Defending world champion Fernando Alonso reduced his McLaren
teammate Lewis Hamilton's lead at the top of the world championship
to just three points yesterday when he led him home at the Italian
Grand Prix.
Alonso, who started from the 17th pole position of his career,
dominated the race from start to finish and was only out of the
leading position for five laps following his first of two
pit-stops.
The 2005 and 2006 champion came home seconds ahead of the
22-year-old British rookie to claim the 19th win in his 101st Grand
Prix. With four races remaining, Hamilton leads by just three
points with 92 to Spaniard Alonso's 89.
The only races remaining are next Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix
and then the events in Japan, China and Brazil.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen finished third for Ferrari, who
suffered a dismal afternoon on home turf and against the background
of the acrimonious and controversial 'spy story' scandal in which
they claim McLaren have gained an advantage from a secret leaked
dossier.
Brazilian Felipe Massa, who started third for Ferrari, was
unable to finish after retiring early in the race after just 11
laps.
German Nick Heidfeld finished fourth for BMW Sauber ahead of his
teammate Pole Robert Kubica, German Nico Rosberg in a Williams and
Finn Heikki Kovalainen in a Renault.
Briton Jenson Button collected the final single point finishing
eighth for Honda.
The 53-lap race began in perfect dry conditions, warm sunshine
pouring down from a blue sky. The track temperature was 33 degrees
Celsius and the air temperature 28 degrees as the cars completed
their formation lap.
At the start, Alonso pulled away with a faultless departure from
the grid. Hamilton, not enjoying the same smooth pace, struggled
and was passed on the run down to the first chicane by Massa in his
Ferrari.
The young Briton responded vigorously and regained second place
as they entered the braking zone, but had to miss the apex of the
second part of the Rettifilio Tribune to hold his position as they
ran down to Curva Grande.
The positions then settled until the second lap when Briton
David Coulthard careered off the track heavily into the barriers in
his Red Bull after a collision with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella's
Renault.
The race was brought under the control of the Safety Car. The
Torro Rosso team's young German driver Sebastian Vettel also
suffered an early accident.
When the action resumed in earnest, Alonso led Hamilton by less
than a second and it remained like that until the next major drama
saw Massa come in to the pits after 10 laps and then retire after
11.
For Ferrari and the army of Italian fans, it was a huge
disappointment.
It was good news, however, for the many Spanish supporters of
Alonso who had hung banners and waved flags from their grandstand
seats opposite the pits.
(China Daily via agencies September 10, 2007)
