The legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza has hosted a Grand Prix in all but one F1 season, meaning that there is a big decision to make as to which race to choose for our usual throwback. We’ve chosen to go back to 2008, when a wet weekend led to a surprise result.
Rain is often called the great equaliser in motor racing due to its tendency to close the pack up, and it did so again at Monza. A wet qualifying session led to a shock outcome, with 19-year-old Sebastian Vettel becoming the youngest ever driver to take a pole position in F1, doing so in a Toro Rosso.
The grid lined up on race day, after a heavy rain shower, with Vettel on pole and Kovalainen alongside. Mark Webber’s Red Bull was third, whilst Sebastien Bourdais made it three Red Bull-owned cars in the top four. Rosberg was fifth for Williams, whilst home favourites Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were sixth and fourteenth for Ferrari.
The race started behind the safety car due to the conditions, with all of the drivers on full wet tyres. A terrible stroke of bad luck meant that Bourdais stalled. He was pushed into the pit lane and started one lap down in last place.
The safety car pulled in at the end of the first lap.
Vettel pulled out a strong 6 tenths of a second lead over Kovalainen as they crossed the start line, with a ball of spray all that could be seen behind. It was pretty much grid order going into the first chicane.
Fernando Alonso lost out to Timo Glock in the opening stages of the race, but soon put things right on lap four. The Spaniard passed the German at the first chicane, but Glock did not give in. He tried to creep up the inside into the Curva Grande, but he couldn’t regain seventh place as he locked up his brakes and missed the della Roggia chicane.
A couple of laps later and race leader Vettel would also miss the chicane. Despite having a healthy lead he was pushing hard and bounced over the kerbs, losing the rear a little and being forced to take to the run off.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton started down in fifteenth place, but a storming start saw him pull off two great overtakes in two laps. A drag race with Giancarlo Fisichella’s Force India down the start-finish straight on lap nine was soon followed by a move up the inside of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari at the first Lesmo. The Brit was now into eleventh place.
Felipe Massa was fairing a lot better than his teammate. He attempted to pass Nico Rosberg a few laps later, but ran wide at the exit of the first chicane – allowing the German to find a way through. Despite having the inside line, the Williams driver would lose the position to the Ferrari as Massa forced his way around the outside of della Roggia in a fantastic move.
Hamilton’s storming drive went on, passing Heidfeld, Glock and Kubica in four laps with three brave out-braking manoeuvres. He dispatched both Saubers at della Roggia, as well as nudging Timo Glock onto the grass before the Curva Grande.
The Brit was now in the points.
Following the first pit stops, Sebastian Vettel lead Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton – which would become Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as the Brit passed his future teammate going into the first corner.
Hamilton dropped to tenth when he eventually made his pit stop, promoting his teammate Heikki Kovalainen back into second place – albeit 12 seconds behind race leader Sebastian Vettel.
A problem removing his fuel hose at his pit stop dropped former second place man Nico Rosberg down into fifteenth place, behind Kimi Raikkonen.
On lap 28 David Coulthard was the first to brave intermediate tyres, with the rest soon following suit. The difference in grip was noticeable, with Mark Webber spinning at the exit of the Ascari chicane. He didn’t lose his seventh place.
Despite being fuelled until the end of the race, Sebastian Vettel was forced to pit with eighteen laps to go in order to switch over to the intermediate tyres. A sweet pit stop by the Toro Rosso boys meant he was comfortably back out in the lead.
With fourteen laps left, Massa fancied moving up the order to try and please the Ferrari supporting Tifosi. He tried going around the outside of Nick Heidfeld at turn one, but went over the run off area and was forced to hand the place back again.
In the closing stages, Webber and Hamilton touched front wheels at the first corner after the Brit squeezed the Aussie out and through the escape road. Neither car was damaged, and neither driver was penalised.
One man oblivious to it all, though, was Sebastian Vettel. He dominated the race and crossed the finish line to take his first ever victory – twelve and a half seconds ahead of second placed man Heikki Kovalainen. Robert Kubica completed the podium, with Alonso, Heidfeld, Massa, Hamilton and Webber rounding out the points.
Vettel, of course, went on to win four world titles with senior team Red Bull, but for Toro Rosso – formed from minnows Minardi – this remains their only pole, podium and win in the sport. With young stars Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz behind the wheel this weekend, perhaps we could see another surprise if the weather turns nasty.
