2008 Italian Grand Prix

The 2008 Italian Grand Prix, officially the LXXIX Gran Premio Santander d'Italia, was the fourteenth race of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy, on 14 September 2008.'14. Italy 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)'Italy 2008: Flying Vettel earns his wings.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 14/09/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/63560/1/italy-2008-flying-vettel-earns-his-wings, (Accessed 18/03/2020) The race would see Sebastian Vettel secure his maiden F1 pole position and race victory, becoming the youngest ever race winner aged 21 years, 73 days.
Indeed, in a weekend dictated by poor weather conditions, Vettel would emerge as a future star of the Championship, having secured pole in his during qualifying. Heikki Kovalainen claimed second ahead of Mark Webber in the , while the sister Toro Rosso of Sébastien Bourdais would start from fourth. Of the title protagonists Felipe Massa was the best placed in sixth, as Lewis Hamilton slumped to fifteenth.
The weather remained poor into raceday, resulting in the race starting behind the Safety Car with the entire field made to start on extreme wet Bridgestone tyres. Yet, after just one sighting lap the field would be released, with Vettel leading a cautious charge into the Rettifilo, as teammate Bourdais stalled from fourth at the original start.
Vettel escaped up the road from Kovalainen during the early laps, with the field largely running in grid order as spray became a major concern. Indeed, the only real battle in the field came between the out-of-place Kimi Räikkönen and Hamilton as they came through the midfield, with both passing David Coulthard at the same time.
Hamilton went on to attack Räikkönen, but after overshooting the Rettifilo and handing the position back to the Finn, opted to remain behind him. They continued to climb into the top ten before Hamilton finally made a move stick on Räikkönen, before breaking clear of the Finn with a succession of moves on Nick Heidfeld, Timo Glock, Robert Kubica and Fernando Alonso.
Vettel was the first driver to pit on lap eighteen, although he would have a fair advantage over Kovalainen in second and hence remained ahead when the rest of the leaders stopped four laps later. Shortly after the stops, with everyone staying on wet tyres, the rain would return, although after a five minute spell, in which Coulthard would gamble on inters and duly slid straight across the Rettifilo, it stopped and the circuit began to dry.
A few laps later and there was an en-masse switch to inters, sparked by those on a one-stop, notably including Alonso, successfully making the semi-slick tyres work. Vettel retained the lead with the field fairly spread out, although Hamilton emerged as the fastest driver in the running, lapping a full second quicker than the German youth as he reeled in Webber.
Otherwise the final stint proved fairly tame, with Vettel skating through the closing stages to secure his and Toro Rosso's maiden victory, which was also notable as the first for a engine outside of a Ferrari chassis. It was also the first for an Italian based team other than Ferrari since won the 1957 German Grand Prix.
Behind Vettel came Kovalainen and Robert Kubica, while Hamilton finished in seventh behind title rival Massa, leaving them just a point apart with four races to go.
==Background==
The controversial conclusion to the Belgian Grand Prix saw Felipe Massa move right onto the back of the Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, leaving Spa just two off the lead. Indeed, Hamilton had moved onto 76 points to the Brazilian's 74, with the pair effectively the two main protagonists for the crown. Behind, Robert Kubica had remained mathematically in the hunt as he climbed to third ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, while Nick Heidfeld had moved back ahead of Heikki Kovalainen.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to extend their lead as a result of the post-Spa fallout, leaving the Belgian circuit with a twelve point advantage. Indeed, had lost ground as a result of Hamilton's demotion, leaving Spa on 119 points, and just twelve ahead of in third. Indeed, those three were the only teams capable of taking the Constructors crown, with 90 points behind Ferrari with five races to go.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	3 	1:35.464 	 	1 	1:35.837 	 	1 	1:37.555 	1
2 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	1 	1:35.214 	 	2 	1:35.843 	 	2 	1:37.631 	2
3 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	12 	1:36.001 	 	6 	1:36.306 	 	3 	1:38.117 	3
4 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	6 	1:35.543 	 	5 	1:36.175 	 	4 	1:38.445 	4
5 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	4 	1:35.485 	 	3 	1:35.898 	 	5 	1:38.767 	5
6 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	5 	1:35.536 	 	10 	1:36.676 	 	6 	1:38.894 	6
7 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	10 	1:35.906 	 	4 	1:36.008 	 	7 	1:39.152 	7
8 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	14 	1:36.297 	 	7 	1:36.518 	 	8 	1:39.751 	8
9 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	9 	1:35.737 	 	8 	1:36.525 	 	9 	1:39.787 	9
10 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	8 	1:35.709 	 	9 	1:36.626 	 	10 	1:39.906 	10
11 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	7 	1:35.553 	 	11 	1:36.697 	 	 	 	11
12 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	13 	1:36.280 	 	12 	1:36.698 	 	 	 	12
13 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	15 	1:36.485 	 	13 	1:37.284 	 	 	 	13
14 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	11 	1:35.965 	 	14 	1:37.522 	 	 	 	14
15 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	2 	1:35.394 	 	15 	1:39.265 	 	 	 	15
16 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	16 	1:36.510 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	17 	1:36.630 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	18 	1:36.653 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	19 	1:37.006 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	20 	1:37.417 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/838/italy/qualifying.html, (Accessed 18/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
** Bourdais, Nakajima and Button started the race from the pitlane.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	53 	1:26:47.494 	1 	10
2 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	53 	+12.512s 	2 	8
3 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	53 	+20.471s 	11 	6
4 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	53 	+23.903s 	8 	5
5 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	53 	+27.748s 	10 	4
6 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	53 	+28.816s 	6 	3
7 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	53 	+29.912s 	15 	2
8 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	53 	+32.048s 	3 	1
9 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	53 	+39.468s 	14 	
10 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	53 	+54.445s 	17 	
11 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	53 	+58.888s 	9 	
12 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	53 	+1:02.015 	18 	
13 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	53 	+1:05.954 	7 	
14 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	53 	+1:08.635 	5 	
15 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	53 	+1:13.370 	19 	
16 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	13 	
17 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	16 	
18 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	4 	
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	20 	
Ret 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	11 	Accident 	12 	
Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)	Source:'Italy 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 18/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Maiden pole position for Sebastian Vettel.
** Vettel set a new record for youngest ever pole sitter at 21 years, 72 days.
* scored their first and only pole position as a constructor.
* Vettel secured his maiden victory.
** The German youth became the youngest ever race winner aged 21 years, 73 days.
** Also Vettel's maiden podium finish.
* Toro Rosso secured their first race victory. Their next win wouldn't come until the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. 
** Toro Rosso became the first Italian team other than Ferrari to win a Grand Prix since won the 1957 German Grand Prix.
** Maiden podium for Toro Rosso as a constructor.
* 209th win for as an engine supplier.
** This was the first win for a Ferrari engine outside of a Ferrari chassis.
* Fourth and final podium finish for Heikki Kovalainen.
==Standings==
The battle atop the Championship had intensified once again as a result of the Italian Grand Prix, with just a point separating the top two in the Championship with four rounds to go. Lewis Hamilton had just held onto the lead after his recovery drive to seventh in the race, although Felipe Massa would leave Monza just a point off the Brit in second. Behind, Robert Kubica had moved fourteen points off the lead as the dark horse for the title ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, while Nick Heidfeld had retained fifth.
In the Constructors Championship left their home race with their lead having been cut in two, holding a five point advantage after they moved their tally to 134 points. Their closest challengers were , who moved onto 129 points after Heikki Kovalainen scored a podium finish, while had also gained ground in third. Next up were , remaining ahead of on countback, while were up to sixth after their maiden triumph on home soil.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	78 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	77 	
3 	Robert Kubica 	64 	
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	57 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	53 	
6 	Heikki Kovalainen 	51 	
7 	Fernando Alonso 	28 	1
8 	Jarno Trulli 	26 	1
9 	Sebastian Vettel 	23 	3
10 	Mark Webber 	20 	1
11 	Timo Glock 	15 	1
12 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	13 	1
13 	Rubens Barrichello 	11 	
14 	Nico Rosberg 	9 	
15 	Kazuki Nakajima 	8 	
16 	David Coulthard 	6 	
17 	Sébastien Bourdais 	4 	
18 	Jenson Button 	3 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	134 	
2 	 	129 	
3 	 	117 	
4 	 	41 	
5 	 	41 	
6 	 	27 	2
7 	 	26 	1
8 	 	17 	1
9 	 	14 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Italian Grand Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Formula One races in Italy