2012 Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton races to victory at the Italian GP

Within a week of the Belgian GP which saw top runners Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton crashing out on the very first corner during the start, the Formula one circus moved to Ferrari’s stomping ground, Monza for the Italian GP.

This time around, both the drivers led a nearly incident-free race as Lewis Hamilton dominated throughout the whole weekend, eventually taking his maiden Italian GP win. Fernando Alonso meanwhile, taking the final podium spot after recovering from a disappointing qualifying session. The Spaniard had to make do with a lowly tenth position on the grid but after putting up an impressive performance on race day, Alonso concluded the race with a respectable third on the podium. 

With a 37 point lead over the race winner Lewis Hamilton, the Ferrari driver is comfortable heading the overall drivers’ standings. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez of Sauber also ended his rather mediocre weekend with a surprising second place finish, thanks to a clever tire strategy which saw him taking a single pit stop throughout the race. 

The venue also witnessed quite a lot of nail-biting action as Red Bull Racing duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel failed to make it to the chequered flag for the first time this season. Amongst rest of the top finishers, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa finally had a race to remember with a fourth spot finish.