2011 Italian Grand Prix - Another cruise and collect for Vettel

UNEXPECTED: RBR's season domination continued at Monza

SEBASTIAN Vettel can mathematically become the youngest ever back-to-back Formula 1 world champion in a fortnight in Singapore after another flawless performance.  The German won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza today by a canter.  It was his eighth win of the season and he could have pitted, had a cigar and a cup of coffee and still exited in the lead.  That’s how dominant he was.  Despite being beaten off the line by a flying Fernando Alonso, the shorter gear ratio gamble that Vettel’s side of the Red Bull garage made yesterday paid off handsomely.  He used grass to re-pass Alonso after a brief Safety Car period and led afterwards throughout the final European race of the season.

     Having stormed to pole position by half a second yesterday on what was supposed to be Red Bull’s weakest circuit; Vettel made an average getaway and had to fend off Lewis Hamilton on the rundown to the tight first chicane.  However, Alonso, coming from fourth on the grid repeated his stunning start in Barcelona to lead the cars into the first corner.  However, there was carnage behind the leaders.  HRT’s Daniel Ricciardo failed to get off the grid, whilst Jerome D’Ambrosio clutch broke yards into the start of the race.  Seconds later, the second Hispania of Vitantonio Liuzzi got onto the grass and spun into the middle of the pack.  His car collected the unfortunate victims; Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg.  All three cars were eliminated, whilst Adrian Sutil, Kamur Kobayashi and Rubens Barrichello all picked up significant damage which ruined their afternoons.

CLASH: Webber clouts Massa, which ultimately ends his race

      Alonso led Vettel, Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa behind the Safety Car, but the Ferrari was simply no match for the Red Bull accelerating out of the chicanes.  On lap four, Vettel made his move stick at the second chicane, despite a robust defence from Alonso and drove into the distance.  A lap later, Mark Webber, who had passed Jenson Button off the restart, attempted the same crushing manoeuvre on Massa.  He hit the high kerbs in the first chicane, clouted Massa and spun the Ferrari around.  With the front wing buried underneath his aerodynamic floor, the Red Bull didn’t even bother turning into Parabolica and Webber went straight to the scene of the accident.  It is the first time since Korea 2010 that one of the Red Bull’s has failed to finish a Grand Prix.

     The main dice on the track was between former champions Michael Schumacher and Hamilton.  Schumacher had pounced on a sleepy Hamilton at the Safety Car restart and the Mercedes GP’s useful speed on the straights, combined with some cautious Hamilton driving kept the Brit frustrated for most of the day.  There were times when Schumacher moved across the track to defend his position more than once, with one instance leaving Hamilton on the grass at Curva Grande.  Button took advantage of the scrapping duo and he passed both cars in quick succession before the first tyre stops, to set off after Alonso.

      Having been warned by the FIA for his defensive driving tactics, Schumacher eventually gave best to Hamilton shortly after the first pitstops.  Button had a near-miss in the pits, when Rubens Barrichello almost squeezed him into the pitwall whilst making his second stop.  This minor delay meant he failed to clear Alonso, but the Ferrari struggled on cold hard tyres and Button pounced on the exit of the first chicane with 13 laps to go to claim second place.  In the closing stages, Hamilton closed right in on Alonso, but ran out of time and opportunity to make a pass stick.

      Whilst all the action was happening behind him, Vettel had a lonely run towards another victory, which now leaves him 112 points ahead of nearest rival Alonso.  He looked emotional on the podium, three years after winning here in a Toro Rosso, largely because Red Bull was expected to struggle around this racetrack.  15 seconds behind and Button finished an excellent second to continue his recent rich vein of form, whilst Alonso picked up the maximum available again, with a podium finish.  With Hamilton and Schumacher next up, it was the first ever race in world championship history that saw five world champions finish in the top five positions.  Massa had to settle for sixth, whilst Jaime Alguesuari collected yet more points for Toro Rosso in seventh place.  With Sergio Perez being ruled out by transmission problems, Paul di Resta finished a creditable eighth for Force India, with Bruno Senna and Sebastian Buemi taking the final points on offer.  For Senna, these were his first ever world championship points since making his Grand Prix debut last season for Hispania.

     So, the European season concludes with yet another Sebastian Vettel dominant performance.  He has the title in the bag now, and it only needs conformation.  If things go his way, it could be settled in a fortnight’s time.  Let’s hope F1 2011 can go out with a bang in the final six flyaway events of the season, beginning with the fourth night race in Singapore in two weeks.