Sunday: Hamilton wins, McLaren misses out on double podium
Lewis Hamilton triumphed at Monza for the first time in his Formula One career, at the end of a race where only Sergio Pérez seemed capable of potentially challenging him. Jenson Button could have secured a double victory for the Woking team if he hadn't been let down by his mechanics, specifically the fuel system of the MP4-27.
Lewis Hamilton – Winner:
Winning at Monza is one of the greatest experiences of my career in Formula One. I absolutely love this place: I’ve been coming to Italy to race since I was 13 and I just love the culture, the food, and the people.
Since I started in Formula One, Monza has been one of the races I’ve always wanted to win; it’s a historic and incredible circuit: all the great drivers have won there. Finally adding my name to this list makes me extremely proud but also very humble.
Our car was fantastic all weekend and it was nice to have a trouble-free Grand Prix. I was all alone for most of the race and I just tried to manage the gap with those who were behind me. Towards the end, I was in control, but as soon as I heard that Sergio [Pérez] had passed Fernando [Alonso], I had to push a little to maintain the gap to second place.
Jenson was unlucky in the race: we were first and second when he retired, and it would have been great for the team if we could have finished like that.
This championship is proving so unpredictable and I am grateful to have a good car and that we are in the fight. We have seven races left on the calendar. We should enjoy today, but the victory is just a step. Tomorrow, we’ll have to start all over again for Singapore.
Jenson Button – Retired
« My wheels were spinning at the start, which relegated me to third place and made me lose time behind Felipe [Massa]. But it was nice to overtake him, to open the gap and start catching up with Lewis. I couldn’t have beaten him for the win, but it would have been great for the team if we could have made it a one-two finish, but it didn’t happen that way.
I don’t completely know what caused my car to stop: I was told it was a problem with the fuel system, which we’re still investigating. The engine cut out and I had to pull over to the side of the road. These things happen.
But to focus on the positive, I want to congratulate the whole team. We have proven in the last races that we are very strong in both qualifying and racing. Consistency is really the key, and we haven’t seen this level of performance from other teams all season, so it’s actually very encouraging.
