Formula 1: Italian GP Overview

Hamilton and Massa duel for the lead on the first lap

Lewis Hamilton turned his poor luck from Spa around in order to seal his first Italian GP win and his third win of the year, in a race that was a wheel of fortune for many of the championship contenders.

Hamilton on the podium post-race

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez would have been stood beyond the confines of La Source bemoaning their luck at that first corner crash, whilst their rivals went on the score those oh so vital World Championship points. For that reason then, it seemed especially apt that the three innocent victims of Romain Grosjean's misdemeanour's went on to make up the Italian Grand Prix's podium finishers.

Hamilton's start was relatively clean and he was able to cover off a fast starting Felipe Massa with relative ease. The Brazilian had capitalised on a slow start from Jenson Button to separate the two McLaren's going into the first corner. It was a promising start from Felipe but he was relegated to fourth by the end of the race by Sergio and Fernando.

For Hamilton, it was a series of impressive laps in the opening stint that saw him open up a considerable lead and control the race from there. It was a third successive dominant win for McLaren, showing just how far the team has come since that mid-season lapse in form. That their car performed as well at Monza as it had in both Spa and Hungaroring demonstrates how formidable the team should be going into the final stretch of races.

Hamilton's third win of the year gives him the momentum to close on Alonso in the standings. It was however surprising to see in Monza that Ferrari had a car capable of matching McLaren. Had Alonso started closer to Hamilton, maybe it wouldn't have been as straight forward for the Briton as it was. This pace from Ferrari was showcased by Fernando as he scythed his way through the field from 10th; passing di Resta, Rosberg and Kobayashi on Lap 1, Raikkonen on Lap 2 and Schumacher on Lap 6. We should see a strong performance from Fernando in Singapore.

Vettel and Alonso follow Schumacher into Parabolica

It was Alonso's pass on Vettel that was one of the talking points of the race. In a role-reversal of 2011, Alonso made to pass Vettel around the outside of the Curva Grande, only to find Seb force him off the circuit and onto the gravel. It was a close-call; had Vettel purely not left Alonso room, or had he simply not known Alonso was closing as fast as he was? The stewards settled on the former, handing Seb what was, in my mind, a fairly harsh drive-through penalty.

His punishment was rendered purely academic by the end of the race however; Seb suffered his third alternator failure of the year and had to park his Red Bull on the grass for the second time in three days. Luck has not been on Seb's side at points through 2012, much in the same way as his rivals. Each contender has had their own share of poor luck, each costly in their own way. He'll bounce back, but he'll be frustrated to have lost 2nd place in the Championship to Hamilton and vital points to both Alonso and Raikkonen. If Seb does go onto win this years title, it'll be without a doubt his hardest fought and his most worthy.

Misfortune also befell Jenson Button and Mark Webber. For JB, it was a fuel pick-up problem that cost him a possible podium (and championship momentum) whilst for Webber it was a massive slide on the exit of Ascari that flat-spotted his tyres and forced retirement. Mark has only scored 16 points since winning in Britain, something he'll need to rectify if he seriously harbours hopes of becoming Australia's first World Champion since Alan Jones.

The surprise of the day was the impressive pace of Sauber's Sergio Perez. Mid-way through the race, Sergio has even Martin Brundle and David Croft bemused at his odd strategic calls. He stayed out longer than anyone on the harder compound tyre and when he later bolted on the option tyre, he reeled in and passed Raikkonen, Massa and Alonso. Had the race gone on for longer, he may have had the pace to catch and pass Lewis - impressive stuff from the young Mexican.

The crowd flood the circuit after the race

Mercedes had both of their cars finish in the points - 6th and 7th for Schumacher and Rosberg respectively. Food for thought then, for Lewis Hamilton, whom has been linked with the German outfit mercilessly in the past week. If Lewis is true to his word as desires to win more than anything, maybe making a move to Merc isn't such a wise choice. McLaren have unparalleled aero and in-season development, something Merc have seriously struggled with in 2012.

Raikkonen had a quiet race, clocking in 5th by the chequered flag. It's another in a long line of consistent results that keeps him in the hunt. Elsewhere, di Resta also had a positive race by finishing 8th whilst Kobayashi was a little outshone by Perez, finishing 9th. Kamui's poor race was emphasised by the fact Sergio qualified behind him. Reports that his seat is under threat are justified; Sergio has 3 podiums to his name this year whilst Kamui has none. He'll be hoping to pick it up in the final 8 races.

Monza then served up a classic race in what is now, in my mind, the best F1 season in my lifetime (that's 19 years y'all), if not ever. Always keeping us guessing, the 2012 F1 season ain't going to be over until Brazil, and with 5-6 drivers still in the hunt, there's no telling who'll be crowned Champion. Bring on Singapore.