The 2009 Italian Grand Prix Thread

[Ed]

Grand Prix Preview (courtesy: The FIA) - For team previews visit the 2009 F1 Team Reports Forum

Round 13 of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and marks the end of the European season. Situated in picturesque wooded parklands 15km north of Milan, the Monza circuit is always popular with the passionate Italian Formula One fans. The track was constructed in 1922 and since the inception of the World Championship in 1950 it has staged the Italian Grand Prix every year apart from 1980, when it took place at Imola.

Consisting of 53 laps, run on a circuit of 5.793km, the Monza track is mostly flat but has a notable gradient from the Lesmos to the Variante Ascari corner. Its chicanes and four key corners demand a balancing of aerodynamic efficiency to ensure a smooth transition over harsh kerbs, especially as the speed at which cars come off the kerbs heavily influences their speed all the way down the following straight. A traditional power track, engines are put through their paces over the weekend and will consistently reach speeds of 340kph and endure a full throttle ratio of 73% per lap.



CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2008

- Combination kerbs have been installed on the apex of turn 1, 2, 4 and 5 (the same as turns 13 and 14 in Nürburgring and the new chicane in Barcelona).

AUTODROMO NAZIONALE MONZA CIRCUIT – INTERESTING FACTS

- The circuit features three tracks: the Grand Prix track (5.793km), the Junior track (2.405km) and a high speed track with steep bankings (4.25km).

The Autodrome Nazionale Monza is home to the Monza Research Institute which carries out research into environmental conservation, alternative energy sources, eco-compatible mobility and road safety.

This year will mark the 80th Grand Prix staged at the circuit.

CIRCUIT DATA

Length of lap: 5.793km
Offset: 0.309km
Total number of race laps: 53
Total race distance: 306.720km
Speed limits in the pit lane: 60km/h during practice sessions;
100km/h during qualifying and race

FORMULA ONE TIME TABLE

Friday

Practice Session 1: 10.00 – 11.30 hrs
Practice Session 2: 14.00 – 15.30 hrs

Saturday

Practice Session 3: 11.00 – 12.00 hrs
Qualifying: 14.00 – 15.00 hrs

Sunday
Race: 14.00 hrs

[Ed]

We will be covering all the practice sessions, qualifying and the race from Italy.

You can follow our coverage live here and we will post the coverage notes after each session here

[Ed]

First Friday practice coverage notes

10:01 A beautiful Friday morning from Monza. Air temperature is 25 degrees while track temperature is at 28 degrees

10:01 Session underway and Buemi is the first out on the track

10:01 More cars stream out for their installation laps

10:02 Liuzzi in the Force India is now on the track. He replaced Fisichella who moves to Ferrari

10:04 Fisichella in the Ferrari is on his installation lap

10:06 Fisichella is back in the pits

10:08 Currently only Barrichello is on the track. Only Grosjean has yet to go out

10:09 10 minutes into the session and no one has set times yet

10:11 It will be interesting to see how the Renault team will perform amid the Singapore Grand Prix deliberate crash allegations

10:14 Grosjean emerges from the pits

10:15 Renault are planning to use KERS at Monza. They believe it will give them around three tenths on this track and even more in Qualifying

10:16 Buemi is the first back out on the track for a timed run

10:17 Alguersuari also on the track

10:18 A 1:29.687 for Buemi

10:19 Alguersuari nearly 2 seconds off Buemi on his first timed lap

10:19 Buemi improves with a 1:27.833

10:23 Buemi now with a best time of 1:26.214, Alguersuari with a 1:28.180

10:24 Webber and Hamilton on the track now

10:25 Buemi continues to improve, now with a 1:25.547. Alguersuari continues to be 2 seconds off his pace

10:27 Something flew off Hamilton's car. Replay shows he was riding the kurbs and it may be a result of that

10:28 Hamilton now fastest with a 1:25.410

10:31 Hamilton improves with a 1:24.632

10:32 Fisichella's first time was a 1:29.815

10:34 Fsichella locks up and misses his braking point at the first chicane

10:34 Kovalainen now up into second with a 1:25.133

10:42 Top 10 after 40 minutes: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Buemi, Rosberg, Webber, Kubica, Fisichella and Alguersuari

10:43 Raikkonen up into 3rd with a 1:25.139

10:44 Alonso sets a 1:26.858 on his first timed lap - 16th

10:45 Button now up into second with a 1:25.126

10:46 Button improves with a 1:24.706

10:46 Hamilton improves in 1st with a 1:24.580

10:47 Ecclestone seen entering the Renault motorhome

10:47 Alonso up into 6th with a 1:25.257

10:51 Kubica complaining about the brakes "I cannot drive like this, I mean I can drive but cannot push"

10:51 Barrichello up into third with a 1:25.026

10:52 Vettel is the only driver yet to set a time. He is conserving his remaining engines

10:53 Massive lockup by Grosjean at the first chicane and he goes straight. He is 12th at this stage

10:54 Nearly an hour into the session and Fisichella is 19th and last of those who set times!!

10:55 Kovalainen into 3rd with a 1:24.791

10:59 Kovalainen now in second place with a 1:24.332

11:01 Top 10 after 60 minutes: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Button, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Sutil, Raikkonen, Alonso, Rosberg and Buemi

11:03 Liuzzi who last raced #F1 in 2007 is in 18th place in the Force India but quicker than Fisichella at this stage!

11:05 Glock spins around at the first chicane. Lucky no one was behind him!!

11:07 Looks like the McLaren's are setting the pace at this stage

11:08 Alonso up into 3rd with a 1:24.477

11:08 Hamilton misses the first chicance and goes straight

11:10 The Toyota's are not having a good start to the weekend. Trulli and Glock are in 17th and 18th respectively

11:12 Hamilton improves in 1st with a 1:23.936

11:13 Liuzzi up into 17th with a 1:26.140. Teammate Sutil is 4th with a 1:24.530

11:14 Buemi has covered the most laps so far with 27

11:15 Vettel has yet to go out this session after his installation lap

11:16 Vettel getting ready to go back out

11:18 Top 10 with 15 minutes remaining: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Alonso, Sutil, Heidfeld, Buemi, Button, Raikkonen, Barrichello and Rosberg

11:19 Fisichella still in 19th despite being on the softer compound!

11:19 Vettel goes straight at the first chicane on his first timed lap

11:20 Some improvement from Fisichella, he is up into 17th with a 1:26.036

11:22 Fisichella up into 12th, That is much better

11:23 17 drivers on the track now! 8 minutes remain

11:26 All 20 drivers on the track now with 5 minutes remaining

11:30 Vettel pits after just 5 flying laps. He is 18th with a best time of 1:25.951

11:31 Sutil goes 3rd fastest with a 1:24.471

11:32 Session over, awaiting final flying laps!

11:33 Fisichella moves into 8th and is ahead of Raikkonen!

11:34 Top 10: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Sutil, Alonso, Heidfeld, Buemi, Button, Fisichella, Webber and Raikkonen

11:36 11th - 20th: Kubica, Barrichello, Rosberg, Nakajima, Grosjean, Liuzzi, Alguersuari, Vettel, Trulli & Glock

11:38 1st Friday practice: Most laps by Buemi (35) then Alguersuari (30)

11:39 1st Friday practice: Least laps by Vettel (8 ) then Glock (17)

11:40 Top 13 separated by less than 1 second


First Friday Practice - Top 10

1. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.936
2. Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.332
3. Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.471
4. Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.477
5. Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 1:24.683
6. Buemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.703
7. Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.706
8. Fisichella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.732
9. Webber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.759
10. Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.761

[Ed]

Second Friday practice coverage notes:

1:59 Second Friday practice session starting in 2 minutes. Air temperature is 27 degrees while track temperature is 37 degrees

2:00 Session underway and the 2 Toro Rosso's are out on the track and so is Rosberg

2:03 Just at the end of the first practice Renault revealed that they are launching criminal proceedings against Nelson Piquet and his father

2:04 Kovalainen fastest with a 1:27.050

2:05 Now it is Kubica who is fastest with a 1:27.034

2:05 Kovalainen now fastest with a 1:26.075

2:06 Kubica now fastest with a 1:26.060

2:08 Liuzzi goes fastest with a 1:25.893

2:09 But Kovalainen takes top spot back with a 1:25.361

2:10 Top 10 after 10 minutes: Kovalainen, Liuzzi, Kubica, Webber, Button, Heidfeld, Nakajima, Raikkonen, Trulli and Fisichella

2:13 Button now up into second with a 1:25.696

2:14 Barrichello goes second with a 1:25.582

2:15 Sutil has yet to go out on the track this session

2:18 Vettel moves into 4th with a 1:25.722

2:20 Just 3 drivers on the track at the moment - Liuzzi, Trulli and Grosjean

2:20 Hamilton has only covered 3 laps and is 19th. He is now back on the track

2:23 Grosjean moves into 9th with a 1:26.088

2:25 Alonso moves into 5th with a 1:25.792

2:26 Grosjean takes 5th from his teammate with a 1:25.723

2:27 Heidfeld fastest with a 1:24.902

2:28 And Heidfeld improves again with a 1:24.693

2:28 Hamilton is up in 3rd with a 1:25.405

2:29 Sutil has just made it out on the track

2:30 Top 10 after 30 minutes: Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Barrichello, Grosjean, Alonso, Glock, Button, Vettel & Alguersuari

2:33 Sutil's first timed lap this session is good enough for 3rd! A 1:25.405

2:34 Sutil up into second with a 1:25.249

2:37 Sutil improves in second with a 1:24.809. He is actually running the harder compound

2:39 Hamilton now up into 3rd with a 1:25.099

2:41 Raikkonen now up into 4th with a 1:25.149

2:43 Trulli up into 3rd with a 1:25.072

2:44 Mechanics working hard on Webber's car. He has only completed 5 laps this session

2:46 2nd practice - Top 10 at halfway point: Heidfeld, Sutil, Trulli, Hamilton, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Kubica, Kovalainen, Liuzzi & Vettel

2:46 Nakajima goes wide and into the gravel. Lots of dust but he recovers!

2:49 Kubica goes fastest with a 1:24.622

2:49 Now Sutil goes fastest with a 1:24.314. He is on the softer compound

3:02 2nd Practice Top 10 - 30 minutes to go: Sutil, Kubica, Heidfeld, Glock, Trulli, Hamilton, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Kovalainen & Alonso

3:08 Williams seem to be struggling again. Nakajima and Rosberg are 19th and 20th

3:09 Glock moves into 3rd with a 1:24.634

3:14 Both Williams have improved their positions and now Fisichella is 20th!

3:15 Top 16 separated by 1 second

3:20 Kovalainen moves into 5th with a 1:24.714

3:22 Kovalainen and Grosjean on fast laps

3:23 Kovalainen moves into second with a 1:24.482

3:24 And Grosjean moves into 3rd with a 1:24.518

3:25 Just over 5 minutes remains and 17 cars are on the track for their final runs

3:26 Grosjean goes fastest with a 1:24.163 and Alonso is also on a quick one!

3:27 And Alonso goes second with a 1:24.297

3:28 Sutil splits the Renaults and takes second with a 1:24.295

3:29 And now Sutil goes fastest with a 1:23.924

3:32 Session over and Sutil is fastest ahead of Grosjean and Alonso

3:34 Top 10: Sutil, Grosjean, Alonso, Kovalainen, Kubica, Glock, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Nakajima, Buemi

3:35 11th - 20th: Hamilton, Liuzzi, Trulli, Webber, Alguersuari, Barrichello, Rosberg, Vettel, Button and Fisichella

3:37 Another impressive result from the Force India team

3:40 2nd practice: Buemi covered the most laps with 44 followed by Kovalainen with 41

3:41 2nd practice: Webber covered the least number of laps with 25 followed by Vettel with 27

Second Friday Practice - Top 10
1. Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.924
2. Grosjean . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.163
3. Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.297
4. Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.482
5. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.622
6. Glock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.634
7. Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.693
8. Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.796
9. Nakajima . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.799
10. Buemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.884

[Ed]

Saturday practice coverage notes:

10:58 Saturday practice session from Monza starting in a few minutes

10:59 Air temperature is 24 degrees while track temperature is 31 degrees

11:01 Session underway and several drivers are already out on the track

11:03 Yesterday Adrian Sutil was fastest in the second practice ahead of the 2 Renaults.

11:04 It is expected that qualifying for tomorrow's race will be one of the closest this season

11:04 Only the 2 Renaults have yet to go out

11:05 Now Alonso is on the track

11:06 And Grosjean is also on the track

11:11 10 minutes into the session and no timed laps yet

11:12 Fisichella is back on the track. He struggled yesterday on the harder compound tyres

11:13 Alguersuari and Liuzzi are also on the track

11:15 Brawn will be looking carefully at Barrichello's gearbox following his problems in Spa. If they decide to change the gearbox, he will be penalised 5 places on the grid - more

11:15 A 1:28.402 for Fisichella

11:15 Alguersuari sets a 1:28.748

11:16 Fisichella improves with a 1:27.173

11:18 Liuzzi now fastest with a 1:26.268

11:18 Raikkonen moves into second

11:19 Liuzzi improves again with a 1:25.332

11:21 Raikkonen now fastest with a 1:25.309

11:23 Now Hamilton fastest with a 1:25.180

11:24 Hamilton improves with a 1:24.778

11:25 Hamilton improves again with a 1:28.046

11:26 Fisichella crashes

11:26 He gets out of the car. He is ok

11:27 That is a big blow for Fisichella.

11:28 He went off at Parabolica and couldn't miss the barriers. The front left is damaged

11:32 Fisichella's car will need a lot of repair work heading into qualifying

11:32 Webber now on the track for his first timed lap this session

11:33 Order after 30 minutes: Hamilton, Glock, Alonso, Kovalainen, Sutil, Grosjean, Button, Nakajima, Buemi and Heidfeld

11:36 Vettel and Webber are 19th and 20th at this stage!

11:38 Most cars are now back on the track. Just over 20 minutes remain in the session

11:39 Sutil up into second but Hamilton about to improve. He is on the softer compound now

11:40 Hamilton improves with a 1:23.929. Sutil up in the middle sector but makes a mistake. Sutil is on the harder compound

11:40 Everyone except Alguersuari is on the track

11:41 Sutil goes fastest with a 1:23.735!

11:42 Sutil continues an impressive run!

11:42 Button up into 3rd

11:45 Looks like the 20th place is reserved for the second Ferrari until Massa returns!

11:46 15 minutes remain and the top 10 are Sutil, Hamilton, Button, Glock, Kovalainen, Liuzzi, Alonso, Buemi, Raikkonen and Grosjean

11:48 Grosjean goes off after locking up but recovers

11:49 Only Trulli on the track with just over 10 minutes to go. Pre-qualifying runs about to commence

11:50 All the Renault powered cars seem to be limiting their running - Alonso (12 laps), Grosjean (11), Webber (8 ) and Vettel (11)

11:51 Trulli up into 9th

11:53 With just over 7 minutes remaining, drivers are starting to come out for their final run

11:54 Trulli up into 5th

11:55 17 cars on the track now

11:56 Only Alguersuari in the pits. He may have a problem as he has only done 10 laps

11:57 Sutil improves again in first with a 1:23.588

11:58 Barrichello in second, Alonso in third

11:58 Kovalainen goes second

11:59 Button now fastest but Sutil still betters him

11:59 Hamilton up into 3rd

12:00 Session over, awaiting final flying laps #F1

12:03 Top 10: Sutil, Button, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Liuzzi, Alonso, Glock and Kubica

12:08 Saturday Practice - 11th - 20th: Grosjean, Raikkonen, Trulli, Nakajima, Buemi, Rosberg, Webber, Vettel, Alguersuari and Fisichella

12:10 Most laps: Buemi with 23 laps. Least laps: Fisichella & Alguersuari (10 laps), Webber (13)

12:12 1 second separates the top 13. Webber and Vettel nearly 2 seconds off the pace. Probably conserving the engine

Saturday Practice - Top 10
1. Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.336
2. Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.404
3. Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.490
4. Barrichello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.575
5. Hamitlon . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 1:23.633
6. Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.803
7. Liuzzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.849
8. Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.915
9. Glock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.959
10. Kubica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:23.996

[Ed]

Qualifying coverage and notes:

1:50 First qualifying session start in 10 minutes

1:53 This morning saw Adrian Sutil once again top the timesheets with Jenson Button in second and Nick Heidfeld in third.
Giancarlo Fisichella who moved from Force India to Ferrari crashed and was 20th fastest!

1:56 It is amazing to see Force India all of a sudden up there. In Spa Fisichella was very strong and here it looks like Sutil is strong too

1:57 Air temperature is at 27 while track temperature is at 40 degrees

1:58 Fisichella is in the car ready for qualifying. He is under a lot of pressure following his crash this morning

2:00 First qualifying session underway #F1

2:00 The 2 Ferraris are the first out

2:01 Alguersuari had a gearbox change

2:02 It appears that Ferrari have just managed to get Fisichella's car ready

2:03 A 1:25.590 for Fisichella

2:03 Raikkonen sets a 1:24.822

2:05 Raikkonen improves with a 1:24.230

2:05 Sutil moves into second

2:06 Everyone is on the track except for Hamilton

2:06 Barrichello goes quickest with a 1:24.036

2:07 Button now in second with a 1:24.189

2:08 Raikkonen fastest again

2:08 Alonso jumps into second

2:08 Barrichello back in first as Hamilton leaves the pits

2:10 10 minutes into the session: Barrichello, Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Alonso, Sutil, Nakajima, Rosberg, Button, Kubica and Trulli

2:10 Button now quickest with a 1:23.403!

2:11 And Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:23.384

2:12 Liuzzi is up into 4th

2:13 Fisichella manages 14th. 8 minutes remain

2:14 Fisichella now up into 9th with a 1:23.924

2:15 The top 18 are separated by 1 seconds

2:16 4 minutes remain in the first session and all the cars are back on the track

2:17 It is Hamilton, Button, Barrichello and Liuzzi at this stage

2:18 Kovalainen up into 4th with a 1:23.515

2:18 Raikkonen goes fastest with a 1:23.349!

2:21 Session over! Top 10: Raikkonen, Hamilton, Button, Barrichello, Kovalainen, Vettel, Sutil, Liuzzi, Heidfeld and Alonso

2:22 [Comment From jido ]
Who is on a lap now? [Ed] They all were! Top 10 now up

2:23 Knocked out: Glock, Nakajima, Rosebrg, Buemi and Alguersuari

2:24 Monza Q1 - Gap from 1st to 15th just 0.665 seconds!

2:25 Fisichella has made it into Q2. That is a relief for him but both Sutil and Liuzzi were quicker than him!

2:27 Second qualifying session underway and a few drivers are out already!

2:28 Hamilton could be in trouble for impeding another driver!

2:29 All 15 cars on the track except for Hamilton

2:30 Webber goes fastest. Kubica into second

2:31 Alonso goes quickest with a 1:23.497

2:32 Now it is Button (1:23.427)

2:32 Nick Heidfeld has stopped on the track! Session over for him

2:33 Barrichello now quickest with a 1:22.976

2:34 [Comment From runner_3 ]
is this q1 or q3 [Ed] Q2

2:34 Hamilton moves into second with a 1:23.251

2:35 [Comment From Guest ]
what's the position of sutil [Ed] 8th at the moment

2:36 Fisichella is currently 15th with a 1:24.330

2:36 [Comment From Guest ]
where are the ferraris? [Ed] Raikkonen 9th, Fisichella in 15th

2:37 Less than 5 minutes remain and the drivers are heading back out

2:38 Kubica also stops. Looks like engine trouble for the 2 BMW Saubers

2:38 [Comment From Guest ]
what about another force india [Ed] Liuzzi in 13th

2:39 All 13 running cars are on the track for a final shot this session to get through

2:39 Webber up into 3rd

2:41 Button into 3rtd, Sutil into 5th

2:41 Hamilton now quickest with a 1:22.973

2:43 Fisichella is 14th and won't make it. He will qualify behind the 2 Force India cars

2:43 Button goes fastest with a 1:22.955

2:44 [Comment From vishnu ]
whats the position of liuzzi? [Ed] 5th. He made it to Q3!

2:45 Monza Q2 - Top 10: Button, Hamilton, Barrichello, Sutil, Liuzzi, Webber, Raikkonen, Alonso, Kovalainen and Vettel

2:45 Monza Q2 - Knocked out: Trulli, Grosjean, Kubica, Fisichella, Heidfeld

2:49 Liuzzi's return is very impressive. He is into Q3 - Well done

2:50 3rd qualifying session underway! Raikkonen on the track

2:52 5 drivers on the track now. The other 5 are still in the pits

2:53 Raikkonen sets a 1:25.586

2:53 Hamilton in second with a 1:26.134

2:54 Alonso pits without setting a time! And so does Webber!

2:55 Vettel up into second but Hamilton now goes quickest with a 1:24.605

2:55 Now everyone is on the track. Just over 4 minutes remain

2:56 Hamilton, Raikkonen, Vettel. Only those three have set times so far!

2:56 [Comment From vishnu ]
tell about force indians [Ed] No times yet!

2:57 Nearly all the drivers are on flyers

2:57 Sutil second, Webber third and Alonso 4th

2:58 Now Raikkonen takes second

2:59 Sutil doesn't improve although he set the fastest middle sector!

Final run!
3:00 [Comment From vishnu ]
liuzzi's position [Ed] 10th

3:00 Hamilton on another very quick lap but he may not need it!

3:01 He does. Sutil now quickest and Raikkonen in second

3:01 Hamilton takes pole with a 1:24.066!

3:03 Monza Q3 - Top 10: Hamilton, Sutil, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Button, Liuzzi, Alonso, Vettel and Webber

3:03 [Comment From guest ]
when will they publish the weights? [Ed] In around 3 hours

3:06 [Comment From Guest ]
will hamilton be in trouble as you mentioned earlier? [Ed] We don't know at this stage but no indication from the stewards

3:07 [Comment From vishnu ]
great work by force india again [Ed] Indeed they have been amazing the last 2 races

3:08 [Comment From guest ]
Is ur name Ed or what does this stand for? [Ed] Editor

3:09 [Comment From guest ]
Hamilton should definitely be disqualified... [Ed] It is up to the stewards if they apply a penalty

3:10 Monza Q3: Just 0.057 seperates Barrichello(5th) and Alonso (8th)

3:11 [Comment From guest ]
Is it just you replying to all the messages? [Ed] Today yes

3:11 [Comment From Guest ]
If he was in a Ferrari they would'nt. [Ed] That shouldn't be the case!

3:12 [Comment From guest ]
isn't button 6th? [Ed] Yes Button is in 6th

3:13 [Comment From guest ]
probably you meant barrichello ... [Ed] Yes fixed now!!

3:14 [Comment From Guest ]
Come on, the stewards love Ferrari [Ed] That is your view and you are entitled to it

3:15 [Comment From guest ]
well I think everybody loves Ferrari ... [Ed] For sure Ferrari have the broadest support out there. Monza is always a special event


1st Qualifying Session - Top 10
1. Raikkonen
2. Hamilton
3. Button
4. Barrichello
5. Kovalainen
6. Vettel
7. Sutil
8. Liuzzi
9. Heidfeld
10. Alonso

2nd Qualifying Session - Top 10
1. Button
2. Hamilton
3. Barrichello
4. Sutil
5. Liuzzi
6. Webber
7. Raikkonen
8. Alonso
9. Kovalainen
10. Vettel

3rd Qualifying Session - Top 10
1. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1:24.066
2. Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1:24.261
3. Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.523
4. Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:24.845
5. Barrichello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:25.015
6. Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:25.030
7. Liuzzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:25.043
8. Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:25.072
9. Vettel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 1:25.180
10. Webber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:25.314

[Ed]

Pre-race car weights:
(sorted by grid order)

Position Car Driver Weight [kg]
1 McLaren Mercedes Lewis Hamilton 653.5
2 Force India Mercedes Adrian Sutil 655.0
3 Ferrri Kimi Räikkönen 662.0
4 McLaren Mercedes Heikki Kovalainen 683.0
5 Brawn Mercedes Rubens Barrichello 688.5
6 Brawn Mercedes Jenson Button 687.0
7 Force India Mercedes Vitantonio Liuzzi 679.5
8 Renault Fernando Alonso 677.5
9 RBR Renault Sebastian Vettel 682.0
10 RBR Renault Mark Webber 683.0
11 Toyota Jarno Trulli 703.0
12 Renault Romain Grosjean 699.8
13 BMW Sauber Robert Kubica 697.5
14 Ferrari Giancarlo Fisichella 690.0
15 BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld 697.5
16 Toyota Timo Glock 709.8
17 Williams Toyota Kazuki Nakajima 706.2
18 Williams Toyota Nico Rosberg 708.6
19 STR Ferrari Sébastien Buemi 706.0
20 STR Ferrari Jaime Alguersuari 706.0

[Ed]

Live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix is available here

[Ed]

Race coverage and notes:

Formation lap in 25 minutes

1:44 Kovalianen who starts from 4th is the theoritcal favourite today. He has KERS and is much heavier than the 3 drivers ahead of him

1:45 15 minutes to formation lap

1:47 It is strange that Hamilton and Raikkonen have opted for less fuel despite having KERS which should help them with the start. The amount of fuel they have on board almost certainly means they will be on a 2 stop strategy

1:50 Rubens Barrichello is also looking good stopping later than Kovalainen however there is a question mark on his gearbox which may have sustained damage from the fire at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix

1:56 It is sunny and warm at Monza. Air temperature at 26 while track temperature is at 38 degrees

1:56 Jamie Alguersuari is starting from the pits. He qualified 20th and had to change a gearbox

1:58 6 cars are running KERS this weekend. McLaren, Ferrari and Renault. It will be an interesting start!

1:59 Track being cleared ready for the formation lap

2:00 Formation lap underway!

2:00 All the cars get away cleanly

2:01 [Comment From vishnu ]
is there any change in force india car design [Ed] All cars get upgrades through the year. Seems the Force India is good at low downforce circuits

2:02 Hamilton arrives back at the starting grid

2:03 Last cars arrive at the starting grid

2:03 Lights!

2:05 Hamilton leads Raikkonen and Sutil. Webber is off!

2:08 Kovalainen is dropping back

2:08 Alonso gets Kovalainen! Both with KERS!

2:10 Order on lap 4: Hamilton, Raikkonen, Sutil, Barrichello, Button, Liuzzi, Alonso, Kovalainen, Kubica and Vettel

2:10 Rosberg makes an unscheduled stop!

2:10 Hamilton leads Raikkonen by 2.8 seconds

2:11 [Comment From subbu ]
suitil took pit stop [Ed] No, he is 3rd

2:13 Replay shows Kubica and Webber touched causing Webber into a spin and retirement

2:14 Kubica has a loose end plate as a result but he continues in 9th place

2:14 [Comment From Ramesh ]
Is there any pressure from Barri towards Sutil [Ed] No, Barrichello is 5.9 seconds behind but he is much heavier

2:15 [Comment From subbu ]
wats the time gape bw Hamilton n Sutil [Ed] About 5.2 seconds on lap 8

2:15 [Comment From Josh ]
Is kimmy closing the gap [Ed] No, the gap is 4.2 seconds

2:16 Kubica pitting to fix the front wing

2:17 [Comment From Josh ]
what the peob..is kimmy heavier [Ed] Slightly heavier

2:17 Kubica pits and Vettel moves up to 9th

2:17 [Comment From vishnu ]
what about kimi and sutil' time diff [Ed] Under a second

2:18 Order on lap 10: Hamilton, Raikkonen, Sutil, Barrichello, Button, Liuzzi, Alonso, Kovalainen, Vettel and Heidfeld

2:19 [Comment From subbu ]
how many laps in this race?? [Ed] 53 laps

2:19 Lap 11 and Sutil is now kust 0.7 seconds behind Raiikonen.

2:20 [Comment From Ramesh ]
how about liuzzi, Any pressure from Alonso? [Ed] Liuzzi is being caught by Alonso

2:20 [Comment From vishnu ]
whats ur prediction about suttil taking lead [Ed] Maybe for a lap or 2

2:21 [Comment From chandru ]
hopefully kimi can overtake lewis [Ed] Gap is increasing, 5.7 seconds on lap 12

2:21 [Comment From chandru ]
is lewis going faster than kimi? [Ed] Slightly

2:21 [Comment From vignesh ]
what is the time diff btw liuzzi and button [Ed]3.6 seconds

2:23 [Comment From Eric ]
why is kimmy not pushing.Is the McLaren just faster ? [Ed] Hamilton is lighter but looks like the Ferrari isn't as quick

2:24 [Comment From NC ]
Can we know in which position is Sutil now? [Ed] 3rd since the start

2:24 [Comment From Rajinesh ]
Is there a chance where Sutil can overtake Kimi [Ed] Without KERS will be difficult

2:24 [Comment From NC ]
McLaren pushing

2:25 Hamilton pits

2:25 Hamilton has rejoined ahead of Liuzzi

2:26 [Comment From John ]
THats early..how many more laps can Kimi go ? [Ed] Probably 2 more laps

2:26 Kubica retires

2:27 Nico Rosberg pits again. Looks like a retirement

2:27 No Rosberg is back out!

2:27 Hamilton is holding up Liuzzi and Alonso!

2:28 Sutil pits from second.

2:28 Sutil rejoins ahead of Kovalainen

2:31 Now Raikkonen makes his stop

2:31 Raikkonen splits Liuzzi and Alonso!

2:32 Alguersuari retires

2:34 Order on lap 20: Barrichello, Button, Hamilton, Liuzzi, Raikkonen, Alonso, Sutil, Kovcalainen, Vettel and Heidfeld

2:34 Only Hamilton, Sutil and Raikkonen pitted of the front runners

2:36 [Comment From Unagi ]
Are everyone on 2 stop strategies? [Ed] No, only those who stopped already

2:36 Barrichello leads Button by 2.1 seconds and should stay out longer! Hamilton is a further 10 seconds behind #F1

2:37 [Comment From vishnu ]
what might be no of pitstops that hamilton taking today? [Ed] 2

2:37 Liuzzi slow!

2:38 He was 4th and he retires

2:38 [Comment From Freddie ]
Is Brawn team running on KERS [Ed] No

2:38 [Comment From Manoj ]
The Brawns are flying - Rubens Barrichello leads from Jenson Button and those two are nearly 10 seconds ahead of third-placed Lewis Hamilton. They are are lapping around 0.5 second a lap faster than the McLaren at the moment and this is where the one-stop strategy could well prove decisive.

2:39 [Comment From Ajai ]
having short fueled kimi, is ferrari afraid of the force india attack??? [Ed] Possible but they wanted to get him out ahead of Liuzzi

2:39 [Comment From vishnu ]
why liuzzi retired? [Ed] Mechanical problem

2:40 The Brawns are now pushing away from Hamilton

2:41 Alonso makes his stop

2:42 Alonso rejoins in 10th

2:43 Barrichello pushing hard and sets the fastest lap so far.
Kovalainen and Vettel pit

2:43 [Comment From Ajai ]
liuzzi must be greatly disappointed!!!

2:43 Button now pits from second

2:44 We will update the order shortly

2:45 Barrichello pits!

2:45 Hamilton retakes the lead after the 2 Brawns pit

2:46 Hamilton now leads from Raikkonen and Sutil but those 3 have yet to pit!

2:46 They are on 2 stoppers while the rest are on a single stop

2:48 Fisichella just made his only stop. He was up into 7th

2:49 And now Heidfeld makes his only stop

2:49 Hamilton leads Raikkonen by 5.4 seconds on lap 31. Sutil is just a seond behind

2:50 Barrichello in good shape for the win

2:50 Liuzzi's retirement was due to a gearbox problem

2:51 [Comment From Ajai ]
no. of laps b4 sutil may pit next??? [Ed] Top 3 will pit in around 8 laps

2:53 Hamilton pits! That is early!

2:53 He rejoins behind the Brawns!!

2:54 Hamilton may even be jumped by Raikkonen and Sutil!

2:54 Raikkonen is pushing hard

2:54 [Comment From Ajai ]
too early for hamilton!! [Ed] Yes

2:55 Trulli and Nakajima make their first stops! Glock and Buemi yet to make theor stops!!

2:55 Sutil also pushing setting the fastest lap of the race so far!

2:56 [Comment From Unagi ]
Where is Fisi now? [Ed] 12th

2:57 Raikkonen and Sutil pit together!

2:57 Problem for Sutil in the pits!

2:58 But Sutil gets going. He actually hit one of his crew going sideways into his pit

2:58 Both join behind Hamilton

2:59 Top 3 on lap 38: Barrichello, Button (+5.4), Hamilton (+2.9)

3:00 Raikkonen is 6.2 seconds behind Hamilton in 4th

3:02 Time gaps updated. Apologies, we cannot reply to all comments.

3:03 Sutil in 5th catching Raikkonen. Gap down to 0.9 seconds

3:03 12 laps to go and Hamilton is catching Button. Gap down to 2.2 seconds

3:04 Order after 41 laps: Barrichello, Button, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Sutil, Alonso, Kovalainen, Heidfeld, Vettel and Fisichella

3:04 Sutil right behind Raikkonen!

3:06 [Comment From dhanesh ]
does it mean tat kimi is not goign to be in podium..and barichello is goin to win it in a singel pit stop...its so tragic... [Ed] looks like it

3:07 With Raikkonen on KERS, it will be very difficult for Sutil to pass

3:07 All scheduled pits have been completed - 9 laps to go

3:08 Unless Raikkonen makes a mistake, it will be very difficult for Sutil

3:09 Hamilton now lapping similar to Button

3:09 [Comment From dhanesh ]
its really dissapointing news tat neither of ferraris r goign to be in podium....brawn winnign in strategy over ferraris and mclaren on pure technlogy..ferrais and mclaren outclass brwan in technology but wat to do..

3:11 [Comment From dhanesh ]
is there any chane of kimi getign past hamilton?since im a grt fan of ferrai i wish tat sum sought of problm happen to brawn..its very dissapotong for force india as well who had a great a tremondous weekend...but strategy lets all them who shined in practice and qualifying [Ed] Only mechanical problem or error

3:12 With 6 laps to go, the order is: Barrichello, Button, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Sutil, Alonso, Kovalainen and Heidfeld

3:13 [Comment From dhanesh ]
i wish hamilton to get past button...as it will reduce gap between baricheelo and button..i want braicheelo to win wprld championship as he is a former ferrari dirver

3:14 The 2 Toyota drivers are fighting over 12th and 13th, Interesting fight! Trulli goes off but recovers

3:14 Replay shows Trulli trying to pass Nakajima but Nakajima closes the door they touch and Trulli is caught by his teammate

3:16 [Comment From Guest ]
did both bar and button have 1 pit stop?? [Ed] Yes

3:16 [Comment From Unagi ]
I'm also Ferrari fan and I'm not fond of many British sportsmen. But I think Button deserves the world championshp.

3:17 3 laps to go and Barrichello leads Button by 4 seconds. Hamilton in third a further 1.2 seconds behind.

3:17 Looks like the order will remain as is

3:19 [Comment From johhny ]
why did Sutil stopped along with Kimi ?? he could have stopped 2 laps later and could have earned some 4 to 5 sec... by staying on track with lighter car ?? [Ed] He may not have had enough fuel

3:19 Final lap!

3:19 Hamilton crashes!!

3:19 Raikkonen to take 3rd!

3:19 Safety car!!

3:20 Barrichello wins the race, Button in second

3:20 Raikkonen finishes 3rd ahead of Sutil in 4th

3:21 Replay shows Hamilton pushing too hard exiting the turn spinning him into the barriers. Plenty of debris on the track. Hamilton is ok

3:22 [Comment From dhanesh ]
at last a great news for ferrari fan

3:22 [Comment From johhny ]
poor guys hamilton and sutil... both missed the pondium... kimmi emerges victorious amongst the two

3:22 [Comment From chandru ]
Luck is with us! FERRARI!

3:22 [Comment From Unagi ]
Thanks so much Ed. You have been brilliant.

3:22 [Comment From Guest ]
Wow...thats Amazing...the Brawns are unstoppable...

3:22 [Comment From Guest ]
Force India..among Points again..thats stupendous drive by Stutil !!

3:23 [Comment From sameer ]
great job done by sutil, even withouut the KERS,

3:25 [Comment From Venki ]
Force India in points again ....Stupendous drive by Stutil !!

3:25 [Comment From Guest ]
Luck is with Rakki

3:25 [Comment From Ajai ]
hats off sutil!!!

3:26 [Comment From tushar ]
yeah this live update is gr8 , good work Ed !

3:26 [Comment From Guest ]
poor strategy let sutil down

3:26 [Comment From simon ]
This is going to be a good end to the season. On the edge of your seat stuff. Come on brawn

3:26 [Comment From guest ]
thanks.. for update...

3:26 [Comment From anand ]
force india a force to reckon with

3:26 [Comment From Guest ]
Great job from sutil, But Fisi?

3:27 Barrichello happy as ever on the podium. Well deserved win for the Brazilian

3:27 [Comment From chandru ]
its not poor strategy but his own fault when he hit the pit crew!

3:27 [Comment From rajesh ]
great Job sutil....

3:29 With a Brawn 1-2, and just 1 Red Bull finishing in 8th, the Constructors Championship is pretty much going Brawn way. The Drivers Championship is going to be between Button and Barrichello

3:31 Great to see Barrichello win and not be told to let Button through

3:31 Italian GP Results - Top 10: Barrichello, Button, Raikkonen, Sutil, Alonso, Kovalainen, Heidfeld, Vettel, Fisichella, Nakajima

3:34 Glock is 11th, Hamilton is classified in 12th after crashing on the final lap. Buemi is classified as 13th although he retired too. Trulli, Grosjean, Rosberg make up the 16 drivers classified as finishers.
Retirements: Liuzzi, Alguersuari, Kubica and Webber

3:35 Fastest lap of the race was by Adrian Sutil on lap 36. A 1:24.739

3:36 [Comment From ricky ]
barrichello great run man...but i am dissappoint by the performance given by sutil ...he could be at the podium

[Ed]

Italian Grand Prix - Top 10

1. Rubens Barrichello
2. Jenson Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2.8
3. Kimi Raikkonen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +30.6
4. Adrian Sutil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +31.1
5. Fernando Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +59.1
6. Heikki Kovalainen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +60.6
7. Nick Heidfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +82.4
8. Sebastian Vettel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +85.4
9. Giancarlo Fisichella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +86.8
10. Kazuki Nakajima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .+1 lap

[Ed]

Congratulations to Rubens Barrichello for his second win this season. It was a strong performance from Barrichello and the Brawn team. Jenson Button did well to finishing second and minimising the damage Barrichello win would cause.
Kimi Raikkonen finished a lucky 3rd after Lewis Hamilton crashed on the last lap of the race while running 3rd. Raikkonen wasn't a match for the Brawns or Hamilton and even Sutil but he managed to stay ahead of Sutil thanks to his KERS
Adrian Sutil lost a place to Raikkonen at the start and never managed to get it back. A great performance nevertheless.
Fernando Alonso managed 5th thanks to the KERS. It is a rare occurence for a Renault to finish ahead of the Renault powered Red Bull!
Heikki Kovalainen looked good in theory to win yet only managed 6th and had Hamilton and Liuzzi not retired then he would have finished 8th. Kovalainen's days are numbered at McLaren
Nick Heidfeld did well finishing 7th while Sebastian Vettel would not be happy with his 8th place finish. His championship chances have taken a big setback.

Fisichella managed to finish his first race in the Ferrari just outside the points. Hopefully he will be closer to Raikkonen for the next race.

It will be interesting to read what Hamilton says about his spin on the final lap.

Hard luck to Vitantonio Liuzzi, he was set for a points finish but had to retire due to a gearbox failure.

Your thoughts and the driver of the day?

[Jim Watt]

Well, chaps, this race was clear demonstration of how much Michael Schumacher owes to Ross Braun! I have always been a HUGE fan of Ross's because (a) he knows EVERYTHING about F1 racing and (2) because, unlike most of the team bosses (insert your favorite idiot!), he is a decent chap who does HIS job and --quietly and behind the scenes-- he is able by EXAMPLE to encourage everyone else on the team to do their jobs, too. That he will, IN FACT, allow his drivers to race (unlike Ron Dennis, who always made such a fuss about how he allowed HIS drivers to race one another, unlike Ferrari) for the WDC. If Mr. D was, in fact, so fair to his drivers, how do you explain Juan Pablo Montoya's bitter departure, Fernando Alonso's even more bitter departure and Kimi Raikkonen's eagerness to move to Ferrari? Granted, under Jean Todt, Ross's job as team boss was to put points in Michael's pocket. And he did so, too. Never denying that Ferrari operated under 'team orders,' but never making excuses for it either.

I believe he is sincere about Rubens and Jenson fighting it out; after all, as a team boss, what he wants is a 1-2 finish every race; which driver is number one on a given day doesn't make the slightest difference.

Kudos to Lewis Hamilton, too, by the way; his push to catch Jenson was exciting and, you could say, he out-Icemaned the Ice man. Kimi used to be a damn the torpedos full speed ahead driver; lately, though, he is becoming more Michael Schumacher/Lewis Hamilton like. And here is Lewis becoming more like Kimi!

great to see A. Sutil in the hunt and I hope Seb V. can catch a break in the next few races; it would be great to have a three way struggle for the WDC!

as to Webbo: he is the classic example of a driver who EARNS every point because his luck is non-existent! Be fun if he could win two out of the remaining races, but it will never happen.

just wish Singapore was a racing circuit instead of a Monaco in the dark -- and why oh why do we have to go back to Fuji! At least the race in Brazil will be a thriller; it always is. As to the other middle eastern one, the one Varsha (on Speed channel) was saying passes through a hotel lobby, well lets just hope there is some racing excitement to go along with the ridiculous expenditure of money for money's sake.

Jim Watt

[JayVee]

Well it wasn't the most exciting race but the first few laps were and I enjoyed watching Alonso make a few passes!

I was again happy to see Barrichello win and I am surprised that Brawn didn't ask him to move over. Perhaps Barrichello's tantrums worked!! I certainly would cheer Barrichello over Button for the championship although like last year it seems the two will try to give the championship away with their stuff ups

Hamilton shows again how flawed he is. He was still over a second behind Button on the final lap. There is no way he would have caught him. He should have pushed earlier!

I can't understand where Force India came from and how!! I didn't think this team had a big budget yet they are up there. They must be doing something right!

I think Liuzzi should be given the Ferrari drive. He showed Fisichella how you jump into a car and drive. Fisichella has 1 good race every 5 and he had that at Spa. He may have another one at most!

I am a concerned about the Singapore crash, the more I read about it the more it sounds possible and that isn't good at all. I think the FIA should go hard on all those involved regardless but I hope it isn't just revenge by Mosley.

[Jim Watt]

Hi Jay Vee! I think the reason you were surprised by Ross Brawn's reluctance to 'pull Rubens over' for Jenson is because you forgot that Ross is no longer working for Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt. There is a school of thinking in F1 that you should identify a 'number one' driver and use the second one to take points away from the rest of the field only. But I don't think Ross really cares which one of his drivers wins the WDC as long as the team wins the Manufacturers' trophy. I also don't think Rubens is much more than a long shot to win any more races.

Lewis was, as you say, too far behind to be pushing as hard as he was on the last lap --but that's only if you are a points racer. As I said, it looks to me like Lewis has decided there's no point in racing for points when he can't win the wdc, so he might as well enjoy himself. Sort of like Kimi.

I also think you're right about Liuzzi; his performance reminded me of Robert Kubica's at Indianapolis.

Force India has the best powerplant available and also a good drive train; their aero package is a little lacking, but that matters a lot less at Monza where there is practically no aero anyway. You'll see a return to 'normal' for them at Singapore and Fuji.

As to whether or not the lovable Flav (I'm being sarcastic, doncha know) told idiot Nelson jr. to crash on lap 17, I don't think we'll ever know. If the little piquet had him on tape, he'd still be driving for Renault. Let's talk about what we DO know: Piquet jr. doesn't have what is required for F1; if it weren't for his name, he'd be begging for a job with Toro Rosso.

We also know that Fernando's light fuel load didn't make a lot of sense --but that happens every race, doesn't it? Team managers allow their frustration to lead them into making desperate moves, knowing that that's the ONLY way they will get into the points.

We know, too, that if this had happened to ANY OTHER TEAM, Max wouldn't pursue it.

So, in sum, it's once again, bad press for F1 thanks to the efforts of the evil twins Max and Bernie. We're getting rid of Max; now if we could just get Bernie to retire.

Cheers, Jim Watt

[F1greyhound]

This moving over for MICHAEL legend is crap, no matter how often repeated. Good or bad, MICHAEL was head and shoulders above his team mates and this moving over for the Championship thing was practiced on 2 or 3 occasions only. RUBENS won some GPs on MICHAELS side just like today on JENSONs.

In this race the BRAWNs were rather evenly matched and I think while RUBENS was brilliant JENSON did a very controlled drive once he saw he cant pass RUBENS at the stops. On the track it would have been impossible. Quite sure JENSON will beat RUBENS more often than not in the last races.

LEWIS was fantastic and full credit to him trying hard as he could. This is one racer and he doesnt have to care about the Championship for a while now. Not one to be satisfied finishing 3rd either. An odd error reflecting his iron will to press the car to the max....

KIMI probably couldnt have done any better and is very consistent in the second half of the season.

ADRIAN was very fast, faster than KIMI, like FISICO 2 weeks ago but didnt get past the FERRARI. He made a mess of his stop, otherwise he would have gone by in the pitlane.

The REDBULL was poor and this has pretty much handed the Championships to BRAWN finally.

Looking forward to Singapore, hopefully ROMAIN wont crash..