Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team has claimed a dominant one-two at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to further their stranglehold on the constructors championship.
Lewis Hamilton was the man to lead the silver arrows home after a dominant driver more than made up for a poor getaway that saw him start in fourth place and pick his way past the Williams and the McLaren in front.
For Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, an early lead could only be converted into a second place finish after running on at the first chicane and having to weave through the blocking markers.
Hamilton said: “We said we wanted a one-two and we got it today; this result is important for everyone. It was a difficult race for me though. The launch sequence didn’t engage properly for the formation lap and then again for the start. I tried to pull away as fast as possible, basically I just floored it and hoped for the best! Fortunately I didn’t lose too many places and was able to get past Kevin, then have a good battle with Felipe.
“When I closed up to Nico, I didn’t want to hold back as the car felt good and I knew from experience that the only chance would be at the start of the stint when the tyres were fresh so I went for it. I’m really pleased with the win, it’s feels like I have some momentum back as we go into the final races.”
For Rosberg, he was surprisingly gracious considering the bad blood between the two men in recent weeks: “Lewis was quicker this weekend, so he deserved the win. That for sure is very disappointing for me. I had a lock up in Turn One and I decided to go straight to avoid a flat spotted tyre. That cost me the lead. But he was very quick behind me, so I had to push all the time.”
The Mercedes team will get their next taste of racing action at the night race of Singapore in two weeks time.
