Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text commentary of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Lewis Hamilton will start on pole for the fourth time this season, seeking his third victory following wins in Canada and Hungary.
His teammate Jenson Button won the last race in Belgium and starts behind Hamilton in second.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa took third in qualifying, followed by Michael Schumacher, Sebastien Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Kimi Raikkonen, Kamui Kobayashi and Paul Di Resta.
Championship leader Fernando Alonso could only manage 10th on the grid due to problems with his car in Q3 yesterday.
Please note that the action gets underway at 1pm.
2.34pmUntil then, thanks for joining us!
2.33pmAs the drivers take to the podium, it's time for me to bid you farewell for this afternoon. I hope that you enjoyed our coverage of this race. Join us in two weeks when Sports Mole will be providing coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix.
2.31pmThe Italian crowd seem happy with the performance of the Ferraris today. And well they might, it was a strong performance by both Massa and Alonso.
2.29pmMartin Whitmarsh: "Lewis did a fantastic job today. It should have been a one-two; it's frustrating."
2.28pmPerez jumps into the collective arms of his adoring team. That's his second second-placed finish this season. Incidentally, I was also providing commentary on that race. He will be pleased to know my schedule in future, I'm sure...
2.27pmFinal placings: Hamilton, Perez, Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Schumacher, Rosberg, Di Resta, Kobayashi, Senna, Maldonado, Ricciardo, D'Ambrosio, Kovalainen, Petrov, Pic, Glock, De La Rosa, Karthikeyan, Webber, Hulkenberg, Vettel.
2.24pmA great drive from Alonso as well, who finishes in third after starting 10th on the grid.
Lap 53LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX!
Lap 53Hamilton has been faultless this afternoon. Perez likewise, and they look like they will finish first and second (respectively) at Monza!
Lap 53FINAL LAP!
Lap 52Webber is coming into the pits after his incident.
Lap 52Hulkenberg retires from the race. He made ground early on but was too far back to effectively feature.
Lap 51Webber has left the track and is in the dust! The Aussie clipped the curb and spun sideways on the track. He is down into 10th!
Lap 50Top ten: Hamilton, Perez, Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Schumacher, Webber, Rosberg, Di Resta, Kobayashi.
Lap 49Webber has Schumacher on his shoulder. The German gets ahead into the chicane!
Lap 48And there it is... Vettel is out. Christian Horner looks like a frustrated man.
Lap 48Roberg overtakes Kobayashi into 10th.
Lap 47He flew past Alonso on the straight and he may be looking at Lewis Hamilton now! He has just under six laps left to do it, but he is around a second-per-lap quicker than the McLaren!
Lap 46Perez is right behind Alonso now. If he can avoid a mistake he could well take second... AND HE DOES!
Lap 46Vettel is back in sixth place but is still having trouble with his car. It sounds like it could be a problem with the alternator.
Lap 43Vettel is having a problem with his car as Perez saunters past Massa. this has been a great drive from the Mexican and he is now bearing down on Alonso.
Lap 42Perez is closing the gap to Massa considerably.
Lap 41What looked very good for McLaren at one stage, looks just 'ok' now. With Hamilton leading they can't be too disappointed, but Button's retirement coupled with the performance of Alonso may just leave a sour taste in the mouth of Martin Whitmarsh.
Lap 40Top ten: Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Perez, Raikkonen, Vettel, Webber, Di Resta, Kobayashi, Schumacher.
Lap 38Rosberg now takes on Raikkonen and relegates the Finn to seventh!
Lap 38The Mexican has now set a new fastest lap. He is showing some great pace.
Lap 37Perez attacks Raikkonen on the outside heading into the chicane, and gets ahead of him when it turns into the inside line on the exit. Brilliant driving. He is in fifth now!
Lap 36Massa is the immediate beneficiary of Button's retirement as he moves into second, but Alonso will also be rubbing his hands with glee.
Lap 35Vettel takes his drive through and returns in ninth place.
Lap 35Button's radio: "No drive. No drive, engine's off."
Lap 34The cause is unknown as of yet, but we shall wait and see!
Lap 34Jenson Button is out! He pulls to the side of the track and his race is over!
Lap 32Vettel has been given a drive-through penalty for the incident with Alonso!
Lap 31Top ten: Hamilton, Button, Massa, Alonso, Vettel, Schumacher, Raikkonen, Perez, Rosberg, Webber.
Lap 31Hamilton posts a new fastest lap at 1:29.908.
Lap 30Perez finally pits for fresh tyres. The stewards are looking at the incident between Vettel and Alonso.
Lap 29Alonso is back ahead of Vettel!
Lap 29Hamilton gets by on the inside of Perez.
Lap 27Alonso's radio relays suggest that he feels Vettel pushed him wide.
Lap 26Alonso looked like he had Vettel beaten into the first turn but Vettel hangs onto fifth. Alonso then goes well wide and onto the dust on the next corner!
Lap 25Behind Perez, it looks like a case of 'as you were' before the teams began to pit.
Lap 25Alonso posts a new fastest lap.
Lap 25Perez is currently in front but is yet to pit.
Lap 24Hamilton pits. He is way out in front and should return to the track still in the lead.
Lap 23Pit stops have played temporary havoc with the top ten standings. Button comes in for fresh tyres too.
Lap 22Nico Rosberg posts another fastest lap at 1:29.
Lap 21Alonso comes in to the pits. He nearly collides with Vettel on his release! A huge sigh of releief from all involved!
Lap 20Top ten: Hamilton, Button, Vettel, Alonso, Perez, Webber, Kobayashi, Di Resta, Senna, Ricciardo.
Lap 19Button makes a move on Massa and takes him! Button is up into second and it's a McLaren one-two as it stands!
Lap 19Reports coming in that Massa is suffering from electrical problems on board his Ferrari. Without a clear indication of fuel consumption, they are blind on strategy.
Lap 19Rosberg posts the fastest lap.
Lap 18Sergio Perez expertly overtakes Kimi Raikkonen. The Mexican is now sixth. Sumptuous driving.
Lap 17Maldonado posts the fastest lap.
Lap 16Schumacher pits for a tyre change and returns to the track in 15th.
Lap 16Hamilton is now over four seconds faster than Massa. He is running (or driving, as it were) away with it.
Lap 15Both Hamilton and Button are quicker than Massa in the first sector, but the Brazilian has the pace in the second and third sectors.
Lap 14McLaren seem happy with Button's pace. He is in third, around six seconds behind Hamilton.
Lap 14Maldonado pits for the medium compound tyres.
Lap 12Hamilton is gradually building his lead at the front. He is over three seconds ahead of Massa at the moment.
Lap 11The Aussie comfortably sails past Di Resta as he continues his move through the pack.
Lap 10Webber is lurking behind Di Resta. That is the battle for 10th place.
Lap 10The yellow flags are out as the marshals clear debris from Vergne's incident.
Lap 10FIRST RETIREMENT Jean-Eric Vergne takes a spectacular spill off of the track! His left rear suspension failed and he spun wickedly. His race is over.
Lap 9Senna goes well wide and leaves the track. He was wheel to wheel with Di Resta, who did now allow him any room for manoeuvre around the turn.
Lap 8The Spaniard is right where he needed to be after starting in 10th position. Some neat driving from Alonso, he bided his time behind Schumacher.
Lap 7Alonso moves ahead of Schumacher.
Lap 6Top ten: Hamilton, Massa, Button, Vettel, Schumacher, Alonso, Raikkonen, Kobayashi, Di Resta, Perez.
Lap 4Alonso is battling with Schumacher for fifth position. The German has just been overtaken by Vettel, who is now fourth behind Button.
Lap 4Hamilton has posted the fastest lap. He is in prime position to dictate this race now - barring a mechanical failure!
Lap 3Button looked sluggish off the mark but Massa produced a quality piece of driving to usurp his position.
Lap 3Bruno Senna is another big mover. He has jumped three places into 10th. Hulkenberg has made sizable moves from 24th on the grid as well.
Lap 2Alonso overtakes Raikkonen and is already into sixth place!
Lap 1No repeat of the Spa incident this time, it was a clean first turn.
Lap 1Massa gets an excellent start and takes Button before the first corner. He then has a look at Hamilton but can't get around. Great start for the Ferrari man!
1.03pmThe five red lights and it's GO! GO! GO! The Italian Grand Prix is underway!
1.01pmPerez, D'Ambrosio, Maldonado and Hulkenberg are the only drivers starting on hard compound tyres. The rest are on medium.
1pmThe grid has cleared and the drivers are on their formation lap.
12.54pmWe're just minutes from race time. The excitement is building at Monza.
12.49pmThe crowd is awash with Ferrari red and the team flag. They're fanatically passionate about the team in this part of the world. No driver will be getting as much support as Fernando Alsnso and Felipe Massa today.
12.47pmRob Smedley (Ferrari engineer): "The car's been great all weekend, we're in there with a chance. We all need this."
12.43pmWebber: "[We're on the] wrong side of the bubble. Q2 was very tight, obviously didn't get into Q3. It would be nice to try and nick a few points off Alonso today, if I can. We'll see if we can do a few moves early, while the car is heavy."
12.42pmMaldonado: "I hope it's going to be clean [start] this time, and I am looking forward to the race."
12.40pmMartin Brundle is on his grid walk for Sky Sports News. He is trying to jump in on an interview with Pastor Maldonado... oh, he's done it. Never ceases to amaze me, does Martin.
12.34pmFelipe Mass starts in third, while Sebastien Vettel is fifth on the grid. Fernando Alonso finds himself in 10th place, but Mark Webber will start way back after being knocked out of Q2 yesterday.
12.32pmIt promises to be a fantastic occasion in Monza, where the sun is shining brightly. McLaren have locked out the front row and it will be up to Red Bull and Ferrari to work their way through the field to challenge the front runners.
12.30pmWelcome to Sports Mole live text commentary of the Italian Grand Prix!
Written by
Michael Penkman
Michael Penkman
