Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2014 Italian Grand Prix Weekend Report

5 September 2014

2014 Italian Grand Prix Weekend Report

The 13th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season took place at the historic Monza circuit in Italy.
© Octane Photographic
It was the final European race of the season and the 65th Italian Grand Prix to appear on the F1 calendar. 

The paddock reconvened at another classic track, following the drama and controversy of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Italian Grand Prix has created some iconic moments in Formula 1. Were more made in 2014?? Read on to find out.

FP1
F1 returned to the track on Friday morning for Italian Grand Prix first practice. It was a busy  90-minute session, with Marcus Ericsson, Felipe Massa, Max Chilton and Kevin Magnussen being the first drivers to take to the circuit.
© Octane Photographic

Lewis Hamilton ended practice one at the top of the timesheets with a best time of 1:26.187. Jenson Button was six tenths further back in second, with Nico Rosberg next up with his fastest prime tyre lap. Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen completed the top five.

Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Sergio Perez, Daniil Kvyat and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10. 23 drivers set a lap time in the session, as Daniel Juncadella took over Perez's Force India VJM07 for the first 30 minutes.

Giedo van der Garde was at the wheel of the Sauber C33 once again, replacing Adrian Sutil and setting the 15th fastest time - finishing two positions ahead of Juncadella. Charles Pic took over Romain Grosjean's Lotus E22 and was 21st.

Formula Renault 3.5 driver Roberto Merhi replaced Kamui Kobayashi and finishing 22nd, two tenths ahead of Marcus Ericsson. It was an eventful session, with plenty of lock-ups and off-track excursions.

FP2
Rosberg set the pace in second practice at the Monza circuit. After a quiet start under cloudy skies, the 90-minute session soon picked up pace as drivers tackled the classic track.
© Octane Photographic

Rosberg ended the session at the top of the timesheets with a 1:26.225. Hamilton suffered a difficult start to practice two after his car failed to start up. 

Following a long and costly delay, the Brit returned to the track for the final 30 minutes and moved up to second place - 0.061 seconds behind his team-mate - with his low fuel run on the white-marked medium tyre. 

Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso finished third and fourth. Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top five, with Button and Vettel next up. Magnussen, Felipe Massa and Ricciardo completed the top 10. Perez was 11th, with Hulkenberg and Kvyat finishing two and four tenths further back. 

Sutil, Grosjean and Kobayashi sampled 2014 machinery at Monza for the first time in practice two after sitting out of the morning session, putting in the 16th, 20th and 21st fastest times. Drivers continued to struggle for braking stability into the chicanes, with plenty of lock-ups and trips across the run-off areas.

FP3
Hamilton set the pace in the final practice session of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, with his team-mate managing just three laps thanks to an electrical problem.
© Octane Photographic

Drivers completed laps on the hard tyre early on - with Kvyat (who has a 10-place grid penalty for using a sixth ICE power-unit component), Bottas and Chilton being the first to take to the track - before moving onto the option compound in the closing minutes.

A late improvement for Hamilton, putting in a 1:25.519, saw the 2008 world champion extend his advantage at the top of the timesheets. Alonso was second fastest, four tenths behind the Mercedes driver, with Bottas, Massa and Button rounding out the top five.

Vettel, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Ricciardo and Hulkenberg completed the top 10. Sutil lost crucial track time with a hydraulic issue but finished 15th. Perez also hit trouble and stopped his car at the Curve Grande with 28 minutes left on the clock. Lotus continued to struggle with Pastor Maldonado and Grosjean finishing 17th and 19th. There were plenty of lock-ups once again as drivers tackled the tricky chicanes.

Qualifying
Q1
The first segment of qualifying eliminated the slowest six drivers from the fight for pole position. Conditions were warm and dry, with the session getting off to a busy start. Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton were the first to take to the Monza track. 
© Octane Photographic

However, it was Kobayashi who put in the opening lap time - a 1:28.299. The Japanese driver swiftly dropped down the order, with Massa, Hamilton and Rosberg leading the way at the half-way stage.

Hamilton and Rosberg ended the session at the front, with Massa dropping to third. Bottas was fourth, with Vergne and Kvyat being the lead drivers to use the medium compound tyre in fifth and sixth. Button, Magnussen, Hulkenberg and Alonso completed the top 10. 

Lotus had a disastrous session, with a problem for Maldonado not helping the team's performance. The Venezuelan was 17th and the first driver in the drop-zone, with Grosjean only managing 18th. Kobayashi set the 19th fastest time, finishing ahead of both Marussia drivers. Bianchi ended Q1 ahead of Chilton, with Ericsson completing the results.

Q2
The second session saw 16 drivers battle for a place in the top 10 shoot-out, with Hulkenberg and Kvyat being the first drivers to exit the pit lane. 

© Octane Photographic

It was a quiet start to Q2, but the pace soon picked up. Hulkenberg set the opening lap time, a 1:31.488, on the medium compound tyre. He was soon displaced by Toro Rosso's Russian rookie, before Hamilton and Rosberg predictably moved to the top of the timesheets.

Following a lull in the action, the drivers returned to the track in the closing stages for one final lap. Hamilton failed to improve on his last attempt but retained first place, with Rosberg finishing just 0.040 seconds further back. Bottas, Massa, Alonso and Button all made it through to Q3.

Vettel, Perez, Ricciardo and Magnussen completed the top 10. Kvyat was 11th fastest and will start 21st due to his grid penalty. Raikkonen was also eliminated in the second segment of qualifying after a scruffy final two laps. He was joined in the drop-zone by Vergne, Hulkenberg, Sutil and Gutierrez.

Q3
The final qualifying session of the Italian Grand Prix weekend got off to a quiet start, with Perez being the only driver to take to the track in the opening two minutes. 
© Octane Photographic

The Mexican put in the first timed lap of Q3, with a 1:26.230. Hamilton held the top spot at the end of the first runs, four tenths clear of Rosberg and six tenths clear of Bottas. Massa and Button were fourth and fifth. 

With two and a half minutes remaining, the top 10 returned to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for one final lap. Rosberg improved but it wasn't enough, giving Hamilton his first pole position since the Spanish Grand Prix in May. 

Bottas and Massa held on to third and fourth, locking out the second row of the grid. A late improvement helped Magnussen leap up to fifth, with Button dropping to sixth and Alonso qualifying seventh. Vettel, Ricciardo and Perez completed the top 10 in Q3.

Full qualifying results can be found here.

The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the 13th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, which was also the final European race of the year.

Hamilton secured pole position - his first since Spain - on Saturday after a relatively straight-forward qualifying session. Rosberg was second; could he find a way past his team-mate? Could Williams challenge the Mercedes drivers? Read on to find out...   
© Octane Photographic

The revs rose, the lights went out and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza got under way. Off the line, Hamilton had a poor launch from the grid, quickly reporting an ERS issue, and dropped to fourth at turn one. Rosberg took the lead into the first chicane, with Magnussen storming up to second and Massa jumping to third.

Bottas had a terrible first corner and dropped to 10th, with Ricciardo taking to the run-off area to avoid contact with another car. However, it was a largely clean opening lap. With a McLaren and Williams behind him, the championship leader swiftly established a comfortable lead in the opening laps.

After several attempts, Massa displaced Magnussen on lap five at the second chicane. Hamilton followed the Brazilian through, as he recovered ground after dropping back at the start. The yellow flags emerged on lap six after Chilton launched his car over a kerb at the second chicane and found the wall, retiring from the race. 

Rosberg locked up into the first chicane on lap nine and took to the escape road, losing just over one second of his lead. Hamilton moved up to second place on lap 10 after a brave move around the outside of Massa at the first corner. Bottas slowly started to recover ground; overtaking Perez and Button at turn one in quick succession.

The gap between the top two was just 1.4 seconds by the end of lap 17. Vettel was the first front-runner to take to the pit lane on the following tour, moving to the hard compound tyre. Magnussen, who had just been passed by Bottas, and Alonso pitted on lap 21, with both emerging behind Vettel.
© Octane Photographic

Rosberg took to the Monza pit lane at the end of lap 24 and switched to the prime tyre for his second and final stint. Bottas followed him in but returned to the track behind Perez. Hamilton pitted on the next tour, losing a few tenths with his later stop. 

The Brit swiftly closed the gap down to just seven tenths of a second by the end of lap 28. Rosberg dramatically lost the lead at turn one on the following tour after locking up and taking to the escape road. 

The yellow flags emerged on the same lap after Alonso was forced to stop his car at the first chicane with an ERS failure. It was his first retirement of the year, ending his run of consecutive points finishes. It was also the Spaniard's first Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari where he failed to stand on the podium. 

Raikkonen, at the wheel of the second F14 T, dropped to 10th on lap 34 after being passed by Ricciardo at the first turn. After several failed attempts, Bottas finally moved ahead of Magnussen on the pit straight on lap 36. The Danish rookie was then given a five-second stop/go penalty for forcing the Williams driver off track earlier in the race.

Ricciardo was on a charge and quickly passed Button and Perez, overtaking the latter in stunning style at the second chicane. Meanwhile the gap at the front of the field was 4.1 seconds by the end of lap 46.

Vettel quickly dropped into the clutches of his team-mate, with Ricciardo storming ahead at turn four. It was an almost identical overtake to the one he completed on Perez just a few laps earlier. Kvyat dramatically lost control under braking at turn one with two laps to go, cutting the chicane and dropping back with a problem.
© Octane Photographic

Despite closing the gap in the final three laps, Rosberg couldn't get close enough to Hamilton and eventually had to settle for second place. The 2008 world champion secured his second Italian Grand Prix victory and his sixth win of the season.

Hamilton takes the 2014 Italian Grand Prix victory

It was a stunning recovery drive by Hamilton after an ERS problem caused him to drop back at the start. The Brit quickly moved up to second and he took advantage of his team-mate's second error at turn one, storming into the lead and controlling the final part of the race.

Rosberg took the chequered flag 3.1 seconds further back, after edging closer to Hamilton in the final few laps. His mistake cost him a potential victory, but he couldn't recover the ground lost. However, it was still a positive one-two finish for Mercedes.

Massa returned to form with a third place finish, scoring his first podium since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. Bottas recovered to fourth after his poor opening lap, with Ricciardo putting in a strong drive to fifth. 
© Octane Photographic

Vettel could only manage sixth after dropping back on worn tyres in the closing stages. Perez and Button battled hard, finishing just half a second apart by the race finish. Raikkonen was ninth in the sole Ferrari to reach the chequered flag.

Magnussen actually crossed the finish line in seventh, but as he failed to pit and complete his five second stop/go penalty, it was added to his race time and he dropped to 10th. Kvyat retained 11th despite his late off-track excursion, with Hulkenberg and Vergne next up.

Maldonado and Sutil finished 14th and 15th, with Grosjean, Kobayashi and Bianchi moving ahead of Gutierrez after the Sauber driver's puncture. He was then given a 20-second time penalty and dropped to last place, behind Ericsson. Alonso and Chilton were the only retirements.

Full race results for the 2014 Italian Grand Prix can be found here.

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