Italian Grand Prix - Vettel Takes First Victory
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by: Henri Boulanger
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Word Count: 535
Inconsistency of the weather added to the intensity of the 2008 Italian Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel led from the pole and throughout the Monza circuit. In the end he finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen.
Vettel, a 21-year-old German, is the youngest ever F1 winner. That glory previously belonged to Fernando Alonso, when he won the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. Vettel is 73 days younger than Alonso was when he won that race. This was the team Toro Rosso's maiden win.
The soaked track in the beginning began drying as the rain stopped. The mixture of conditions required varying driving skills and decisions about tire changes, making this race more exciting and unpredictable than most. Each driver needed to use carefully calculated strategies to remain competitive.
Robert Kubica of BMW came from 11th place to finish in third. His one-stop strategy seemed to be the right one in the partially wet track. Hamilton was also impressive as he charged his way from 15th to seventh.
Vettel displayed cool and controlled driving maneuvers throughout the race. Early on he established a lead of more than 10 seconds as he left Kovalainen behind. Vettel made his first stop on lap 18. He controlled the race from that point on.
As the track dried out, Vettel changed to intermediate tyres at his second stop on lap 36. That decision allowed him to continue driving with the pace needed to enjoy the magnificent victory.
All the while Kovalainen drove a steady race behind him. Kubica made only one stop on lap 34. He switched to intermediate tyres and continued. That long stint before a stop turned out to be a great strategy as he moved into third place.
The third significant driver to switch tyres at the Italian Grand Prix was Alonso. He made his stop two laps after Red Bull's David Coulthard and a lap after BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld. Spain's double world champion finished fourth after an incredible effort in his Renault; Alonso was the first to congratulate Vettel after the race.
Hamilton appeared to be on course for a fantastic finish as he strategized his way from 15th to be second behind Vettel. On lap 27 the track was beginning to dry, but Hamilton decided not to take the gamble and switch tyres at that time. That decision resulted in another stop on lap 36 to change to intermediate tyres.
In the laps immediately after Hamilton's stop, he quickly closed in on Massa but then began dropping back because he was experiencing graining and the reduced grip would not allow him to drive as competitively as he wanted.
For Hamilton it was more important to defend himself from a challenging Webber than to try to wrest his way into sixth place. Webber finished in eighth place ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Heidfeld went on to finish ahead of Massa, Hamilton and Red Bull's Mark Weber, as he finished fifth.
Raikkonen started the race one place ahead of Hamilton on the grid, but his strategies proved less effective in carving his way up through the field. Raikkonen is now 21 points behind Hamilton.
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