In circumstances such as these it is difficult not to resort to cliché and superlatives, but then this truly was a dream result for Sebastian Vettel and Scuderia Toro Rosso.
The little team – officially the Red Bull ‘b’ team and effectively Minardi revamped – took a fine pole position, capitalised on the conditions on Sunday and saw there German rising star – an accolade used fairly as this young man has a bright future ahead of him – take a convincing win in an Italian Grand Prix at which he only briefly looked troubled by anyone else.
Gerhard Berger’s outfit played the pit stop card perfectly, bringing the race leader in for a second set of full wets – the race had started in treacherous conditions behind the safety car – quite early on lap 18, and for a set of intermediates on lap 36 as the rain eased. This second stop was undertaken without loss of the lead, such was his potion by then.
It was not all plain sailing at STR, however, for the unfortunate Sebastien Bourdais stalled his car as the pack pulled away for the warm up lap, and started from the pit lane, one lap behind. A great pity, for the Frenchman was starting fourth, and showed good pace throughout the race.
In the early stages Heikki Kovalainen simply had nothing for Kovalainen, as the German pulled away neatly and efficiently and built op a useful cushion, and the Finn would later complain of insufficient heat in his brakes that prevented him from attacking the STR ahead of him. Whatever, Heikki’s expression on the podium – second, in a McLaren, beaten by a Toro Rosso fairly and squarely – was one of absolute bewilderment; this race should, by rights, have been his for the taking.
The safety car had released the pack on lap three, when Vettel simply broke away – and left the grid order scrabbling for places as they headed down to the first chicane.
A great early scrap entailed between Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso, while Robert Kubica managed to pass teammate Nick Heidfeld for tenth place. Vettels pace was such that in just a handful of laps he was almost seven seconds to the good, with Kovalainen comfortably outpacing third placed man Mark Webber in the Red Bull. One wonders where, at this point, Bourdais would have slotted in.
Further back and a couple of good fights continued, with Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg engaged in a great battle, the Brazilian using the whole track to get by at one point and choosing to hand back a position that was obtained, in the eyes of this writer, perfectly legitimately. Such is the effect, however, of last week’s stewards ruling (although despite copious chicane crossing – from Massa and the race leader at least once – no penalties, thank heavens, were applied at Monza.)
Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton had made heavy weather of their starting positions, and equally heavy weather of a robustly defensive Giancarlo Fisichella, the Force India having started ahead of them on the grid.
The two would pass Fisichella before lap ten, and a little afterwards the Italian, having nudged the back of David Coulthard’s Red Bull, saw his front wing depart company with the car, and led to an uncontrolled visit to the tyre barriers, and race over.
Around this point Hamilton simply drove past Raikkonen: either he suddenly found some grip, or some confidence, or he just woke up, for what followed was Formula One, and Hamilton, at its very best.
The McLaren simply flew, and in the next few laps we saw Hamilton take, in this order, Heidfeld, Glock, Kubica and Alonso, with relative ease. Moist of these were simply lined up on the approach to the first chicane, and despatched cleanly there and then (the Glock move a little rough as Lewis edged left, forcing the Toyota to put two wheels on the grass.)
Next he came upon Jarno Trulli, made a meal of it and used the chicane, and thus gave the place back. He took him next lap, without drama. When, on lap 24, he took Nico Rosberg’s Williams, Hamilton was into second place – a few seconds down the road from Vettel, and with both to make one more pit stop.
Hamilton continued to make inroads into Vettels lead, and when he made what was his only planned pit stop he was less than a second behind, and dropped to tenth with a number of fellow single stoppers yet to pit.
I say planned pit stop, because had the rain continued to fall heavily –and some teams had forecasts that it would – it could well have played into Hamilton’s hands. It didn’t, however, work out that way.
As we approached the second stop window, the single stoppers all realised that any chance was gone, as the rain abated, and intermediates became the necessity. Thus, Vettel pitted and rejoined in the lead, never to be troubled again.
In the closing stages Hamilton and Massa running together, had a good fight, and Mark Webber found himself going quicker than the McLaren and attempted a move that didn’t quite come off.
BMW had quietly performed to good effect, and as the flag fell – with Vettel winning
In jubilant style – the youngest man to take victory in a Grand Prix – Kovalainen followed him home ten seconds behind, and Robert Kubica came in third for another podium.
Fernando Alonso drove a great race to finish fourth- not far behind Kubica – with Nick Heidfeld, in the second BMW, fifth. Sixth and seventh positions went to the nose to tail Massa and Hamilton – bringing the title protagonists to a one point difference – and Webber took a deserved if disappointed eighth for the single point. The Australian must be wondering how the second string team are managing to make Red Bull look nothing more than average, race after race.
Ferrari, too, must be somewhat embarrassed that a car using their customer engine can win so comprehensively, when only one of their drivers finished in the points; Raikkonen, lacklustre for want of a better word, turned in a sequence of fastest laps in the closing stages, but was easily eclipsed.
A great win for a popular and welcome team, and a man who is charm personified; if Sebastian Vettel goes on to fulfil his apparent promise – and I am sure he will – F1 will be better for it, for here is a man who is pleasant, funny and bright, and a sheer delight to be around.
Bravo Seb, and STR.
Steve Turnbull
Written: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:09:53
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