Disappointing 500th Grand Prix for Williams

With the track again very wet Nico Rosberg would line up fifth on the grid for the fifty three lap Italian Grand Prix. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima was down in eighteenth. There was concern being expressed about the spray at the start of the race and how those at the back of the grid would cope. Should a safety car be used for the start. The GP2 race the day before was started under the Safety car and they had an accident at the first corner. This was due to the fact that after a slow first lap behind the safety Car the cars would come down into the corner at full speed with the lead car setting the pace. It was confirmed that the race would start under the Safety Car.

Kazuki would start the race from the pit lane along with Button. It is going to be a race where anything can happen with Vettel on pole but several drivers including Hamilton and Raikkonen starting from the rear of the grid. The cars would move off from the grid with everyone on the full wet weather tyre. By starting from the pit lane Kazuki would be able to change his car hopefully allowing him to perform well in the wet conditions. Bourdais would not move off and was pushed off the grid. Behind the Safety Car the first lap was run with huge amounts of spray coming from the cars. The Safety Car would stay out for another lap while Bourdais was still in the pit lane. He would get out and was off trying to catch the pack.

The Safety car would pull off and Vettel was leading Kovalainen. Webber was third followed by Nico. Everyone was cautious. Lap three and Vettel was leading by 2.0 seconds. Massa was fifth followed by Trulli, Glock, and Alonso. Alonso would re-pass Glock at the first chicane. As the laps counted down Vettel would continue to lead from Kovalainen and Webber. Nico was in fourth followed by Massa. Lap nine and Raikkonen would pass Fisichella for eleventh. Hamilton would also pass the Force India car. Hamilton would then pass Raikkonen going into the first Lesmo. Massa was looking to challenge Nico for his fourth and on lap fourteenth he would do exactly that going into the first chicane. Fisichella would crash after having made contact with Coulthard damaging his front wing.

Vettel would make his first stop on lap nineteen. His lead at the time was just over eleven seconds prior to his stop. Hamilton would pass seventh place Alonso going into the first chicane. Glock would pass Kubica for ninth, after the BMW went across one of the chicanes. Kovalainen was now leading by 5.5 seconds from Webber, Massa, Vettel, Nico, Trulli, Hamilton, and Alonso. The current fastest lap was by Massa on lap twenty with a 1m:34.457. Raikkonen was down in twelfth while Kazuki was in fifteenth. Lap twenty two and Hamilton would pass Trulli going into Turn one. He had made an earlier attempt but had cut the first chicane and had to let Trulli back past.

Lap twenty three and Kovalainen, Webber, and Massa would all pit. Nineteenth placed Bourdais would also pit. Raikkonen continued to struggle as Vettel now lead and Nico was now second. Lap twenty four and Hamilton would pass Nico for second. Trulli was now fourth followed by Glock, Kovalainen, Alonso, Kubica, Webber, Raikkonen, Heidfeld, and Massa in twelfth. Hamilton was 3.7 seconds behind Vettel with Nico 3.0 seconds behind the McLaren. Glock would pit on lap twenty six as Hamilton went fastest with a 1m:34.324. Vettel was told that Hamilton was going to stop in three laps. Trulli would pit on lap twenty seven. Massa was losing huge amounts of time to the leaders being stuck behind Heidfeld. Raikkonen would also pit from tenth. Kazuki was down in fourteenth.

Hamilton was 1.1 seconds behind Vettel after lap twenty six. Lap twenty eight and Hamilton would pit staying on the full wet tyre. He would come back out in tenth. Nico had yet to make his first stop but would do so on the next lap. Ninth placed Coulthard would also stop. He would have a problem with the fuel hose not coming away from the car losing a few seconds. Coulthard was sent out on the intermediate wet tyre while lap thirty would see Heidfeld pit from seventh. Coulthard would miss the first chicane as Bourdais would make his first stop. Nico was down in fourteenth while Kazuki had moved up to tenth. Lap thirty one and Alonso would pit from fifth.

Raikkonen would pass Trulli going into Turn one. Coulthard was ten seconds slower on his out lap using the intermediate wet tyre. Alonso was also now on the intermediates. Lap thirty two and Kazuki would make what should be his only stop. Third placed Kubica and seventh placed Piquet had yet to pit. Vettel was leading Kovalainen by 11.8 seconds. Third placed Kubica was followed by Webber, Massa, Hamilton, Piquet, Raikkonen, Trulli, and Glock in tenth. Massa would make his second stop from fifth taking on the intermediate. Glock and Nico would also follow Massa's lead pitting to take on intermediate tyres.

Lap thirty five and Kovalainen, Kubica, and Webber would all pit, all going for the intermediates. Vettel was still leading from Hamilton by 35.2 seconds as on lap thirty six Raikkonen would pit. Trulli would also come in. Massa had passed Webber and the Red Bull driver would spin his car at Ascari but was able to continue. Vettel would pit on lap thirty seven. Hamilton was also in along with Piquet. Hamilton had hoped for further rain but it did not happen. His full wet tyres came off his car looking very second hand. Massa was fastest with a 1m:33.601. Nico was now down in seventeenth and Kazuki was in thirteenth. Hamilton had passed Webber going into the second chicane. lap thirty eight and Hamilton was fastest with a 1m:32.869 but he was in seventh some thirty seconds behind Vettel in the lead.

Vettel was leading by 10.4 seconds over Kovalainen and Kubica. For Nico his race went wrong when he had to make his second stop to take on the intermediate tyre. Not really anything he could do about it but it would again be another race where Nico is going to come away with nothing. Massa had tried to pass Heidfeld into the first chicane but would cut the corner so had to give the fifth place back to Heidfeld. Hamilton was closing in onto sixth placed Massa. Alonso, Heidfeld, Massa and Hamilton were all running together. Hamilton would close right up to Massa. Raikkonen would pass Kazuki for thirteenth. Glock would follow Raikkonen past Kazuki. So now Kazuki was in fifteenth and Nico seventeenth.

With nine laps left Vettel was leading by 13.4 seconds from Kovalainen. lap forty four and Raikkonen was fastest with a 1m:32.733. He would improve on that the next lap with a 1m:32.595. Hamilton was dropping away from Massa and eighth placed Webber was closing in onto the McLaren. Nico was now sixteenth. Webber was also pushing hard to challenge Hamilton. Raikkonen was now in tenth as on lap forty six he was again fastest, 1m:31.691. Kazuki remained in thirteenth ad Nico fifteenth. Raikkonen would pass Piquet going into the first chicane. Webber was under pressure from Webber but Webber would cut the first chicane after Hamilton made contact with the Red Bull. Webber had to cut the first chicane waving his hand at Hamilton to show his annoyance. One could say that it was poor driving on the part of Hamilton. Webber would have to allow Hamilton back pass.

Kazuki and Coulthard would make contact going around the Parabolica. There was some debris on the track and Massa would drive right through it. Vettel was warned by his team of the debris as he started his final lap. he would finish the lap to take victory in the Italian Grand Prix and become the youngest Grand Prix winner ever. Second went to Kovalainen followed by Kubica, Alonso, Heidfeld, Massa, Hamilton, and the final point for Webber. As for the Williams team Kazuki and Nico would finish in twelfth and fourteenth. Nico would be caught out by the fact that the rain eased off during the race making his one stop strategy the wrong one and he would have to pit for the intermediate tyres. A disappointing result for the teams 500th Grand Prix.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
 1.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1h26:47.000
 2.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    12.512
 3.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)  +    20.471
 4.  Alonso        Renault               (B)  +    23.903
 5.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +    27.748
 6.  Massa         Ferrari               (B)  +    28.816
 7.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    29.012
 8.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +    32.048
 9.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  +    39.468
10.  Piquet        Renault               (B)  +    54.445
11.  Glock         Toyota                (B)  +    58.888
12.  Nakajima      AT&T Williams-Toyota  (B)  +  1:02.015
13.  Trulli        Toyota                (B)  +  1:05.954
14.  Rosberg       AT&T Williams-Toyota  (B)  +  1:08.635
15.  Button        Honda                 (B)  +  1:13.370
16.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +     1 lap
17.  Barrichello   Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
18.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +     1 lap
19.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari   (B)  +    2 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:28.047

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari   (B)    12