Hamilton, on a Mercedes, brushes off Vettel, Ferrari
MONZA, Italy (AP) – Lewis Hamilton's toughest test Sunday came when he was met with a chorus of whistles and boos atop the podium for the Italian Grand Prix.
The throng of red-clad fans who invaded the track had come hoping to see a Ferrari victory as the automaker celebrated its 70th anniversary.
Instead, Hamilton won virtually unchallenged from pole position, Mercedes teammate Valterri finished second, and Hamilton took the championship lead from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who placed third.
“Some are more happy than others . ... You might have to just punch through this,'' former F1 driver Martin Bundle, who was handling the po- dium interviews, told Hamilton as the crowd made its feelings known loud and clear.
“You know what?'' Hamilton replied. “I love it here in Italy and I love the passion of the fans, particularly the Ferrari fans – they are fantastic. This energy is like nowhere else we get to see, apart from maybe Silverstone. So I respect it and I appreciate it.''
It was the perfect response to calm the crowd down and crown a perfect weekend for Hamilton, who on Saturday eclipsed former Ferrari great Michael Schumacher's record for Formula One pole positions, with his 69th.
Later, Hamilton went down into the crowd and was mobbed.
Hamilton finished nearly five seconds ahead of Bottas while Vettel came third, more than half a minute behind.