The perfect weekend for Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix was capped off with a win and control over the F1 championship lead on Sunday.
It is rare for the perfect racing weekend to come together for a driver, much less in the ever-challenging Formula One world championship. But on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton put all four wheels in the right place, and cruised away to win at Monza, taking the championship points lead with him.
Hamilton, who scorched his way to the pole in the wet on Saturday, now holds a three-point title lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel heading to Singapore. The race win was almost never in doubt for the former world champion, cruising away from Williams rookie Lance Stroll on the start. It was a crushing loss for Ferrari, who was racing at home, to see their chief championship adversary roll to the top step of the podium.
Valtteri Bottas would recover from a difficult qualifying run in the wet on Saturday to finish second, securing yet another Mercedes 1-2 finish. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel would round out the podium, minimizing the damage to his championship run as the field prepares for the last night race of the season. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finished out the top 5.
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Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll, who wowed the field with their prowess in the wet conditions on Saturday, would lose spots to the more experienced runners, but still brought home their rides in 6th and 7th place, respectively. Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez finished as the last two cars on the lead lap, with Max Verstappen recovering from a punctured tire to take the last points paying spot.
Here are the full race results from the Italian Grand Prix:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Daniel Ricciardo, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Esteban Ocon, Mercedes, Force India
- Lance Stroll, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Sergio Perez, Mercedes, Force India
- Max Verstappen, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Kevin Magnussen, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Daniil Kvyat, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, Renault Sport
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Romain Grosjean, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Pascal Wehrlein, Ferrari, Sauber
- Fernando Alonso, Honda, McLaren
- Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari, Sauber
- Stoffel Vandoorne, Honda, McLaren
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, Renault Sport
The next race for the Formula One world championship comes in two weeks time from the streets of Singapore. It is the final night race of the 2017 season for the best open-wheel drivers in the world, so who conquer the night in Asia? Coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix can be seen on NBCSN on Sunday, September 17.