Domenicali: I’m sure Sebastian didn’t intend to jeopardise Fernando’s race

There is barely time to draw breath in this very busy season of Formula One, the longest in the history of the sport and the team is already at work preparing to the minutest detail for the next round, in Singapore

After Monza, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo had a long meeting with Team Principal Stefano Domenicali both to take stock of the immediate future  the final leg in the championship  and to discuss the mid-term, examining the Scuderia’s plans for development and moving forward on all fronts.

For Scuderia Ferrari the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix was like a rollercoaster ride. It was a relentless flow of emotions, difficulties, disappointments, hopes and, in the end, satisfaction with a team result that was the best of the day.

There was also satisfaction regarding the situation in the two championships that on one side – the drivers, has returned more or less to how it was ahead of the summer break (but with two more grands prix completed) and on the other – the constructors, has been completely opened up again thanks above all to Red Bull’s failure to score and the reliability problems that affected other title contenders.

It was in fact the duel with one of the Red Bulls, that of Sebastian Vettel, that led to one of the most crucial moments of Fernando’s race yesterday afternoon.

Domenicali said, “It was a hard battle and I believe the Stewards’ decision was right, above all given the clarification that was given out by the FIA after the last Bahrain Grand Prix. I’m also sure that Sebastian didn’t have any intention of jeopardising Fernando’s race: the German is a driver who is firm but fair.”

The chief of the Maranello team continued: “This will be a very intense week because there will also be action on track at Magny-Cours, where there is a young drivers’ test going on. For us there will be Jules Bianchi and Davide Rigon, who will take turns at the wheel of the F2012. One of the priorities of the test will be to fine-tune the correlation between the simulator and the track, a crucial aspect of modern-day Formula One.”

While the sound of the V8s returns to France for the first time in more than four years, the work will continue unabated in the simulator and on the test benches at Maranello.

One man who will be getting used to the surroundings inside the Sporting Department tomorrow will be Sergio Perez, who will be making a visit to Maranello in accordance with an appointment that has been planned for months as part of his programme of work as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Then on Thursday and Friday it will be Felipe Massa’s turn to proceed with the ‘virtual’ development work on the F2012.

Source: YallaF1

Stealthy Räikkönen builds up healthy points tally

Kimi Räikkönen has moved stealthily up the Formula One standings to a healthy third place and the Lotus driver could become even more of a contender now the championship has turned its back on Europe

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier made no secret of the fact that Monza, the fastest track on the calendar and a power circuit with long straights and few corners, did not play to his car's strengths on Sunday.

"We knew here would not be easy," he said after Räikkönen finished fifth at the Italian Grand Prix, the last European race of the year with the focus now on the Far and Middle East before the season ends in the Americas.

"We look forward now obviously to the next races because it should suit our car much better."

Scoring regular points has been key in this most unpredictable of championships and Raikkonen and Ferrari's championship leader Fernando Alonso have been the kings of consistency.

Räikkönen has scored points in his last 10 races and, although the Finn has yet to win in his comeback season after two years in the world rally championship, he has been on the podium six times in 13 races.

Alonso's focus has been mostly on Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Monza race winner Hamilton so far this season but the Spaniard may have to take his Ferrari predecessor into account as well now.

Both Red Bulls failed to finish at Monza but Raikkonen banked points as usual.

Alonso will need no reminding of how Raikkonen took the 2007 title against the odds, mounting one of the sport's great comebacks by winning three of the last four races of that season to pip Hamilton and the Spaniard, at the time McLaren team mates, by a single point.

"It's good to go into third position," said Räikkönen, just one point behind Hamilton and 38 adrift of Alonso despite the top two having each won three races this year.

"It was a difficult weekend as we were too slow in a straight line. We came into the race looking for sixth or seventh so fifth is the maximum we could have done here this weekend."

Nobody has won more than three races this year and Räikkönen has plenty of time to clamber on top of the podium before the year is out. Japan's Suzuka circuit, which comes after next week's Singapore Grand Prix, is a particular favourite.

Räikkönen was Lotus's sole points scorer on Sunday, with regular French team mate Romain Grosjean banned for the race after causing a pile-up at the start in Belgium and replaced by Belgian reserve Jerome D'Ambrosio.

D'Ambrosio's hopes were hit by a KERS problem, a big blow at a track like Monza, and Grosjean will be back for Singapore champing at the bit but with a lesson learned after a weekend spent watching and listening from the garages.

"I think he learned a lot because being in your car you have only one radio in your head, when you are sitting in the garage you have both cars and you can learn a lot," said Boullier.

"I think he is extremely eager (to return)."

Source: Reuters Sports

Kimi Räikkönen and former F1-driver suspect cheating - we were quite certain that he cheated

Kimi Räikkönen's McLaren-teammate Pedro de la Rosa may have cut corners in Jerez in the past during testing to get the fastest times in his names, Austrian ORF tv-channel's F1-expert and former F1-driver Alex Wurz believes.

ORF:s reporter snatched Räikkönen into an interview during Monza GP -weekend and asked on behalf of Wurz the following: “Did you ever find out if de la Rosa was in the habit of cutting the chicane in Jerez in order to get the fastest time?”

- Yeah, we often joked about it, because he was always very fast there, Räikkönen laughed in the interview.

- We were quite sure about it with Alex that [de la Rosa] cheated there in tests, although we don't have any proof of the matter.

Source: SuomiF1
Courtesy: Nicole

Video: Sky Sports - Italian GP - Kimi - Car performed to the max

Lotus' Kimi Räikkönen believes he and the team performed to the max at the Italian Grand Prix - The Finn moves into third position in the World Championship standings



Source:  SixtySixBucks

Video: Sky Sports - Italian GP - Parade lap with Fernando Alonso

Source: SixtySixBucks

Räikkönen disappointed in loosing to Alonso - "not a complete catastrophe"

Kimi's comments:

- Alonso, who is leading the series, got more points than us. That is never a good thing. It doesn't matter if you're second, third or fourth if the top guy runs away in points, Räikkönen said to MTV3.

- Not the easiest weekend, but at least we got something done so that it didn't turn out a complete catastrophe, Kimi continued.

- Our pace just isn't enough in the straights. I couldn't compete against them. I had to try to do only one stop. We barely were able to keep the fifth spot. It was a relatively difficult weekend, but the main thing is that we got some points and we didn't lose that much points against Alonso, Räikkönen said.

The topspeed-tracks Spa and Monza are now over. Räikkönen hopes that the tracks in the rest of the season are better for the Lotus-car.

- They are more normal tracks. I hope that our cars would work better in them or otherwise we don't have chances of any kind.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Leijona

Alonso: Nothing to say about Seb

Fernando Alonso has refused to slam Sebastian Vettel after their on-track tussle damaged his F2012 in Sunday's Italian GP

Fighting over fourth place around the Monza circuit, Alonso was stuck behind Vettel despite appearing to have the faster car.

The Spaniard tried several times to look up the inside or around the outside before finally opting for the latter at the Curva Grande.

But instead of taking fourth, Alonso got a face full of dirt as Vettel pushed him wide and off the track.

Telling his Ferrari mechanics that "that's enough," Alonso overtook Vettel two laps later at the same spot while Vettel was then called into the pits for a drive-through penalty.

Asked about the incident, Alonso said: "Nothing really to say."

"I lost 10 laps behind him, after the incident, and for sure the car is damaged because at 330km/h you are jumping on the gravel so I don't think the floor and everything will be fine after those jumps."

Alonso, who had started tenth after car troubles in Saturday's qualifying, went on to finish in third place having been overtaken by Sergio Perez in the final ten laps.

"It was a difficult race starting from 10th but we knew we had possibly the quickest car this weekend," said the Spaniard.

"We had the pace to recover the position so it was a good result for us."

Alonso's 15 points mean he now holds a 37-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton with seven races remaining.

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton: Little by little I'm closing in

Lewis Hamilton was never concerned about Sergio Perez pipping him to the win as his claimed his maiden Italian GP crown on Sunday

Putting all the off-track rumours pending him, Hamilton did his talking out on track at Monza this weekend taking pole position in qualifying and following that up with an a smooth victory.

Hamilton led from start to finish, only relinquishing the lead to Sergio Perez when he came in for his only pit stop of the day.

However, it wasn't long before Hamilton was back in front of the Sauber driver, who was a late stopper and put in a massive charge in the final ten laps to move up to second, overtaking both Ferraris.

Asked if he was concerned about Perez's late pace, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "I wasn't.

"I had a 14-second gap I think it was - a 14.5-second gap - and he was catching a second a lap at the time I was cruising.

"I tried to just balance that out over the eight laps or so I had left, then he started getting a little bit closer so I switched it on a bit and minimised the amount he was catching me."

Sunday's victory was McLaren's third successive triumph with Hamilton also winning in Germany while Jenson Button took the chequered flag at Spa.

Hamilton, though, is the first to admit that the job is not yet done despite praising his McLaren team for their recent improvements.

"It's incredibly close between us and the Ferraris, and obviously the Saubers were incredibly quick this weekend, but we've done a fantastic job.

"We came with a really good package for the last couple of races and it's been a shame I have not got the maximum I needed to get from the performance that we've had for the last few races.

"But obviously to have two wins in the last three grands prix is good and I hope that we can continue with that pace."

His latest triumph elevated the McLaren driver to second in the Drivers' Championship where he now trails Alonso by just 37 points.

"The gap's been quite big - 40-something points for a while - and the pressure's on in the team and the Championship to close that little by little," he said.

"When I heard that Fernando was second I thought 'how did he get from 10th to second?'

"But then I heard Sergio had passed him and I thought that's good. I was hoping that someone else got past him but nonetheless we still got good results."

Source: Planet-F1

Italian GP: Hamilton Claims First Monza Win

Lewis Hamilton led from lights to flag as he dominanted the Italian GP, taking an easy win ahead of the late-stopping Sergio Perez

Hamilton got off the perfect start especially as Felipe Massa took second, putting a buffer between Hamilton and his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button. Button's challenge ended on lap 34 when he parked his McLaren on the side of the track with a suspected fuel pick-up problem.

Button's demise freed up the Ferraris with first Massa and then Fernando Alonso leading their charge. However, the Ferrari drivers were quickly picked off by Sergio Perez as the late-stopping Sauber driver took first Massa and then Alonso as he put his much-fresher Pirellis too good use.

Perez, though, didn't have enough laps to catch Hamilton as, despite being a second per lap quicker, he was 11s behind when he climbed to second place.

Hamilton eventually crossed the line 4.3s in front of the Mexican driver, taking his third win of the season and the much-needed 25 points.

Alonso completed the podium, bagging another 15 points towards his Championship lead, which increased to 37 points over Hamilton and an additional one ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and two ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

The Red Bull racer had a difficult day as he was slapped with a drive-through penalty for pushing Alonso off the track at the Curva Grande and then broken down five laps from the end. He stopped on the side of the track after being told quite frantically to "stop the car, we need to save the engine."

Massa was fourth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. Mark Webber was a late retirement, pulling into the pits on the penultimate lap, elevating Paul di Resta to eight.

Race Results

01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h19:41.221
02. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 4.356
03. Alonso Ferrari + 20.594
04. Massa Ferrari + 29.667
05. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 30.881
06. Schumacher Mercedes + 31.259
07. Rosberg Mercedes + 33.550
08. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 41.057
09. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 43.898
11. Senna Williams-Renault + 48.144
12. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 48.682
10. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 50.316
13. d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault + 1:15.861
14. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
15. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
16. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
20. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 2 laps
21. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 3 laps
22. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 6 laps


Did Not Finish
Button McLaren-Mercedes 32
Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen lost the highest top speed

After qualification Räikkönen seemed to be more pissed than usually. 

Why didn't the speed on the straight reflect as top times in the temple of speed, Monza?

– Our top speed is okay here, but some cars find their top speed faster than we do. After that it doesn't mean a thing even if we had a 20 km/hour better top speed than earlier when we still can't get one lap faster, Räikkönen grunted.

– Here we would have needed either Merc's of Ferrari's engine.

Alonso's problems in a bad time

Räikkönen's strategy to drive only one time in Q3 didn't fall in place due to the stabilizer-problems Fernando Alonso suffered from. Kimi wasn't aware of that and of course he was bugged when the lap suffered because of Ferrari.

– I don't know what it was with Alonso, but all of a sudden he didn't go as fast as he did in the beginning. I got too close to him in the last corner. Then again I wouldn't have been able to go much faster anyway, Räikkönen thought.

According to Mark Slade Kimi lost about 0,15 seconds due to Alonso which would have been enough for the 5th grid.

- We were stuck in the position we have been in all weekend. 6th or 7th. Hopefully we are stronger in the race. Last race showed again that anything can happen, Kimi said.

Because of Paul di Resta Räikkönen climbed up to 7th grid.

What chances do you have?

- I'm not a fortune teller. We see it on Sunday, Räikkönen snapped.

We can expect only one pitstop for nearly everybody. The critical moment is the start, since the first shicanes usually aren't crash-free.

Turun Sanomat, Monza

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Räikkönen Q&A: We’ll have to be smart to win

Lotus’s Kimi Räikkönen remains very much the joker in the pack of the 2012 championship, sitting fourth in the standings - ahead of the likes of Hamilton and Button - despite not having won a race. The Finn’s secret is consistent podiums - a trend he plans to continue at Monza on Sunday, even if he is starting from the fourth row - and he hence believes the title is still possible, as he explained exclusively to Formula1.com…

Q: Kimi, you’ve never won at Monza. Isn’t it about time? What are the chances tomorrow?
Kimi Räikkönen: Well, I have been fast here many times, but then funnily something always happened. (laughs) So let’s hope that we give ourselves a chance tomorrow.

Q: What would you sacrifice to win the race - black in front of a sea of red?
KR: We don’t sacrifice anything. We are just doing our best. Of course we want to win and we will do anything possible to get there. We have to be smart.

Q: What does being smart mean?
KR: To get the best out of what we have?

Q: Is that all?
KR: Yep!

Q: You start from the fourth row tomorrow. What does that mean here in Monza?
KR: Well, it’s no secret if I say that it is not the best possible place to start, but that is where we ended up after two days so it is all about making a good start and getting through the first chicane without any issue. (laughs) Then I am sure that we can fight for a podium. 

Q: There is a lot of talk about the Spa start. This sort of start accident has happened many times before, so why so much fuss now?
KR: I have no idea. I was not involved in the issue so ask the people who were. I have nothing to say about it.

Q: But the consequence is that now everybody is talking about closed cockpits? Do you have an opinion on that?
KR: I think this sport is dangerous and if you are not happy to take the risk then you should do something else. I am sure there are plenty of drivers who are willing to take the risk driving a Formula One car as it is now. 

Q: Are you eyeing the championship? What has to happen to make it happen? Your team principal Eric Boullier said that you are still in the game for the title…
KR: We need a bit stronger package if we want to win, but yes, we are still in it. One race can change the whole situation in your favour. We are not yet as fast as we would like, so be sure that I will do my best tomorrow.

Q: What do you mean by a stronger package? What does it include? The car, the aero, and the driver?
KR: Everything has to get better. We need more speed, more downforce… then we will see. 

Q: You and the team seem to hit it off. Will you carry on into 2013?
KR: I am happy this year here - and for next year let’s see. In Formula One you never know. Things can change overnight. (laughs) 

Q: Other teams desperate for results have no doubt been knocking on your door. What - and who - could lure you away? A bigger team with limitless resources? A bigger salary? 
KR: I have no interest in talking about those things because one word about it would get hyped into many half true stories, so I’ll keep it to myself.

Q: What about a return to Ferrari? Are you ready to swap black for red? 
KR: Same answer as before.

Q: Watching you stroll through the paddock, you seem to be so laidback. Are you now beyond the huge ambitions that seem to be the name of the game for so many other drivers?
KR: I am just who I am. I don’t have to pretend to be somebody else. I do my own thing and I am happy with what I am doing. 

Q: What’s still the best thing about being a Formula One driver? 
KR: For sure not talking to the media. I am not a big fan of b*llsh*t questions. 

Q: So what kind of questions are you happy to answer?
KR: Such a question doesn’t exist! (laughs)

Q: So let’s get back to the usual driver question after qualifying - where do you see yourself finishing the race?
KR: Hopefully we have a stronger package than the guys in front of me. It is a long race. Doing a good first lap will be crucial.

Q: Who is the logical winner for you?
KR: Ask me after the race - I have never pretended to be a soothsayer. (laughs)

Source: Formula1.com

Hamilton: This is a fabulous day for McLaren

Lewis Hamilton: We're in the best possible position to score maximum points tomorrow

Lewis Hamilton has thanked his team after giving him a car capable of securing pole position today for the 2012 F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton has been on the pace all weekend and after setting the best time on Friday, he was again quickest this morning in final practice - although only just, with Fernando Alonso just 0.001 seconds back for Ferrari. Hamilton and Alonso continued their battle in Q1 and Q2 too, but while the Spaniard was best in those two sessions, in the all-important top ten shoot-out, Hamilton came through on top, 0.123 seconds up on his team-mate Jenson Button, while Alonso slipped to tenth due to a technical problem.

“This is a fabulous day for the whole team – they've done a fantastic job to get our car into this position, so I want to say a huge thanks to them. The whole Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team deserves this result,” Hamilton said.

“It's going to be a fast, tough race tomorrow. Jenson and the Ferraris are very quick, but we've got a good car and a good set-up, and we're in the best possible position to score maximum points tomorrow.

“This is a beautiful track; it's so fast that you really need to respect it. Monza has such great history too, and, at some stage, I'd love to become part of that history. For the moment, though, I'm just looking for a strong, consistent race tomorrow, because I need to score some good points.”

Button meanwhile was also pleased, even if he did have to settle for second and he will be now looking to repeat what he did in Belgium last Sunday, when he took a dominant victory.

“It's been a really good day for us. Congratulations to Lewis and the whole team – they've done a fabulous job to get us in this position and we've got to build on that tomorrow,” Button added. “Happily, we're in the best position possible: the past few races have really shown the strength of our car.

“We didn't consider trying to tow each other around as some of the others did – it's a difficult thing to get right and if you get it wrong you end up being compromised elsewhere around the lap.”

“I'm extremely proud of the entire Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, all of whose members have worked incredibly hard to develop our car so well over the year. Today's front-row lock-out is an appropriate reward for all their efforts,” summarised McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh. “In fact, I'm told that we now hold the record for the highest number of front-row lock-outs in F1 history, which is quite an achievement. So I want to say a big 'well done' not only to the men and women who have worked so hard to make our car quick here today, but also to the men and women who have worked equally hard, going back through 46 long years, ever since McLaren first entered a world championship grand prix in 1966.

“But tomorrow is what counts, and I'm glad to say that we got quite a lot of race prep work done yesterday, so we're hoping to be in pretty good shape for the race. Returning to today, though, both Lewis and Jenson drove immaculately, capitalising on our car's impressive pace in sectors one and two, and optimising its capabilities also in sector three, where it was slightly less competitive relative to our opposition. Doing that may have looked easy for them, but it wasn't. In fact they both had to keep their nerve towards the end of their fastest laps. Well done, boys.”

Source: Crash.net

Qualifying: Hamilton leads McLaren 1-2 at Italian GP

Lewis Hamilton continued McLaren's strong form at Monza on Saturday as he claimed his fourth pole position of the campaign ahead of Jenson Button

Hamilton put in a 1:24.010 to set the pace while Button was one of the last to cross the line, just 0.123s behind his team-mate. Felipe Massa managed P3 for Ferrari while red hot favourite for pole, Fernando Alonso, suffered a suspected anti-roll bar failure and could manage just 10th place. That after he had set a 1:24.175 on the slower tyre in Q1!

Qualifying 1
The session started with Monza bathed in sunshine and an ambient of 27C with the track at 39C. Sebastian Vettel was thankful that his alternator failure had come ten minutes before the end of Free Practice 3 and not in the first minutes of Qualifying.

Daniel Ricciardo set the first P1 time at 1:26.760, this was razored by Paul DiResta with a 1:25.384. Force India were having mixed fortunes because while Paul was setting the P1 time, team-mate Nico Hulkenberg stopped on track before even setting a time with what were either electrical or gear selection problems.

That meant that the front runners and mid-grid could breath easily in Q1 as they wouldn't come under pressure from the new teams. Fernando Alonso re-set P1 at 1:24.540 and then lowered that to a superb 1:24.175 (which would have been good enough for P3 on the final grid).

The Mclarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were faster than the Ferrari in the first two sectors of the lap, but lost time in the final sector around the daunting Parabolica curve.

Even though it was supposed to be easy getting into Q2 without Nico Hulknberg, Belgian driver Jerome D'Ambrosio, standing in for the banned Romain Grosjean at Lotus, was still behind a Caterham going into the final five minutes. The positions were: 16.Vergne, 17.Kovalainen, 18.D'Ambrosio, 19.Petrov, 20.Glock, 21.Karthikeyan, 22.de la Rosa, 23.Pic, 24.Hulkenberg.

D'Ambrosio, who Lotus team boss Eric Boullier expected to be about 0.6 behind Kimi Raikkonen, finally put a lap together for P17 - it was 0.6 ahead of P.18 man Kovalainen and 0.7 behind Raikkonen. As an undramatic session ended, the places were: 18.Kovalainen, 19.Petrov, 20.Glock, 21.Pic, 22.Karthikeyan, 23.de la Rosa, 24.Hulkenberg (no time)

Qualifying 2
Paul DiResta set a very good early benchmark in Q2 with a 1:24.668 for 'Captain Gloomy' (as he's been dubbed by Offonf1.com). He would have to take a 5-place grid deduction for a change of gearbox on Saturday morning, but he already knew he would be starting in front of his team-mate.

Felipe Massa overdid it into the first chicane and lost aero pieces off his Ferrari going over the kerbs, while Michael Schumacher also misjudged his braking there.

Fernando Alonso then took over in P1 with a 1:24.242 and Jenson Button slotted into P2. Hamilton could only manage P3 and radioed back: "I got held up".

Sergio Perez kicked up the dust at Parabolica in his attempt to make it into Q3 while Michael Schumacher was determined to make what could be his last Italian GP memorable by pushing his Mercedes to the very edge of the track on his way to P7.

Running into the final five minutes the positions were: 6.DiResta, 7.Schumacher, 8.Raikkonen, 9.Vettel, 10.Maldonado, 11.Senna, 12.Perez, 13.Webber, 14.Kobayashi, 15.D'Ambrosio, 16.Ricciardo, 17.Vergne

Out the cars came for one final try and although for a time it looked as though the Top 5 would stay in the garage, Paul DiResta came out towards the very end of the session to take P3.

Perez jumped to P10, Maldonado improved to P9 pushing Sebastian Vettel into P10 which became P11 seconds later when Kobayashi took P8. Mark Webber was now down in P14.

Vettel improved to a tenuous P9, Kimi Raikkonen grabbed P10, but Mark Webber could only manage P11 on his final lap and was out: 11.Webber, 12.Maldonado, 13.Perez, 14.Senna, 15.Ricciardo, 16.D'Ambrosio, 17.Vergne.

It was the third race in succession that one of the Red Bulls had failed to get into Q3, last time out it had been Vettel.

Qualifying 3
In morning practice the Ferrari team had practiced giving each other slipstreaming tows to improve time and now they headed out on track to see if they could make it work when it really counted. Massa was the beneficiary first time round putting in a 1:24.436 for provisional pole, less than a tenth quicker than his Q2 time.

When it was Alonso's turn the following lap something went wrong, as he could only manage a 1:30.976 and headed back for the pits instead of continuing for another lap.

Jenson Button slotted into P2 behind Massa and then Lewis Hamilton took provisional pole with a 1:24.010. Vettel managed P4. These five cars would have two attempts at grabbing pole while Rosberg, Schumacher, Kobayashi, DiResta and Raikkonen would try once.

Rosberg came out for his lap and took P4 off Vettel and then team-mate Michael Schumacher showed that there is life in the old dog yet taking P4 off his team-mate.

Paul DiResta, fired up by his five-place grid penalty set the fastest Sector 1 time so far before slotting his Force India into a superb P2 - then it was McLaren time. DiResta's fastest first sector had been 27.2, both McLarens came through in 27.0.

The Ferraris were out again but although Massa was going quicker (without the tow this time) Alonso was well down on pace. Massa grabbed P2 off DiResta but his team leader could only manage P10. Hamilton failed to improve, but Button came through just a tenth off Hamilton to make it an all-McLaren front row.

Investigations later showed that it was a suspected broken anti-roll bar that cost Alonso time and although it can be fixed before the race, starting P10 is disastrous in a GP which has been won by the polesitter nine times out of the last ten.

Though Hamilton and Button will be pleased with their performance it is a long run down to the first corner and the fast-starting Felipe Massa (P3) still has every chance of leading the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix. However qualifying performance of the day came from Paul DiResta who would have been starting from P4 had it not been for a precautionary gearbox change from the team. With a lot of speed in the first sector, the Scot can make up places in the race tomorrow.

Vettel recovered to P6 and will start P5 after DiResta's move backwards , and Kimi Raikkonen will start from P7 with DiResta moving back to P9 ahead of Alonso. Thus providing us with a lot of championship action in the top 10 places.

Times
01. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.010
02. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.133 + 0.123
03. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m24.247 + 0.237
04. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m24.304 + 0.294
05. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m24.540 + 0.530
06. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m24.802 + 0.792
07. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.833 + 0.823
08. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m24.855 + 0.845
09. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.109 + 1.099
10. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m25.678 + 1.668
11. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m24.809 + 0.567
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m24.820 + 0.578
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.901 + 0.659
14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m25.042 + 0.800
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.312 + 1.070
16. Jerome d'Ambrosio Lotus-Renault 1m25.408 + 1.166
17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.441 + 1.199
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m26.382 + 2.207
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m26.887 + 2.712
20. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.039 + 2.864
21. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.073 + 2.898
22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m27.441 + 3.266
23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m27.629 + 3.454
24. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes

Source: Planet-F1

Vettel emotional after team member dies

A death inside dominant Formula 1 team Red Bull added to the emotion of Sebastian Vettel’s win at Monza recently, it has emerged.

As he closed almost definitively on his second consecutive title, the 24-year-old German cried on the podium in Italy, the scene of his first ever win three years ago.

“Yeah, very emotional,” he admitted afterwards.

At the time, however, Vettel did not mention that team members at Red Bull were grieving the recent loss of accounts staffer Erin Pezzella, who according to newspaper Express lost her battle with cancer during the Monza race week.

Pezzella was 31.

“She was with the team for four years,” confirmed team boss Christian Horner. “She lost a very brave fight against cancer and we would like to dedicate this result in her memory.”

Source: YallaF1

Vettel Takes A Dominant Italian GP Win

It took only five laps of the Italian GP before the winner was decided as Sebastian Vettel took the lead and pulled away from the field

A chaotic start, the result of Tonio Liuzzi touching the grass, sliding along it and rejoining the race sidewards in the middle of the field, put four drivers out of the grand prix before lap one was completed.

The Safety Car came out for two laps as marshals cleared the debris and for two more the tifosi had the chance to celebrate Fernando Alonso's P1 position.

However, the Spaniard was soon overtaken by Vettel in a very brave move and from there it was game over as the Red Bull driver extended his lead lap by lap.

He was given a helping hand by Michael Schumacher, who held up Lewis Hamilton for 28 laps in some great driving that was reminicent of the Schumacher of old. This allowed Button to catch Hamilton and overtake him. He also made short work of Schumacher, something Hamilton could not do.

But, once free of the Mercedes GP, who yielded and was not overtaken, Hamilton found his pace and began to chase down the podium.

Button meanwhile overtook Alonso for second and pulled away while in the latter stages of the race Hamilton was able to close up on Alonso. But, once again, he couldn't overtake.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h20:46.172
02. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 9.590
03. Alonso Ferrari + 16.909
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 17.471
05. Schumacher Mercedes + 32.677
06. Massa Ferrari + 42.993
07. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
08. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
09. Senna Renault + 1 lap
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
14. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
15. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps

Did Not Finish
Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 40
Perez Sauber-Ferrari 34
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 23
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 11
Webber Red Bull-Renault 6
D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 3
Petrov Renault 1
Rosberg Mercedes 1
Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso targets rostrum result at Monza, rules out win

Fernando Alonso: Fourth place is possibly my most common result in qualifying this season, so I definitely cannot be surprised at this performance. Usually, in the race we go better than in qualifying, therefore this grid position could provide the basis for a podium finish

Fernando Alonso has said it will be 'very difficult' for the Scuderia to win in Italy tomorrow, although after having qualified fourth, he believes a podium on home ground is a 'realistic target'.

Alonso, who had only been eighth in final practice this morning in his Ferrari, ran well throughout qualifying, posting the fourth best time in Q1 and the fifth best in Q2. In the end his best lap in the top-ten shoot-out was a 1 minute 22.841 seconds, which left him only around a tenth off the two McLarens ahead.

“Fourth place is possibly my most common result in qualifying this season, so I definitely cannot be surprised at this performance. Usually, in the race we go better than in qualifying, therefore this grid position could provide the basis for a podium finish, which is our realistic target for tomorrow afternoon,” Alonso said.

“Fighting for the win? I think it will be very difficult, even if this year's races have often thrown up surprises. I will try to make up some places at the start, which could make the race even more interesting.

“It was not easy to find the right balance on the car this weekend. We made a lot of changes to the set-up after each session and again this morning we were not satisfied. Then unexpectedly, in qualifying, the car improved and was more stable under braking and easier to drive, to the extent that we were always in the top four or five positions in each session.

“Clearly the higher temperatures helped, otherwise we would not be just a few hundredths off the McLarens, after being over two seconds away in Spa qualifying. We hope it will be equally hot tomorrow: it would be great to get a result to delight all our fans who will be in the grandstands.”

Team-mate Felipe Massa meanwhile, who had been third in final practice, had to settle for sixth on the grid. His best lap in Q3 was a 1 minute 23.888 seconds, which left him just over a second slower than Alonso.

“All things considered, it was a good qualifying, though definitely not an easy one, because we knew there were some very quick cars out there. The result is pretty much in line with our expectations going into the session,” Massa added. “We worked well, trying to fine tune the car in one session after the next.

“In Q3, on my final run, I had got a good tow behind Michael [Schumacher], but then, I pushed a bit too much and lost precious time at the second chicane and the Lesmo corner. Maybe I could have been one or two places further up, but definitely nothing more than that.

“Tomorrow, I expect the race will be very close and difficult and rear tyre degradation will be one of the key factors. As usual, strategy will be decisive and I hope I can do well. This is a very important event for Ferrari and we are keen to give our fans something to cheer about. The target? A place on the podium, but I know it will be very difficult.”

Source: Crash.net