8 Memorable Moments From The Italian Grand Prix

We were treated to yet more thrilling, wheel-to-wheel racing in today’s Italian Grand Prix at the iconic Monza circuit. Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious, despite a problem at the start, and took advantage of a mistake mid-way through the race by his team-mate Nico Rosberg.

The German eventually took the chequered flag 3.1 seconds behind Hamilton. Felipe Massa returned to form in third place, with Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo putting in impressive drives to fourth and fifth. Here are eight memorable moments:

1. A strange start

Hamilton lined up on pole position but a problem at the start saw him drop to fourth on the long run to the first corner. Bottas also suffered a bad launch from the grid, falling from third to 10th, while Kevin Magnussen jumped from fifth to second.

2. Up in the air

Max Chilton made an early exit from the race after a clumsy error on lap six. He jumped over the kerbs at the second chicane, launching his car up into the air, before hitting the wall. The Brit was okay after the bumpy ride, but a little winded.

3. A costly error

Rosberg locked up at the first chicane and used the escape road on lap nine, but held onto the lead. However, after his first pit stops, he dramatically made the same error and dropped behind Hamilton, losing the lead.

4. Alonso out

At Ferrari’s home race and in front of the fanatical Tifosi, Fernando Alonso retired from the race with an ERS failure on lap 28. It was his first DNF since the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix and ended his run of consecutive points finishes. It was also his first Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari that he failed to finish on the podium.

5. Battling it out

Once again this season, we witnessed some incredible battles, particularly in the midfield. Bottas and Ricciardo put in great recovery drives to move up the order, slamming home some strong overtakes. The latter enjoyed a fantastic battle with his team-mate, Sebastien Vettel, with Button and Perez also fighting closely.

6. A close call

Daniil Kvyat was closing in on Kimi Raikkonen when he lost control under braking for the first chicane with two laps to go, and was forced to use the escape road. It was caused by a brake disc failure and he limped home in 11th place, after starting from 21st on the grid.

7. Hamilton takes the chequered flag

After 53 laps of action, Hamilton crossed the finish line 3.1 seconds ahead of Rosberg to secure his first win since Silverstone and sixth of the season. It was a great drive from the Brit, but his team-mate’s mid-race error probably cost us a fantastic battle for the lead.

8. Some stunning drives

There were plenty of great drives up and down the field. Massa returned to the podium with a quiet but strong run to third, with Bottas recovering from his poor first lap to fourth. Ricciardo impressed after also recovering lost ground from a messy start, finishing fifth.