Well-fought race earns Alonso Monza victory
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso of Spain answered the call of the tifosi last weekend with a glorious victory over the Gran Premio Santander D’Itali at Monza. Conquering McLaren’s Jenson Button after a hard-fought duel, the 2005-06 champion earned the first home win on the historic track for Ferrari since 2006, also claiming his third win of the season. Button followed in a close second, scoring his desired podium finish, with Alonso’s team-mate Felipe Massa trailing third and Red-Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finishing fourth.
Tifosi hero
As a jubilant Alonso was met with throngs of ecstatic Ferrari fans, the driver exclaimed, “It's something only really to compare with the Spanish Grand Prix victory in 2006. It is a very special win and very special feelings right now, difficult to express but a great feeling.”
Not only does this victory place him in third in the Driver’s Championship with 166 points, but it is also a personal win for Alonso, who scored at Monza in 2007 in a McLaren – a less endearing gesture towards the tifosi.
“In 2007 there were not very nice words because I was in McLaren fighting Ferrari,” reflected Alonso, according to BBC Sport. “But here now it is very different, this welcome and support by everyone is great and Felipe (Massa) and me, we had a fantastic weekend. I never imagined being at Ferrari would be so good. The integration with the team has been fantastic. The welcome by the team and the Italian fans has been much better than I ever dreamed.”
Death-duel with Button
Alonso, who had earned pole position with an impressive 1:21.962, had trouble holding back a defiant Button, who had stressed the need to finish on the podium in light of Spa’s accident in which the Briton was forced to retire after Vettel crashed into him. Button had the first place within his grasp, after starting second place on grid and then overtaking Alonso in the first chicane. This began a hot-tempered battle in which Button’s McLaren could barely keep the pace ahead of a fired-up Alonso, which came to its climax around Laps 36 and 37. Both drivers pitted and Alonso emerged ahead of Button by a mere 0.8 seconds, managing to keep him at bay in the first chicane, a just redemption for Button’s earlier pass.
Button explains, “It was quite a tough race mentally to have Fernando behind me for most of it, very mentally draining, and then we pitted one lap early. The team think the prime tyre was faster but for me I couldn't find the grip on the first lap. So we made a bit of a mistake there. I didn't have the pace I expected in the race - these guys [Alonso and Massa] were super-fast. We had a very quick car but I think these guys had a slight edge.”
Hamilton’s gamble results in lost points
McLaren faced a greater disappointment, however, when Lewis Hamilton, in pursuit of Massa, misjudged the driver’s position when trying to pass him, and ended up with a broken suspension via Massa’s rear wheel. A disappointed Hamilton, who was forced to retire, states, “I had a good start and gained a position. In a realistic world I perhaps should've stayed there a while. I put my car up the inside and tried to get third - it was obviously a little bit too much. I'm very disappointed in myself and sorry for the team.”
Yet Hamilton followed his disappointment with determination, promising to keep his thoughts on the title and perform better at the next grand prix. “I've got to try to collect my thoughts and move onto the next race. The championship is not over, but it's mistakes like I made today that lose world championships.”
Current standings
With Alonso’s victory, and Hamilton’s crash-out, the composition of the F1 standings has changed yet again, leaving the title completely open. Back in the lead is Red-Bull’s Mark Webber with 187 pts, followed by Hamilton with 182 pts, Alonso in third with 166 pts, Button in fourth with 165 pts, and Vettel with 163 pts.
The next Grand Prix takes place in Singapore during 24-26 September.
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