Lewis nails the Italian Grand Prix victory, leaping past Vettel in the drivers' championship rankings
On a day that couldn't have been more different from the wet and windy qualifying session, the Italian "Tifosi" endured some challenging weather conditions. Unfortunately, Ferrari didn't have much to celebrate, as they struggled to find joy in the rainy race day.
But for Mercedes, it was a stroll in the park, with both vehicles swerving around the track at impressive speeds. Hamilton, following his race, declared in an interview that his car had been "perfect" on theTrack.
Maybe it was just gamesmanship trying to rattle Vettel, but Hamilton couldn't help but boast that he'd spent most of the race "cruising."
Mercedes wrapped up an excellent afternoon with a second-place finish for Bottas, marking an impressive team win.
As Hamilton stepped up to the podium to make his victory speech, the sea of red shirts, banners, and lights below erupted with cheers and claps.
"Mercedes is most definitely ahead of Ferrari in terms of performance," Hamilton remarked, his cheeky grin only intensifying the booing from the crowd below. "I adore the passion of the Italian fans – they are spectacular. I'm really grateful we're doing well and that the team is putting in exceptional work. We have so much to be thankful for."
"It was a fantastic day and outcome for us."
On the Record
Vettel has never lost a championship title while leading at some point, but he now faces an uphill battle to continue the streak, trailing Hamilton by three points.
It was also Hamilton's fourth race win at Monza, short of Michael Schumacher's record by just one more.
The Race
With ideal weather conditions, Hamilton managed a flawless start to the race, holding off fierce pressure from Ocon and Stroll to maintain his pole position record from the previous race.
Bottas swiftly moved up through the ranks, surpassing three cars to ultimately slot himself comfortably within his teammate's slipstream.
A minor scare awaited Hamilton in the 20th round, as he briefly oversteered, causing his left front wing to plant itself firmly in the gravel. Thankfully, it was the only hiccup, as the rest of the season would likely be smooth sailing.
Vettel struggled with a challenging launch but managed to climb his way to third place, keeping it that way for the duration of the race. Although the gap to Hamilton left little room for optimism, it gave Vettel a small consolation prize.
"It was fun!" Vettel said, beaming from ear to ear on the podium. "I had a bad start and it took some time to get used to the car. We were a bit isolated and didn't have the pace to catch up to the two leading drivers."
"Despite the difficult conditions, I know we have a strong car, and we're bound to produce remarkable results in the season ahead."
In the 20th round, Hamilton actually managed to sneak ahead of Vettel by a full second. However, Vettel's strong performance nearly cost him third place as Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo closed in. In a tense turn of events, Ricciardo eventually overtook Vettel, leaving Vettel racing against time to retake his position.
However, Ricciardo's pace ultimately proved too much for Vettel to handle, as he settled for a well-deserved fourth-place finish.
As the rain poured down, Hamilton remained surprisingly cool-headed, deflecting any potential implications of taking the championship lead during the 2023 season with aplomb.
"The last couple of races have been incredibly intense," Hamilton said with a smile. "We're certainly getting stronger by the day, but it still remains very close. Ferrari should be on form at the next race, so the battle is far from over."
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