Italian Grand Prix 2015 - Race Analysis. Raikkonen mistake costs Ferrari win at Monza.

The Italian Grand Prix was run yesterday over 53 laps and it saw pole sitter Lewis Hamilton once again take top spot on the podium. It was a relatively boring race compared to the likes of Hungary and Silverstone, but still a classic Monza race that we won't forget. It saw everything from first lap incidents, last lap retirements and all the chaos in between.

The Ferrari fans had lined the stands cheering on Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen who had qualified very highly and looked strong contenders for a win. But it turned out it wasn't there day as when the lights went green Kimi Raikkonen failed to get off the grid and remained stationary for a few seconds before pulling away. The damage had been done though and Raikkonen dropped to 20th by turn 1.

The Ferrari fans showed there amazing support for there local heros.

The cars piled into the first chicane and Lotus continued to have there knack for first lap incidents as Grosjean was tapped and his rear suspension broken forcing him to retire, whilst Maldonado didn't make the corner and went over the rumble strip which snapped the floor of his car in two also forcing him to retire. The double DNF was made worst because it allowed Force India to have an easy shot at regaining 5th back in the constructors.

Lotus scored 0 points as both cars retired on Lap 1

By the end of the first lap Hamilton had pulled away from Vettel followed by Massa, Bottas, Rosberg and Perez.

Except for Kimi Raikkonen making his way through the field the order changed little till the first pit stops which started around lap 19 as most teams opted for the one stop strategy. The biggest change in position was Nico Rosberg who tried the undercut on the Williams of Massa and Bottas. Williams reacted by boxing Massa the next lap but the damage was done and Rosberg jumped both drivers in the process.

Hamilton continued to pull away from Vettel and was looking like making a 20 second gap. Rosberg began to slowly close down Vettel in 2nd.

Toward the end of the race things got much more exciting. Firstly about 15 laps from the end Nico Hulkenberg was in 7th and was complaining of lack of rear grip and traction. He was under pressure from Marcus Ericcson and Daniel Ricciardo and Force India considered a two stop but ultimately decided against it and it didn't lose anything as Hulkenberg held off both drivers till the end.

Then about 5 laps from the end Lewis Hamilton's engineer (Peter Bonnington) came on the radio and asked Lewis to "push really hard,  and don't ask why". It perplexed all the viewers and the only thing Martin Brundle could think of in the com box was a potential slow puncture and Mercedes wanted the 25 second gap to make a pit stop. It wasn't explained to the end of the race when it was discovered the tire pressure had dipped below optimal and Mercedes were considering a precautionary pit stop to stop the chance of a puncture. Mercedes (as well as Ferrari) were summoned to the stewards after the race concerning low tire pressure but no further action was taken.

Then in the other Mercedes just a few laps from the end, Nico Rosberg's engine gave a cough, and another cough and then caught fire as he pulled off to the side of the second chicane. He retired from the race and lost 25 points in the championship to Lewis Hamilton and now only a 21 point gap between himself and Sebastian Vettel in third. This retirement promoted Felipe Massa back to 3rd and Valtteri Bottas was still right behind him in 4th. A good battle for the last spot on the podium began and team orders didn't intervene.

Nico Rosberg retired from the race with just a few laps left.

Lastly it was more bad luck for McLaren as they lost Fernando Alonso just a few laps from the end, especially after a good battle between himself and Button was brewing up, it was disappointing. But McLaren should be pleased they managed to run most of the Grand Prix without problem.

This was the ending race order:

1) Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
2) Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari + 25.042s
3) Felipe Massa - Williams-Mercedes + 47.635s
4) Valtteri Bottas - Williams-Mercedes + 47.996s
5) Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari + 68.860s
6) Sergio Perez - Force India-Mercedes + 72.783s
7) Nico Hulkenberg - Force India-Mercedes + 1 LAP
8) Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull-Renault + 1 LAP
9) Marcus Ericcson - Sauber-Ferrari + 1 LAP
10) Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull-Renault + 1 LAP
11) Carlos Sainz - Toro Rosso-Renault + 1 LAP
12) Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso-Renault + 1 LAP
13) Felipe Nasr - Sauber-Ferrari + 1 LAP
14) Jenson Button - McLaren-Honda + 1 LAP
15) Will Stevens - Manor-Marussia + 2 LAPS
16) Roberto Merhi - Manor-Marussia + 2 LAPS
17) Nico Rosberg - Mercedes DNF
18) Fernando Alonso - McLaren-Honda DNF
19) Romain Grosjean - Lotus-Mercedes DNF
20) Pastor Maldonado - Lotus-Mercedes DNF

The next race on the calender is the much loved Singapore Grand Prix which is held under lights on a tight and twisty street circuit. It saw last years turning point in the season where Hamilton gained the lead in the championship. The Singapore Grand Prix will take place from 18th of September to 20th of September. See you then!

Round 13 heads to Singapore!

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