THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID, Spain — The trio of drivers chasing Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber atop the Formula One standings will need to make up some ground at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend to keep the title race from becoming a two-man race following the last race in Europe this season.
Although five drivers are still in the hunt with six races left, Hamilton of McLaren and Webber of Red Bull have opened up some room on top of the standings after filling the top two places at the Belgian GP.
Hamilton has 182 points to lead Webber by three, while Sebastian Vettel fell behind after another lapse of judgment by the Red Bull driver in Belgium. Vettel crashed into defending F1 champion Jenson Button at Spa, knocking the McLaren driver out of the race and leaving Vettel out of the points.
Vettel has 151 points, Button 147 and Fernando Alonso remained on 141 after governing body FIA decided not to impose any further sanction on the Ferrari team on Wednesday. Ferrari was fined US$100,000 and accused of breaking F1 rules by ordering Felipe Massa to let Alonso overtake him for the win at the German Grand Prix in July, but a disciplinary hearing decided the team’s 1-2 finish will stand.
McLaren has the momentum, however, as Hamilton and Button were running 1-2 until Vettel’s erratic overtaking manoeuvre. That momentum is expected to carry over to the track outside of Milan, which is the circuit’s fastest and is well-suited to the British team.
"Our pace over the whole weekend in Belgium was extremely encouraging," Button said, "so I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to maintain that form in Italy."
Red Bull has consistently been the fastest team in qualifying, taking pole position in 12 of 13 races, but has only managed to convert that into six victories, with Webber taking four of them. The Italian race could provide an extra challenge as Red Bull’s straight-line speed isn’t its strongest point.
"I think we can still do well at Monza," Webber said. "We might have a bit more in the way of opposition. In addition to Ferrari, McLaren and Renault, Force India could also be in the mix for the top places."
Robert Kubica of Renault was third in Spa, when the French team ran its F-duct system for the first time. Renault is unsure whether it will go with the aerodynamic upgrade in Italy.
"This circuit can sometimes throw up some surprises," Kubica said. "If the car feels as good as it did in Spa, then there’s no reason why we won’t be competitive in Monza."
Vettel returns to the site of his first F1 win looking to ease criticism following his crash into Button, which came after a similar run-in between him and Webber prevented a Red Bull 1-2 at Turkish GP.
"Here was one of those races where it just did not go his way," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "He needs to stay calm and focused and eventually it will come his way."
Alonso said Ferrari was encouraged by straight-line testing after the Spa race, where he crashed out close to the end while Massa was fourth.
"I am therefore confident about our chances of getting back to fighting for a place on the podium," said Alonso, who won in Monza with McLaren three years ago.
Seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher also returns to race in front of the Tifosi for the first time since coming out of retirement to join Mercedes. The German driver won five of his championships with Ferrari.