Related News
Home » Sports » Motor Racing
Alonso gives Ferrari home GP victory
Source: Agencies |
September 13, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FERNANDO Alonso seized a longed-for victory in his first Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari yesterday while Lewis Hamilton lasted less than a lap and handed the championship lead back to Australian Mark Webber.
It was Ferrari's first Formula One win at its home circuit of Monza since Michael Schumacher's victory in 2006 and Alonso answered the fans' prayers despite being overtaken at the start by McLaren's world champion Jenson Button.
The two-time world champion's 24th career win tied him with Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina for eighth all-time.
Button, who led for more than half the race by little more than a second, finished runner-up after losing out at his pitstop after 36 of the 53 laps.
With Button's teammate Hamilton going out on the first lap, Red Bull's Webber surged five points clear despite finishing only sixth.
The top five are now separated by just 24 points, less than the 25 available for a victory, with everything to play for and five races remaining.
Webber has 187, Hamilton 182, Alonso 166, Button 165 and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel 163.
Button denied Ferrari a one-two finish, with Brazilian Felipe Massa joining teammate Alonso on the podium in third as a sea of red-shirted fans invaded the track in jubilation.
"This is a good motivation for all of us but the remaining five races are the really important ones," said Alonso, who started on pole position and had earlier described Monza as crucial to his hopes of a third title after he crashed in Belgium last month.
"We need to remain calm. This was a good weekend for us. Spa was a bad weekend. We need to find some consistency in the final races."
Massa had challenged Alonso at the start, a seemingly futile gesture for a driver ordered to let the Spaniard win in Germany, but his main contribution was to knock Hamilton out of the running at the Della Roggia chicane on the opening lap.
The two banged wheels in a risky bid by the 2008 champion for third place and Hamilton's front right suspension was broken by the impact.
Hamilton's retirement was his second in three races, although he won the previous race in Belgium, and his second in succession in Italy.
"The championship is not over but it's mistakes like I made today that lose world championships," the Briton told reporters. "It's my fault, I'll take the blame."
Vettel was fourth, leaving his pitstop to the last lap after earlier suffering an engine problem and slipping behind Webber.
He cut his deficit on Webber from 28 to 24 points, with his result demonstrating that Red Bull was in no mind for the "team orders" that led to Ferrari being hauled before the governing body last week.
Germany's Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes with compatriot Nico Hulkenberg seventh for Williams.
Poland's Robert Kubica was eighth for Renault with Schumacher ninth in a Mercedes and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, last year's winner for Brawn GP, taking the final point for Williams.
It was Ferrari's first Formula One win at its home circuit of Monza since Michael Schumacher's victory in 2006 and Alonso answered the fans' prayers despite being overtaken at the start by McLaren's world champion Jenson Button.
The two-time world champion's 24th career win tied him with Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina for eighth all-time.
Button, who led for more than half the race by little more than a second, finished runner-up after losing out at his pitstop after 36 of the 53 laps.
With Button's teammate Hamilton going out on the first lap, Red Bull's Webber surged five points clear despite finishing only sixth.
The top five are now separated by just 24 points, less than the 25 available for a victory, with everything to play for and five races remaining.
Webber has 187, Hamilton 182, Alonso 166, Button 165 and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel 163.
Button denied Ferrari a one-two finish, with Brazilian Felipe Massa joining teammate Alonso on the podium in third as a sea of red-shirted fans invaded the track in jubilation.
"This is a good motivation for all of us but the remaining five races are the really important ones," said Alonso, who started on pole position and had earlier described Monza as crucial to his hopes of a third title after he crashed in Belgium last month.
"We need to remain calm. This was a good weekend for us. Spa was a bad weekend. We need to find some consistency in the final races."
Massa had challenged Alonso at the start, a seemingly futile gesture for a driver ordered to let the Spaniard win in Germany, but his main contribution was to knock Hamilton out of the running at the Della Roggia chicane on the opening lap.
The two banged wheels in a risky bid by the 2008 champion for third place and Hamilton's front right suspension was broken by the impact.
Hamilton's retirement was his second in three races, although he won the previous race in Belgium, and his second in succession in Italy.
"The championship is not over but it's mistakes like I made today that lose world championships," the Briton told reporters. "It's my fault, I'll take the blame."
Vettel was fourth, leaving his pitstop to the last lap after earlier suffering an engine problem and slipping behind Webber.
He cut his deficit on Webber from 28 to 24 points, with his result demonstrating that Red Bull was in no mind for the "team orders" that led to Ferrari being hauled before the governing body last week.
Germany's Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes with compatriot Nico Hulkenberg seventh for Williams.
Poland's Robert Kubica was eighth for Renault with Schumacher ninth in a Mercedes and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, last year's winner for Brawn GP, taking the final point for Williams.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
