Following Formula 1’s welcome return at Spa-Francorchamps a fortnight ago, Monza’s piece in the 2011 jigsaw was put in place last weekend. At Spa, Sebastian Vettel drove a controlled race up front to bag his seventh win of the season, while his rivals behind were involved in all manner of dramas and battles. Now it was time for the final stop on the European tour, but could Red Bull do it again?
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View GPUpdate.net's In-depth Tyre Analysis chart for the 2011 Italian GP
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The answer to that all-important question came almost as early as qualifying, with Vettel storming to pole position by almost half a second. Doubts remained over the German’s shorter gear ratio ahead of the 53-lap race, but he was soon able to put this Red Bull unease to rest with another impressive driver, moving even closer to his second successive F1 title.
However, Vettel’s triumph in Italy was more than just a successful setup gamble, with the 24-year-old’s tyre management once again seemingly effortless. Two extremely quick Option tyre stints of 20 and 15 laps respectively were followed by another strong run to the chequered flag on the harder Prime rubber (18 laps). Again the ‘wunderkind’ was unstoppable, leaving his main rivals to fight for the two remaining podium spots.
The man who claimed the runner-up position was Jenson Button, a man who is not only underlining his strong tyre conservation but also his raw pace on race days. The Briton ultimately climbed to second with a series of overtakes, making up for a slow start with a strategy that almost completely mirrored Vettel’s. Opting to pit slightly earlier than the race leader - and most of his nearby competitors - on both occasions, Button saw his efforts repaid in a similar fashion to Spa.
Ferrari, who had a relatively low-key weekend on home soil, had to settle for just third and sixth at the end of what was a challenging race for both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. The elation of Alonso’s incredible start was soon replaced with disappointment when the Spaniard failed to live up to the pace of his rivals, especially on the harder tyre, while Massa was tapped out of contention early on.
Moving back to McLaren, Lewis Hamilton was another man to endure a frustrating afternoon. Having been glued to the ever-widening Mercedes of Michael Schumacher, the 2008 Champion eventually found a way through after a tremendous battle. The McLaren driver overtook his rival with a fine move on Lap 27, before cementing the position by making his final stop three laps earlier than the German.
The move was a little too late, however, with Hamilton suffering from increased tyre wear in the early stages of the race. This is highlighted by the rate at which he closed in on Alonso at the end of the Grand Prix, an important third place that he could have claimed if it wasn’t for being stuck in the dirty air of Schumacher for so long.
Despite his aggressive blocking tactics, Schumacher certainly did a lot to calm his critics at Monza. We cannot forget that he kept a fast yet frustrated Hamilton behind for more than half the race, but it was clear for all to see that Mercedes still have some way to go. The German made his first stop before any of his rivals ahead, forcing Hamilton to make the move on-track rather than the pit-lane. From this point his race stabilised, cruising to fifth place at the chequered flag.
Jaime Alguersuari is a man worthy of significant mention inside the top ten, placing his Toro Rosso seventh after starting the Grand Prix from 18th on the grid. The Red Bull-backed youngster ensured that Q1 eliminees have gone on to score points in the last six races, using long but fast Option tyre stints of 20 and 21 tours to shape his race. A quiet run to the finish on Primes saw Alguersuari equal his personal best finish in F1, something extremely positive to take away from his third Italian Grand Prix.
Just behind the Spaniard, two men enjoyed similarly impressive races. Paul di Resta is the first person to discuss, with the Force India pilot utilising what he described as an ‘aggressive tyre strategy’ on Sunday afternoon. Two shorter than usual runs of 13 and 18 laps respectively set di Resta up for 22 laps on the Prime tyre, a plan which left him just ahead of ninth place man Bruno Senna as the race came to an end.
Renault’s Senna was enjoying a late surge courtesy of his tactics, with the Brazilian having been forced to change his approach after the first corner. Damage forced him to pit on Lap 2, switching from his fresh set of Prime tyres (saved in qualifying) before going on to complete three consistent and quick runs on the Option rubber. This led the 2008 GP2 runner-up to his first points finish in the sport and put the Senna name back on the scoreboard for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix in 1993.
At the back of the order, it was Lotus once again who enjoyed the most successful day. Increasing pressure from Team Principal Tony Fernandes to improve their pace has sent out a clear message for their intentions in 2012, but the Norfolk squad are doing as much as they can with their current package and picked up another strong two-car result.
Heikki Kovalainen (13th) and Jarno Trulli (14th) may have finished within close proximity on the road, but two contrasting strategies were used; Kovalainen’s race was completed with the normally spaced Option-Option-Prime plan, while Trulli completed only five laps before putting on his second set of softer rubber. The Italian then had a mammoth 27-lap run on the Prime tyres, but still managed to keep his team-mate on his toes.
Pulling ourselves away from Monza, attentions now switch to Singapore, with the circuit gearing up to host its fourth night race. Sebastian Vettel could arguably have won there in 2009 if it wasn’t for a controversial drive-through penalty, before finishing in the same position the following year. McLaren will be eager to prevent his first ever win at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, while team-mate Webber is on the lookout for a swift turnaround in form after an extremely challenging weekend in Italy.
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View GPUpdate.net's In-depth Tyre Analysis chart for the 2011 Italian GP
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Some key facts uncovered at Monza:
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- Four drivers (Bruno Senna, Sergio Pérez, Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Rosberg) started on the Prime tyre, with the rest of the field using the softer Option rubber
- Sébastien Buemi completed the longest Option tyre run, touring 24 times during his second stint
- Out of the 15 cars that were classified at the end of the race, 14 opted for two stops while Senna made three pit lane visits after picking up early damage
- All bar two of the 15 finishers (Senna and Rubens Barrichello) ended the race on the Prime compound
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Analysis conducted by GPUpdate.net’s Mike Seymour
Twitter: @MikeSeymourF1
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:20:46.172 |
| 2. | J. Button | McLaren | +9.590 |
| 3. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +16.909 |
| 4. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | +17.417 |
| 5. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | +32.677 |
| 6. | F. Massa | Ferrari | +42.993 |
| 7. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | +1 Lap |
| 8. | P. di Resta | Force India | +1 Lap |
| 9. | B. Senna | Lotus Renault | +1 Lap |
| 10. | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | +1 Lap |
| Full results | |||
| 2011 Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix | |||
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