari colors, cheered as Kimi edged Sebastian for P2 during qualifying. This was the perfect venue for the Iceman to break his bad qualifying streak. The grandstands exploded in thunderous applause! Ferrari are back, albeit one spot behind pole man Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.

As race Sunday drew near, the crowds filled the cathedral of speed, all poised for a spectacular showing from both Raikkonen and Vettel. Everyone was glued to the big screens and to the starting grid. Will Kimi be able to jump Lewis going into turn 1, or will Vettel outdrag Rosberg and Raikkonen to claim P2 behind Hamilton?

As the lights went out, disaster struck immediately for the Iceman. Kimi stalled the Ferrari at the line. This made for an easy getaway from Hamilton, while Rosberg had to swerve past the stationary Ferrari, eventually losing position Vettel, Felipe Massa, and Valtteri Bottas. Raikkonen finally got his car in gear and followed the train of cars down the pit straight in last place. This was not the start the tifosi were looking for. No one could hide the disaapointment; it was evident in the body language of the people in the grandstands.

Pastor Maldonado, on board his Lotus, had to go over the rumble strips in turn 1 to avoid a collision. This move, while prudent, cracked the floor board of the Lotus. Maldonado crawled into retirement at the end of lap 1. Similarly, Romain Grosjean, in the other Lotus, got tangled up with Nico Hulkenberg. The hit broke the suspension of the Lotus, and like Maldonado, Grosjean had to retire his car. The Lotus team were out of the Italian GP before the first five minutes were up.

Out in front, Lewis was in total command of the race. He kept his head down and foot planted firmly on the pedal. The Merecedes AMG F1 just kept to form. It was up to the rest of the field to find a response to the immense power of the F1 W06 Hybrid.

Kimi, after his disaster at the start, fought his way back to the sharp end of the grid. By lap 11, the Ferrari was in 10th. Raikkonen was flying. Car after car, the Iceman passed with his rivals with relative ease. One could only wonder what the outcome would have been had Kimi kept his car in contention from the start.

Lap 18 saw Mercedes bring in Rosberg for his mandatory stop. Plus, this could eventually undercut the Williams duo of Massa and Bottas. Williams F1, for their part, brought in Massa on the very next lap to try and stop the undercut. But Rosberg had an big enough gap to prevent being jumped by the Williams.

For its part, Ferrari brought Vettel in on lap 25 for his mandatory stop. Mercedes responded by brining in the race leader two laps later. Lewis got in and out of the pits, still the race leader, Vettel was second and Rosberg holding firm at third.

It seemed that this was the podium with everyone maintaining position till the end. But with two laps to go, Rosberg’s engine gave up in spectacular fashion, smoke and fire coming the engine bay. Nico had to retire the Mercedes. Further drama from the Mercedes team, as Paddy Lowe radioed Lewis to push hard. This made the Brit anxious but he did as he was told. It was later reported that Mercedes was under investigation for a breach of the recommended starting tire pressure. The rear on Hamilton’s car was 0.3psi below the limit set by Pirelli. The order to push was made to ensure that Lewis had more than a 25-second lead over Vettel. This, in case the stewards decide to hand a 25-second penalty for the tire pressure debacle after the race.

Lewis crossed the line 25 seconds ahead of Vettel who came in second. Felipe Massa, defending against attacks from Valtteri Bottas, claimed the last step on the podium.

Hamilton retains his lead in the championship standings with 252 points. Rosberg, with his DNF, is now 53 points adrfit of Lewis going into the Singapore Grand Prix. With his second place, Sebastian Vettel is now just 21 points back from Rosberg. The four-time world champion, with some good finshes in the coming races, could vault past Nico for second on the champiosnhip tables. Felipe Massa holds onto fourth while Kimi Raikkonen rounds up the top five in the leaderboard.

The 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix is up next. This track could suit the Ferrari and McLaren well, but just like last year, it is still the silver arrows that are favored to win at the Marina Bay Circuit.