Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday with a dominant drive that sent him clear at the top of the F1 world championship for the first time in a year.
The triple champion led his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas to a runaway one-two separated by 4.4 seconds at Ferrari’s home track.
“I love it here in Italy, and I love the passion of the fans,” Hamilton declared on the podium, addressing a sea of red-shirted Ferrari fans, with plenty of boos coming his way amid the cheers. “We did a great job, the team did an exceptional job this weekend,” he added.
“Mercedes power is definitely better than Ferrari power.”
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who had led the standings since he won the Australian GP, finished third in the final race of the European season, 36.3 seconds behind the winner.
“It was a difficult day, a difficult start,” said Vettel. “My race was fairly isolated, we tried to keep as close as possible but we simply didn’t have the pace.
“But I know the team is on the right way... so I am in a very positive mood despite the numbers.”
Hamilton pulled away cleanly from pole, and was never challenged as he drove to the chequered flag.
It was his third Italian Grand Prix win in four years, and 59th career victory; only Michael Schumacher, whose pole record he beat, can boast more.
Force India’s Esteban Ocon grabbed second place off the line from 18-year-old Lance Stroll in the Williams, but then faded and finished sixth.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen moved up to fourth initially while Bottas dropped to fifth before regaining the place.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull clashed with Felipe Massa’s Williams in an incident that forced the teenager to pit with a puncture.
Vettel, meanwhile, had started sixth but began to move up through the field, cheered every time by the throng of tifosi, on the 70th anniversary of founder Enzo Ferrari’s first car, before settling into the loneliness of third place.
Hamilton was relentless, pulling away at almost a second, and lapping half the field.
Daniel Ricciardo took fourth place for Red Bull, with Raikkonen fifth. Stroll ended up seventh.
