Lewis Hamilton storms to Italian Grand Prix win and takes drivers' championship lead for first time

For Lewis Hamilton, this felt like the moment that everything changed. Here at Monza, the temple of speed that represents consecrated ground for the teeming swarms of Ferrari tifosi, he achieved a victory so crushing that it turned this season’s world championship fight on its head.

In arrears to Sebastian Vettel all year, he vanquished his arch-rival by over 36 seconds to surge three points clear. As plumes of lurid red smoke engulfed the back straight, he offered the broad smile of a man quite happy, for once, to play the pantomime villain.

“Beast mode all the way,” Hamilton said, after becoming the first driver in 2017 to record back-to-back wins. After dominating on a circuit where almost 80 per cent of race distance is taken at full throttle, he intends, to use one of his favourite expressions, to keep the hammer down. Even from pole, he had expected Vettel’s Ferrari to be swarming in his rear-view mirrors, but he turned on the afterburners to stunning effect in this reassertion of Mercedes supremacy.

From a rain-lashed qualifying to a race staged in the seductive glow of late summer in Lombardy, Hamilton stood supreme all weekend, irrespective of conditions. Having enjoyed three weeks of down-time in Cuba and Barbados, he has returned to the Formula One grindstone revitalised, determined to give no quarter. His stated mission to turn Vettel’s smile upside down has worked. The German, for all the love that washes over Ferrari’s No 1 driver at the Italian Grand Prix, appeared chastened by the scale of his eclipse in third.

Hamilton, whose artistic impulses led him last week to compose a poem in Princess Diana’s memory, claimed that he had “Still I Rise” – the title of a book by Maya Angelou, and the same words tattooed across the top of his back – in his head as he screened out the boos from Ferrari disciples after the race. Every aspect of his demeanour screamed defiance. It has been a year since he last led the championship outright, and he acknowledged it was an “empowering feeling”.

Valtteri Bottas, as ever, provided the ablest supporting role, cruising to a ninth podium finish that cemented a Mercedes one-two. It was all eerily reminiscent of 2015 and 2016, when this silver bullet of a car beat the field by yawning margins. The outstanding racer of the day, though, was Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who propelled himself from 16th on the grid to finish fourth, thanks to a series of sumptuous overtakes. There were none better than the Australian’s audacious lunge on Kimi Raikkonen into the Rettifilo chicane, which he timed to perfection.

It was all a lonely affair for Vettel, who never looked like mustering the pace to reel in the Mercedes pair. Ferrari’s resurgence has been curiously quelled here, although their cars’ superiority on higher-downforce circuits offers the chance of a riposte in Singapore in a fortnight’s time. Vettel, always the perfectionist, did not seek to play down the challenge ahead. “The spirit is there, we just need to keep it up,” he said. “It’s a journey, so we’ll see where it takes us. The team has come a long way from where it was three years ago, but we are nowhere near satisfied. At Ferrari, we need to be at the front.”

Usually an emotional flat-liner, Vettel was visibly moved by the ecstatic Monza reception he received. “I’m still fairly overwhelmed by the lap back to the pits,” he said, as the back straight was flooded with fans, unfurling giant red flags and streamers in the green, red and white of Italy’s Il Tricolore. “It’s just amazing, the power of the people here.” He even wrested control of the nearest television camera so that he could capture the scene.

And yet the deeper satisfaction belonged to Hamilton. From the moment he surged off the line, streaking clear of Williams’ Lance Stroll, his unexpected companion on the front row, he made this a warp-speed procession. There was the briefest of wobbles on lap 19, when he skimmed the edge of the gravel at Roggia, but otherwise he described this performance as “98 per cent perfect”.  

In the circumstances, he could tolerate the Italian jeers that came his way. “Some days, I am really happy to be the villain,” Hamilton said. “I just try to remain respectful and to admire the passion. They seem a little bit more like football fans – the aggressive ones – but it is all in the name of love for the red car.”

Whether it was the exotic foray he enjoyed last month to Cuba and Barbados, or the down-time he spent recently with his mother and sister, Hamilton exuded a sense of rejuvenation. He is at his best when he is at his calmest, and it is not to shake the sense, ahead of the final seven grands prix, that the stars are aligning in his favour. There is, for example, none of the psychological needling that defined his dynamic with Nico Rosberg. In Bottas, he has a team-mate who is a willing understudy, and in Toto Wolff a team principal who heralds him, justly, as the finest driver in modern F1.

At last, that edge is mirrored in the numbers. As the European campaign ends, ready for the glittering night lights of Singapore, the tale of the tape reads: Hamilton 238, Vettel 235. It is an advantage that Hamilton, in this mood, will obsessively refuse to relinquish.

2:44PM

Updated championship standings

2:43PM

Sensational Ricciardo

How long until he enters that "top bracket" of drivers? You could make a serious case for him already being there, given this season's performances. He drove from P16 on the grid to P4 and within touching distance of a podium today. Some brilliant and bold overtaking moves in there, too. 

2:39PM

Vettel thanks the Tifosi

He speaks fluently in Italian to them and they love it. He seems optimistic about the rest of the season, but then he might. 

"We didn't have the pace of the leading two drivers today. I know that we have a very strong car and we will have a very, very strong end to the season." They were over 30 seconds behind both Mercedes cars today, though. 

2:35PM

Hamilton gets a frosty reception

A few more jeers for Hamilton as he's interviewed on the podium. 

"Mercedes power is definitely better than Ferrari power, so it worked well this weekend," he says in response. 

2:33PM

A delighted Mercedes team

2:31PM

Lewis Hamilton takes the top step

A few boos here and there greet him, but nothing major. Vettel gets a big cheer from the adoring Tifosi below. Not a great weekend but there's still plenty of time to go and Spa and Monza were always expected to favour Mercedes. 

2:29PM

The top 10

2:25PM

Hamilton into the championship lead

That's another win at Monza for Lewis Hamilton. More importantly, it means he leads the championship for the first time this season.  Max Verstappen closes out the points in P10, a great drive considering his earlier collision. 

2:22PM

Vettel finishes third

Some close running in the midfield through the last few corners there. The Mercedes cars cruise around Monza side-by-side. Vettel takes the final podium place. He waves to the Tifosi but he'll be disappointed today. Still, P3 was realistically the best he could have done. 

2:19PM

Lewis Hamilton wins the Italian Grand Prix

He takes the championship lead. A Mercedes 1-2 on Ferrari's home turf. Great performance. 

2:18PM

Final lap!

Ricciardo looks to have run out of laps to pass Vettel. Hamilton has driven faultlessly today and Bottas has done a decent job, too. Vettel just hasn't had the pace today. 

2:17PM

Lap 51 of 52

Ricciardo now within five seconds of Vettel. I think he could run out of laps here. Alonso instructed to park the car, Ericsson likewise. 

Top 10 as follows: 1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Vettel, 4. Ricciardo, 5. Raikkonen, 6. Ocon, 7. Stroll, 8. Massa, 9. Perez, 10. Verstappen. 

2:14PM

That bold move from Ricciardo

2:13PM

Five laps to go

Hamilton's gap is up to 4.4 seconds over Bottas. That should be that for first and second. Ricciardo now within 5.5 seconds of Vettel. Does he have enough time to catch him and get past?

2:10PM

Lap 47 of 53

Max Verstappen is on the charge. He takes P10 from Kevin Magnussen at the first chicane before Magnussen fights back at the second. The Dane then misses the turn! "What is he doing pushing me off the track?" he says to his engineers. Looked firm but fair to me. Verstappen was ahead. Max into the points. 

2:06PM

Lap 44 of 53

Hamilton complains of losing power on the last lap. It doesn't look too bad the next lap. His lead is down to 3.5 seconds. Ricciardo now within 9.6 of Vettel. Here's a head-to-head between the two today. 

2:03PM

Ricciardo takes Raikkonen for P4!

He sends a move down the inside at the first chicane from a long way back. He makes it stick despite a huge lockup. Next up is Vettel in the other Ferrari, eleven seconds up the road. What chances a podium for the Honey Badger?

2:01PM

Lap 40 of 53

Hamilton increases his lead to five seconds over his team-mate. Ricciardo is only 1.4 behind Raikkonen and on fresher and quicker supersofts. Stroll is down in P7 followed by Massa, Perez and Magnussen in P10. The Williams cars getting close to one another now. 

1:59PM

Ricciardo pits

Great stop from the Red Bull team and the Australian comes out in P5. What a drive so far. Next up for Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso again asks his team where Palmer is. When he is told the news that the Renault is out he simply responds with "karma". Not the best of friends, those two. 

1:56PM

Lap 36 of 53

Bottas sets the fastest lap of the race in P2 with a 1:24.3 but Hamilton instantly beats it with a 1:24.0 to increase his lead to 3.7 seconds. 

1:54PM

Vandoorne retires

The Belgian is shown going very slowly into Parabolica and he's advised to retire the car. That ends a six-race finishing streak. He remains on one point in the championship. 

1:52PM

Fastest sectors today

1:50PM

Lap 33 of 53

Hamilton follows the Ferrari's lead to pit at the end of lap 32. The Brit gets out ahead of a lapped Alonso in P15. A 2.5 second stop for Hamilton. Perez also stops and comes out in P9 ahead of Vandoorne. 

1:49PM

Lap 32 of 53

Vettel is the first of the frontrunners to pit. He gets out ahead of Sergio Perez, just. Ahead of them are two scrapping Saubers, who are not averse to a bit of argy-bargy on track. 

1:48PM

Palmer retires

A dreadful weekend among a season of dreadful weekends for Jolyon Palmer. His team instruct him to box the car to retire. That's his fourth DNF this season. He didn't even start at Silverstone, mind. 

1:46PM

Lap 29 of 53

None of the top five have yet stopped. Here's the current top ten. 

1:42PM

Lap 26 of 53

Well, we can't complain about lack of overtaking today. There has been plenty of it, mostly on and around the main straight. Raikkonen gets Ocon to move into P6 in the very same place. Bottas is just under five seconds behind Hamilton, Vettel a further 17 behind the Finn.  That's not good. 

1:39PM

Lap 25 of 53

Massa takes P9 from Stoffel Vandoorne and the Belgian tries to come back at him around Curva Grande but fails. Hamilton will soon be lapping Verstappen in P17. 

1:36PM

Red Bulls flying...

1:34PM

Lap 22 of 53

A nice little battle is forming for P7 between Ocon, Raikkonen, Vandoorne and Stroll. Massa pits for soft compound tyres and comes out in P10, behind the emerging P7 fight. 

1:33PM

Lap 20 of 53

Hamilton runs slightly wide but he's increased his lead to 4.6 seconds over Bottas. Alonso says Palmer's five-second penalty is "a joke". Palmer is currently 4.9 seconds ahead of the McLaren man in P12.

1:30PM

Penalty for Palmer

Palmer is given a five-second time penalty for that incident with Alonso at the second chicane. Stroll has a very slow stop and comes out in P11 behind Raikkonen and Ocon. Williams normally super-fast at those stops but not today. 

1:28PM

Lap 17 of 53

Ricciardo takes Perez for P6. Ocon pits and resumes in P10 behind Vandoorne. Raikkonen also stops before Ocon but has trouble with the front left and the undercut doesn't work. He's in P11. 

1:25PM

Alonso unhappy with Palmer

The McLaren and Renault almost come together (again) and Palmer cuts the chicane. Alonso wants the place back. A few minutes later and the Spaniard is on the radio saying pointedly that "these upshifts are killing our race". 

1:23PM

Lap 13 of 53

Raikkonen in P6 is given orders to speed up but is struggling with the handling. Stroll in P5 is closing on the Force India of Ocon but isn't quite close enough to pass at the first chicane. Raikkonen is closing up on them rapidly. 

1:20PM

Two into one doesn't go

Here's a photo of that collision which warranted no further action. Max could well be Mad Max now. 

1:17PM

Lap 10 of 53

In comes Nico Hulkenberg for a scheduled stop. No further action to be taken on the collision between Massa and Verstappen, though. Verstappen last in P20. 

1:16PM

Lap 8 of 53

Vettel sails past Ocon and into P3. He's currently 6.1 seconds behind leader Hamilton. Bottas in P2, having just set the fastest lap of the race. Raikkonen missed the first chicane a couple of laps ago and has asked his team if he has any damage. 

1:14PM

Dodgems at the start

Looking at a replay and there's quite a lot of contact there, Massa hitting a Force India and a few other cars getting friendly with each other. 

1:13PM

Lap 6 of 53

And here's the top six. Vettel moved ahead of Stroll, quite easily. Grosjean pitted for a new front wing after contact with Daniel Ricciardo at the turn 1. 

1:09PM

Lap 4 of 53

Bottas moves into P2, taking Ocon well before the first chicane. Verstappen, meanwhile, is not happy with the contact from Massa. The Ferraris were getting close to one another before Vettel makes it through into P5, just behind Stroll. Verstappen changes his front wing. 

1:07PM

Bottas takes Stroll

Bottas puts a move on Lance Stroll to take P3 with the aid of DRS. Verstappen and Massa in P7 and P8 seem to have contact in the first corner. And yes, there was contact, Verstappen's front right in quite a state. 

1:05PM

Lap 2 of 53

Bottas takes Raikkonen on the outside through the parabolica! Kimi comes back down the main straight but Bottas keeps the place. Brave stuff. 

1:04PM

Lights out!

And they're away! Hamilton gets away well and is first into the chicane, Ocon takes second from Stroll. Raikkonen and Bottas get close going round curva grande before Raikkonen gets through.

1:01PM

Formation lap

Everyone makes it away cleanly, though Alonso is a bit slow to get away. As predicted, they are all on the softs or supersofts. Everyone has a stack of tyres to use, though, after a wet qualifying. 

12:56PM

Four minutes to go...

Will Hamilton make it cleanly through the first chicane? Can Stroll or Ocon beat him to the first turn? Will the Ferraris manage to scythe their way through the field early on? We won't have to wait long to find out. It's dry, yes, but it could be a fascinating race at super high-speed. 

12:50PM

The Tifosi look on hopefully

12:46PM

Jean Todt on grid penalties

"I am not a magician. The reason why we introduced the penalty was to reduce the cost. We are open to any good suggestions," he tells Martin Brundle on the grid. This won't be the last we hear about it today. Meanwhile Renault's Alain Prost says any point would be a good result from where they are, in P14 and P17. 

12:45PM

15 minutes until lights out

Kevin Magnussen has made it to the grid. He finished tenth for McLaren in 2014 but was P17 last year for Renault. He's had a rough time in the past few races, scoring no points since Azerbaijan. 

12:41PM

A tight fight for fifth in the constructors' championship

Force India are a way ahead out in fourth and look difficult to beat but just 11 points separate Williams in fifth and Renault in eighth. Stroll could help his team out with a good points finish here. 

12:37PM

One-stop strategy the quickest?

As yesterday's qualifying was wet, the drivers can start on whatever compound of tyre they like. It's unlikely we'll see the medium tyre being used today, with some combination of soft and supersoft and a single pit stop being the norm. Having said that, it would be surprising if we didn't see at least one driver try something different. 

12:31PM

Previous Italian Grand Prix winners

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have the most of the current grid with three wins each.  Fernando Alonso is the only other current driver to have triumphed here, in 2010 and 2007. A few drivers have wins in the junior formulae, though, including Palmer, Kvyat and Wehrlein. 

12:25PM

Bottas hoping for a quick start from P4

The Finn could be a decent rear gunner for his Mercedes team-mate. 

12:21PM

The final, revised grid (we hope)

Perez has had a gearbox change so takes a penalty and starts in P10 after qualifying in eleventh. It all makes perfect sense, right? 

12:18PM

Can Hamilton take the championship lead?

If he wins at Monza he will lead the championship, whatever anyone else does. If Vettel struggles to make it up from P6 though, the swing could be very favourable for the Mercedes man. 

12:07PM

How things stand before today's race

12:03PM

Kit Harington in the hotseat

Game of Thrones' Kit Harington had a go in a 2-seater F1 car earlier today. He said he wished his jumpsuit wasn't white. 

11:55AM

Grid penalties good news for some

Although the race starts with a slightly farcical eight cars carrying hefty grid penalties, some have fared quite well through the misfortune of others. Haas' Kevin Magnussen moves up six places, Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat is up five whilst both Saubers (Ericsson and Wehrlein) move up seven places each. 

11:51AM

What hope for Ferrari?

Ferrari are marking their 70th anniversary this weekend, but they didn't have much to celebrate yesterday with both cars well off the pace, struggling in the damp conditions. They last won here in 2010 with Fernando Alonso but though their chances look slim today, there are a few uncertainties on how these cars will perform in the dry in race conditions. Still, the red cars will be cheered very enthusiastically today. 

11:43AM

The Temple of Speed

Today's track. 53 laps and 306.72 kilometres. Although 2017 has seen lap records dropping week after week, it's less likely that Rubens Barrichello's 2004 record will be broken today due to the high drag on this year's cars and a greener track. 

11:37AM

Yet more grid penalties...

Good morning, though perhaps a worse one for McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne, who joins the lengthy list of drivers taking grid penalties ahead of today's race. Honda decided to change his engine after qualifying, meaning he takes a 25-place grid penalty. This puts him in P18 on the grid, ahead of team-mate Alonso. Incredibly, only one driver starts the race where he qualified: Lewis Hamilton on pole. 

11:24AM

Qualifying report

Full throttle at more than 300 kph (nearly 200 mph), his vision impaired by heavy rain pounding down on his shiny golden helmet, Lewis Hamilton pulled out a clutch performance to enter the F1 record books on Saturday.

Drawing on all of his talent, ability and experience, Hamilton kept his focus through a 2 1/2-hour rain delay. He then overcame a late challenge from rising rival Max Verstappen to claim his 69th career pole position and break the Formula One record previously held by his childhood idol, Michael Schumacher.

Verstappen had taken the top spot just before Hamilton's final lap, so when Hamilton reclaimed P1 with time expired he rapidly pumped his fist multiple times. It was the type of celebration normally reserved for race victories.

"After such a long time waiting in the rain, I think the racing fans got their money's worth from the dominant lap Lewis produced right at the end - even if they were probably cheering a bit more for the cars in red than for us," said Toto Wolff, the head of motorsport at Hamilton's Mercedes team.

"It was a brilliant lap, after a session where he was the quickest man throughout, and it was undoubtedly a performance worthy of claiming the all-time pole position record," Wolff added.

Indeed, it may not have been exactly what the red-clad Ferrari fans came to see at the Italian Grand Prix.

After all, Schumacher won five of his record seven world championships with Ferrari from 2000-04 and the automaker is celebrating its 70th anniversary this weekend.

But Hamilton certainly earned it.

"Honestly I came across the line and I didn't know if I had it but it felt like a good lap," he said. "I can't believe it - 69 - I just can't believe it. I'm so grateful."