Italian GP – UP & DOWN

The Italian GP was won by an amazing Sebastian Vettel. Let’s grade drivers.

Sebastian Vettel 10 – We have to applaud an amazing Red Bull and an extraordinary Vettel. They were flawless all through the race week end. The team made remarkable upgrades. I had the opportunity to see the new wing and I have to admit it was a real masterpiece. No doubt they have the edge over their rivals who will barely beat them. Only bad luck can slow them down.

Mark Webber 8.5 – The Australian drove a good race, even if he feels the weight of the upcoming end of his career in F.1. He held a very interesting press conference at Monza and, even if he was overtaken by Alonso, he attacked the Spaniard for all the time.

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa 8.5 – Nando’s overtaking on Webber was stunning. Felipe drove a very good race, as well. The Brazilian took an excellent start and showed to be a faithful supporting driver. In the case Ferrari hasn’t taken a decision about the Brazilian’s future employment as a Ferrari racer, yet, the already-mentioned characteristic can be in his favor.

Nico Hulkenberg 8 – He drove an excellent qualifying race and a very good official race. He was one of the GP’s main protagonists. Sauber confirmed to be at ease in Monza, where last year he finished second ahead of Alonso.

Nico Rosberg 6 – Mercedes had probably hard times to run on the long straights of Monza circuit; however the German driver was very good at scoring points.

Daniel Ricciardo – Toro Rosso 7.5 – They were very performing both in qualifying and during the race. Both cars finished in the top 10. Ricciardo finished 7th, after fighting tooth and nail.

Lotus’s drivers – It’s hard to judge their performance. Their qualifying race was not so good, while Kimi set good chronos during the race, recovering positions. If we analyze the race after the accident, we would give them more than a passing grade; however, because of an awful qualifying race and a contact with Perez at the beginning of the official race, they only deserve a passing grade.

Lewis Hamilton 6 – The official race was ruined by a negative qualifying race. He recovered several positions during the race. That is a clear proof of how important a qualifying race is, especially on those circuits where the time gap between teams is only few tenths.

Jenson Button 6.5 – Despite his car is still not competitive; he managed to score one point.