Lewis Hamilton made his way through an astonishing fight with Ferrari’s to mark his victory at Italian Grand Prix. The victory has led his championship lead to 30 point over the title contender Sebastian Vettel.
The British driver started third with Raikkonen at pole and Vettel at second place on grid. The title contenders clash at start of the race put Vettel at back, who only managed to finish fourth.
“We couldn’t have imagined we would have that kind of lead,” Hamilton said.
“I’m really happy I’ve been able to extract more from the car and hopefully make that little bit of a difference.”
The remaining races of the championship has 175 points to offer in seven GP’s.
“We are very fortunate to have capitalised on the different situations. I’m sure it’s exciting for people to watch. We still have a long way to go but I am definitely happy with the day’s result.”
The German’s Ferrari start spinning after colliding with Hamilton’s Mercedes, when British tried to take second place at second chicane in Monza.
Raikkonen stayed ahead of Hamilton for most part of the race, but Mercedes managed to pass Ferrari in 43rd lap.
Best Performance
Hamilton considered it as one of his best performances. He said, “It’s always very difficult to compare past performances.
“I always tell you that I don’t really have the greatest of memories – but under the sheer pressure that we are under I definitely will consider it to be quite far up there.
“And obviously to do it on Ferrari’s home turf as well, with such a difficult crowd and so much pressure on the team with the performance that they have, to really be able to pull a little bit more out of the bag, and really make it stick…
“But I generally think that this year I’ve been quite consistent in my delivery. I have really been happy with what I’ve been able to extract from the car and again, just incredibly grateful and proud of the team for continuing to keep their faith in me, and keep pushing as they are.”
The clash at first lap was investigated by the stewards for any non-conformance to FIA rules. They found no evidence and considered it a racing incident.
He added: “I think it was a racing move. It’s pretty much the same move that Kimi did to me (after a restart following a safety car period triggered by the incident).
“It’s what we’re supposed to do out there. We’re supposed to be racing. I left him space.”
