Fernando
Alonso produced a stunning drive to give Ferrari its
first win on home turf since 2006 and to add to the
delight for the thousands of tifosi who filled
the grandstands opposite the podium, Felipe Massa made
it onto the last step of the podium as he took a third
place finish. McLaren’s Jenson Button joined them for
the obligatory champagne spraying having come home
second. This great performance is not only the perfect
way to end the European leg of the season, but it also
reignites the Scuderia’s fight for the championship
titles, as Fernando is now third in the Drivers’ table,
just 21 points, or less than one race win, behind the
leader, while in the Constructors’ Ferrari is still
third, but the gap to the leaders has now come down to
60 points.
Although Fernando had the advantage of being on pole
position and made a good start, it was not as good as
Jenson Button’s, who managed to muscle past to take the
lead going into the first chicane. Indeed, for a moment,
even Felipe pulled alongside his team-mate, before
slipping behind him down the straight. At this point,
Lewis Hamilton pushed his McLaren alongside the
Brazilian and the two cars touched: fortunately the F10
was able to continue, but the Englishman’s race was over
due to broken suspension.
The leading trio, who appeared to be tied together with
an invisible thread, then gradually pulled away from the
rest of the field, with Fernando right on Button’s
gearbox for much of the race and Felipe close behind,
with the three men trading fastest race laps. By lap 20,
Felipe’s advantage over fourth placed Nico Rosberg in
the Mercedes was almost eleven seconds. With the top
three men all so close, the one and only pit stop to
switch from the soft to the hard tyre was evidently
going to be the key moment of the race. It was the
Englishman who came in first, and when Fernando came in
on lap 37, the Scuderia pit crew pulled off the fastest
wheel change of the day. It was a heart-stopping moment
as Fernando rumbled down pit lane, as Button rushed down
the main straight, but the Spaniard just had the edge,
the two men almost side by side through the first
chicane. Felipe came in next time round and maintained
his third place.
For the rest of the 53 lap race, the lead trio again
stayed in close contact, but not enough for the
positions to change, while there were several good
scraps lower down the order. Finishing just off the
podium was Sebastian Vettel in fourth place for Red
Bull, who instigated the unusual strategy of bringing
him into the pits for his compulsory tyre change on the
very last lap. Behind the German, the rest of the points
went to Rosberg in fifth, then Webber, Hulkenberg,
Kubica, Schumacher and Barrichello in tenth.
This was win number 213
from 807 grand prix participations for the Scuderia, the
eighteenth in the Italian Grand Prix. For Fernando, it
was win number twenty four in Formula 1, his second at
the Monza circuit.
Luca di Montezemolo: “This is a very
special day for me, and one that involves contrasting
and very strong emotions. There is the delight for such
a great win, which I want to dedicate to all our fans. I
am proud of what the Scuderia has done, both on the
track this weekend and back in the factory: it is an
extraordinary job. They delivered perfectly, proving to
be the sort of people who never give up. For this, I
wish to thank Stefano Domenicali and all his colleagues
and the drivers – Fernando was brilliant, taking pole
yesterday and now the win today while Felipe got a very
nice podium finish. But there is also the pain at the
loss of a friend, Pietro Calabrese, a great journalist
and a fan of ours, and so this victory is also dedicated
to him.”
Stefano Domenicali: “This victory was a
team effort, which came at the end of a very busy week,
which culminated this afternoon. It was fantastic to be
on the podium, singing the national anthem along with
all our fans: it’s the sort of feeling that gives you
goose bumps! It was an extremely close race from the
first to the last lap, fighting against a very strong
opponent. The win has come at just the right time and at
the right place. It is the result of all the work from
the Gestione Sportiva and our technical and commercial
partners, first and foremost, Philip Morris, Santander
and Shell, who always provide us with vital support.
This season continues to throw up surprises: after the
knock back in Spa, it might have looked as though we had
had it, but we were not ready to think that way. We have
always said we are not the sort to throw in the towel.
Now the championship situation has opened up again, even
if we are still up against very strong opposition. We
will enjoy this victory for one night and from tomorrow
morning we will be back at work, preparing down to the
smallest detail for the next of these finals, namely the
one in Singapore.”
Fernando Alonso: “Winning at Monza at
the wheel of a Ferrari is something special, which can
only stand comparison to when I won in front of my home
crowd in Barcelona in 2006. Being on the podium was an
incredible feeling: what a sea of people, so many flags!
I was stunned by the emotion from the fans, right from
the first moment they got here on Thursday. I wish to
dedicate this victory to them and to the passion that
characterises all Ferrari fans. I got a reasonably good
start, but Jenson’s was definitely better and more
effective. I tried to attack him at the first corner but
I did not manage it and there were some very exciting
moments, when I collided with him and with Felipe. I was
worried there might be some damage, but fortunately
everything was fine. I could always keep up with Jenson:
we were working out what might be the best strategy,
then he pitted and it was obvious then that I should do
one more lap. The pit stop was super: we gained the
tenths that made the difference. Today, it was the
mechanics who won the race and they produced a real
miracle. The whole team was fantastic as was the car.
Now we have updates coming for Singapore, but it will
not be easy to continue to improve, because we also need
to start thinking about 2011. We have to stay focussed
and do our best. We cannot allow ourselves the slightest
mistake, because we are still behind, but we have
definitely taken a good step forward today.”
Felipe Massa: “It was a great day for
the team, with a super result in our home race. I got a
good start and maybe I might have made up a place, but I
did not have good traction coming out of the second
corner. Then I felt a knock and it was Hamilton who had
hit into the side of my car: fortunately no damage was
done. All race long the car worked very well and I was
always competitive. The pit stop was not perfect and
maybe the time lost there cost me second place. All the
same, it was really nice to be on the podium: seeing all
the people underneath it was incredible, with the whole
straight packed with fans. It was a special feeling,
especially as I feel I am part Italian. I am happy for
the team and for our home crowd. Now there is much work
ahead of us to prepare for the coming races, starting
with Singapore. It won’t be easy, but we are up for it.
Personally, I will continue to fight for the wins and
for the good of the team.”
Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result for the
team. We had a difficult weekend, a fortnight ago in
Belgium, but after that everyone put in 110% effort to
make up for it and be as well prepared as possible for
this race. Everyone gave their all, on the track and at
home over the past three days, starting with the
drivers. It was not easy, as we had to adopt choices
that were far from obvious, especially in terms of
aerodynamic downforce and the set-up of the car. Then
yesterday, Fernando produced a masterpiece in
qualifying, which put us in the best possible shape to
go after the win. There was a tense moment at the start
and on the opening lap, but after that, we knew we had
to wait and stop after our rivals to make up ground. We
did just that, thanks to a combination of a perfect lap
from Fernando and the fact the mechanics did an
exceptional job in the pit stop. Felipe also drove a
great race and it was nice to see both our drivers on
the podium here in Monza. We know that if we can manage
a perfect performance in the next five races, then we
have a chance of winning.”
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