| 2010 Italian Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 14 of 19 in the2010 Formula One World Championship
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 Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | |||||
| Race details | |||||
| Date | 12 September 2010 | ||||
| Official name | Formula 1Gran Premio Santander d'Italia 2010 | ||||
| Location | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza,Monza,Italy | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.793 km (3.6 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 53 laps, 306.720 km (190.58 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:21.962 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:24.139 on lap 52 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Third | Ferrari | ||||
Lap leaders | |||||
The2010 Italian Grand Prix (formally theFormula 1 Gran Premio Santander d'Italia 2010)[1] was the fourteenth round of the2010 Formula One season. It was held inAutodromo Nazionale di Monza,Monza,Italy on 12 September 2010.[2]Ferrari'sFernando Alonso won the race from pole position, taking Ferrari's first win on home soil since2006 and their last until2019.[3][4]
On the Wednesday before the race,Ferrari were summoned before theFIA World Motor Sport Council to answer charges related to fixing a race outcome through the use ofteam orders – banned since 2003 under Article 39.1 of the sporting regulations following an infamous incident at the2002 Austrian Grand Prix – and subsequently bringing the sport into disrepute at theGerman Grand Prix. Although Ferrari were fined US$100,000 at the time of the incident, the special meeting of the WMSC opened the door for further sanctions. The tribunal eventually decided against punishing the team further, with a promise to review the ban on team orders, a decision that was received negatively by fans.[5]
Following increased speculation overRed Bull andFerrari appearing to use flexible bodywork – banned under the sporting regulations – the FIA announced its intention to intensify testing procedures for the second time, having increased lateral load-bearing tests on the front wings atSpa-Francorchamps. Speculation within the Belgian paddock suggested that both teams had been using flexible floors to lower the front wings closer to the roadway, giving rise to the FIA's plan for stricter testing at Monza.[6] On the Wednesday before the race,McLaren admitted to changing the floor of theMP4-25 to meet the increased load tests.[7]
Lewis Hamilton led the drivers' championship andMark Webber went into this race 3 points behind, sinceSebastian Vettel,Jenson Button andFernando Alonso did not score inBelgium. They were over a race win behind Hamilton and Webber.Sakon Yamamoto tookKarun Chandhok's seat again for the Italian Grand Prix.
The first qualifying session saw all six cars from the new teams knocked out, withJarno Trulli in theLotus leading among them in 18th. His teammateHeikki Kovalainen was 19th and then cameVitantonio Liuzzi, whoseForce India had had technical issues.Timo Glock had originally been ahead of Liuzzi in hisVirgin, but he was handed a five place grid penalty for changing his gearbox, putting him at the very back.Lucas di Grassi was 21st in the other Virgin ahead ofBruno Senna andSakon Yamamoto in theHRTs.
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There were no real surprises in the second qualifying session either, as the twoBMW Saubers ofKamui Kobayashi (13th) andPedro de la Rosa (17th) were eliminated along with theToro Rossos ofSébastien Buemi andJaime Alguersuari, the Force India ofAdrian Sutil andMichael Schumacher'sMercedes. Also eliminated wasVitaly Petrov, who qualified hisRenault 15th but was given a five place grid drop for blocking Glock in the first session.
Rubens Barrichello scraped into the top 10 and qualified tenth in hisWilliams, just behindRobert Kubica in the other Renault. It was a good performance from the other Williams ofNico Hülkenberg, who out qualified his teammate to qualify eighth.Nico Rosberg was probably pleased with seventh in the Mercedes, but then came the championship contenders. A mistake putSebastian Vettel sixth, and it was a tough day for hisRed Bull team asMark Webber could only qualify fourth in the sisterRB6. The twoMcLarens ofLewis Hamilton andJenson Button had chosen completely different car set ups, and it did not work out for Hamilton who could qualify only fifth. It was looking good forFerrari in front of their home crowd, andFelipe Massa qualified third. It was their day as Button was pipped to pole byFernando Alonso, the 19th pole of the Spaniard's career.
At the start of the race, Jenson Button had a fantastic start, jumping hisMcLaren from second past Fernando Alonso'sFerrari. Alonso, who was alongside his teammate Felipe Massa through the turn one chicane, just clipped the rear of Button's diffuser, but there was only light damage to the McLaren. As the pack headed down to the second chicane of turns three and four, Button's teammateLewis Hamilton, who was in fourth, tried to pull a move on Massa, but there was contact between the two. Although Lewis tried to carry on, the front track rod was broken and he pulled up at the next corner. Massa managed to carry on unscathed.Kamui Kobayashi did start the race but retired hisBMW Sauber on the first lap with a gearbox failure.
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Meanwhile,Mark Webber in theRed Bull was going backwards from his fourth place grid slot, and he was ninth at the end of the first lap. He soon re-passedMichael Schumacher'sMercedes at the second chicane on lap 6, with a calm and collected move on the seven times world champion. A hydraulic failure madeBruno Senna'sHRT the race's third retirement on lap 11.
Alonso was harrying Button all the way, and drama occurred further back on lap 20 as Webber's teammateSebastian Vettel, who had also had a bad start, dropping from 6th to 7th and was harryingNico Hülkenberg in theWilliams to take the place back, complained of an engine issue in the Red Bull'sRenault power unit. Webber sailed past and Vettel was just dropping back into the clutches of compatriot Schumacher when he suddenly regained power, and began to close in on Hülkenberg and Webber.
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Button made his pit stop on lap 36, and by staying out for one lap longer Alonso rejoined ahead of Button after his stop, although his teammate Massa actually held 1st for two laps before his own pit-stop relegated him back to 3rd. It was very tight as Alonso exited the pits, but the Spaniard just managed to stay ahead by holding the racing line as the two were side by side through turns one and two.Jarno Trulli was the race's next retirement in theLotus with a gearbox failure on lap 46.
After even more off track adventures for Hülkenberg, he was finally passed by Webber with just four laps to go, and the Aussie was visibly frustrated by then. On the same lap,Lucas di Grassi'sVirgin suffered a suspension failure. After his phantom technical failure, the Red Bull mechanics had decided to leave Vettel's stop to the last lap, which they did, and the gamble paid off handsomely as the German emerged from the pits still in fourth place, ahead of his teammate.
Alonso crossed the line in first place to the delight of theTifosi, with Button still less than three seconds in arrears. Massa was third to complete a fantastic double home podium for the Scuderia, while Vettel drove a brilliant recovery drive to bring the Red Bull home fourth, holding off a late challenge fromNico Rosberg, who had had a quiet race for Mercedes. Webber, Hülkenberg andRobert Kubica'sRenault were all in close attendance, while Schumacher andRubens Barrichello's Williams rounded out the points.
Notes:
^3 Kamui Kobayashi started from the pit lane.^4 Di Grassi was classified for completing 90% of the race winner's distance.
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| Previous race: 2010 Belgian Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 2010 season | Next race: 2010 Singapore Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2009 Italian Grand Prix | Italian Grand Prix | Next race: 2011 Italian Grand Prix |
