The Freeman

Hamilton denies Ferrari a home win at Italian GP

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MONZA, Italy — For Ferrari, the wait continues. For Lewis Hamilton, it was a dream race.

Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after starting third on the grid to extend his championsh­ip lead over Sebastian Vettel following an opening-lap collision with the German driver that effectivel­y ended his chances of victory.

Ferrari had been hopeful of ending an eight-year wait for a win at its home track after taking the front two places on the grid at the Italian GP for the first time since 2000. However, pole-sitter Raikkonen was overtaken by Hamilton eight laps from the end and the Mercedes driver held on, much to the disappoint­ment of the passionate Italian tifosi fans.

“Today was so difficult. Whilst the negativity is never great, that’s what powered me along. I actually accept it,” Hamilton said after getting roundly booed on the podium.

Hamilton, who said he rated the win as among the top performanc­es of his career, tied Michael Schumacher’s record of five Italian GP victories and extended his overall lead to 30 points over Vettel

“Disappoint­ed but there was nothing I could do,” said Raikkonen, who struggled with a tire problem in the final few laps.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas was third, ahead of Vettel and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who received a five-second penalty.

The 33-year-old Hamilton pinpointed the collision with Vettel as the decisive moment of the race.

“That was definitely a very, very key moment, getting past him was the immediate goal ... my race is not really with Kimi, it’s with Sebastian. However, I do need to get past Kimi at the same time,” Hamilton said.

“Getting past Sebastian at the beginning was clearly a massive turning point. That definitely took a lot of pressure off ... I could just focus on Kimi for the whole race. We had a couple of good battles.”

Vettel had cut the gap at the top of the standings to 17 points with victory at last weekend’s Belgium GP. Hamilton put his rival under pressure from the start but Vettel pulled clear and was alongside Raikkonen into the first corner.

Hamilton had another go on the outside heading into the second chicane, inching ahead of Vettel when they made contact, causing Vettel to spin and lose part of his front wing.

 ?? ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates with trophy on the podium after winning the Formula One Italy Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018.
ASSOCIATED PRESS Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates with trophy on the podium after winning the Formula One Italy Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018.

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