Italian GP: Race to forget for Williams

The prospects for the AT&T Williams team in the fifty three lap Italian Grand Prix were far from encouraging with Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg starting the race from seventeenth and eighteenth grid positions. With both drivers running heavy fuel loads, Nico and Kazuki having the second and third highest weights, the team would be looking at seeing if this one stop strategy would move them into a possible points scoring position. It was confirmed that Alguersuari would be starting from the pit lane. Second placed Sutil is going to have to contend with three KERS cars that surround him. Eighth placed Alonso would be another to
watch at the start.

The cars would move off on their parade lap with Hamilton on pole from Sutil, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Barrichello, and Button in sixth. Hamilton and Sutil were on the softer tyre while Button was on the softer and Barrichello the harder. Hamilton would stop on the grid and the field would form up. The lights would go off and off they would go down to the first chicane. It was Hamilton from Raikkonen and Sutil. Barrichello was fourth while Button would pass Kovalainen for fifth. Webber would crash at the Roggia chicane and was out of the race as Liuzzi passed Kovalainen for sixth. Nico and Kazuki were fourteenth and fifteenth.

Fisichella was attacking Vettel for tenth while Hamilton went fastest on lap two with a 1m:26.528. Kovalainen and Alonso were seventh and eighth. Nico and Kazuki were now up to thirteenth and fourteenth. Lap three and Hamilton went faster with a 1m:26.440 with Raikkonen 2.1 seconds behind the McLaren. Alonso had passed Kovalainen going into the first chicane. Lap four and Hamilton extended his lead with a 1m:25.714 to be 2.8 seconds in the lead. Nico would pit on lap five, running on the harder tyre, switching to the softer tyre. They would have problems with the right front seeing Nico suffer a long stop. Any prospects for the race were well and truly over. It was shown that Kubica had hit Webber seeing Webber go onto then gravel and into retirement.

Lap six and Hamilton was faster with a 1m:25.354 and was now 3.5 seconds ahead of Raikkonen. Sutil was still third from Barrichello, Button, Liuzzi, Alonso, and Kovalainen in eighth. Kazuki was running in thirteenth and Nico had dropped down to nineteenth and last. Lap seven and a new fastest lap from Hamilton with a 1m:25.219. Kubica was running with a broken front wing endplate and was told to pit to have repairs done. Kubica would pit on lap ten to have his nose replaced. Lap ten and Sutil was closing in onto Raikkonen being just 0.5 seconds behind. Alonso was also closing in onto sixth placed Liuzzi.

Kazuki was now up to twelfth. Nico's stop was because he felt he had a puncture while at the front Hamilton would set a new fastest lap on lap thirteen, 1m:25.032. He had lapped Nico seeing Nico's race well and truly over. Lap fourteen and Hamilton went faster with a 1m:25.017. Kazuki would set a personal best on lap fourteen, 1m:27.452. Hamilton would pit on lap sixteen taking on the harder tyre for the middle part of the race. Hamilton would come back out in fifth. Raikkonen was now leading from Sutil and Barrichello. Kubica and Nico would both pit on lap seventeen. Kubica would retire in his pit while Nico would return to the track. Sutil would pit on lap eighteen.

Sutil would take on the harder tyre returning in front of Kovalainen and in seventh. Kazuki was still in twelfth some 45.0 seconds behind the leader. Raikkonen was leading with Barrichello second from Button, Hamilton, Liuzzi, Alonso, Sutil, and Kovalainen. Raikkonen would pit on lap twenty staying on the softer tyre. Raikkonen would come back out in fifth behind Liuzzi and in front of Alonso. Alguersuari would retire in the pits. A personal best fro Nico on lap twenty with a 1m:27.622 while Kazuki was still in twelfth. Lap twenty one and Nico went faster with a 1m:27,137, so what was the problem with his car? Liuzzi would retire his car at the side of the track after having lost drive while at the front Barrichello and Button were pushing each other along both setting personal best lap times.

Eighth placed Vettel was catching Kovalainen with Sutil ahead of the McLaren. Alonso would pit on lap twenty seven switching onto the harder tyre. He would come out in front of Kazuki while Barrichello set a new fastest lap with a 1m:24.999. Kovalainen and Vettel would pit on lap twenty eighth. Both Vettel and Kovalainen would take on the softer tyre. Button would pit on lap twenty nine taking on the harder tyre. Button was now fifth while team-mate Barrichello would pit from the lead on lap thirty. Barrichello was now on the softer tyre while Hamilton was now leading but having to make another stop. Kazuki was now ninth but yet to stop. Raikkonen was second from Sutil, Barrichello, Button, Heidfeld, and Fisichella in sixth. Fisichella would pit on lap thirty one taking on the softer tyre.

Sixth placed Heidfeld would pit on lap thirty two seeing Kazuki up to eighth. Hamilton would ask for the harder tyre for his final run to the flag. Lap thirty two and a new fastest lap from Hamilton, 1m:24.869. Kazuki was now seventh while Nico was in sixteenth and last. Fifteenth placed Grosjean would pit on lap thirty five while Hamilton would also pit staying on the harder tyre. Both Brawn's would pass Hamilton while the McLaren came out of the pit lane. Raikkonen was now leading from Sutil with Barrichello third from Button, Hamilton, Alonso, Kazuki, and Trulli. Kazuki and Trulli would pit on lap thirty six. Lap thirty six and Sutil would set a fastest lap with a 1m:24.739. Eleventh placed Buemi would pit on lap thirty seven.

Both Raikkonen and Sutil would pit on lap thirty eight. A slow stop for Sutil after having hit some of the Force India mechanics when he came to a stop. Barrichello was now leading from Button, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Sutil, Alonso, Kovalainen, and Glock in eighth. Glock would pit on lap thirty nine. Kazuki was now twelfth while Nico was still running at the back. Lap forty and Barrichello was leading by 5.2 seconds with Hamilton 2.4 seconds behind second placed Button. The other championship contender team Red Bull only had one car currently running in ninth. Nico would again pit on lap forty two coming back out. Hamilton had closed to be just 1.8 seconds behind Button. But Button was pushing setting a personal best, 1m:25.044. Vettel had run wide and onto the gravel at the second Lesmo seeing Fisichella close in onto him.

Hamilton was pushing Button while Button was trying to close the gap to the leader Barrichello. Button was now 4.0 seconds behind Barrichello while Hamilton was now 1.8 seconds behind Button. Six laps remaining and Kazuki was running in eleventh while at the front the gaps had stabilised between the front three. As the laps counted down Barrichello was able to maintain his lead from Button with Hamilton third. On the final lap Barrichello was 3.3 seconds in the lead but for Hamilton it would go wrong at the exit of the second Lesmo crashing his car while at the front Barrichello would cross the line to win with Button second followed by Raikkonen, Sutil, Alonso, Kovalainen, Heidfeld and Vettel. Hamilton had spun with the front of his car hitting the barriers very hard.

For the AT&T Williams team the Italian Grand Prix produce a result that was about what was expected. Neither driver would come close to scoring any points with Kazuki coming home in tenth and Nico sixteenth. The team can only hope to see a change of fortunes come Singapore as the championship finishes its European leg. Really a race to forget for the Williams team.

Pos  Driver  	   Team		  	      Time
 1.  Barrichello   Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1h16:21.706
 2.  Button        Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  +     2.866
 3.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  +    30.664
 4.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes  (B)  +    31.131
 5.  Alonso        Renault               (B)  +    59.182
 6.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +  1:00.693
 7.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +  1:22.412
 8.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +  1:25.427
 9.  Fisichella    Ferrari               (B)  +  1:26.856
10.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +  2:00.000
11.  Glock         Toyota                (B)  +  2:43.925
12.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +     1 lap
13.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +     1 lap
14.  Trulli        Toyota                (B)  +     1 lap
15.  Grosjean      Renault               (B)  +     1 lap
16.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +    2 laps

Fastest lap: Sutil, 1:24.739

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes  (B)    23
Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)    20
Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)    16
Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)    1