September 9, 2012
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Italian Grand Prix 2012: Lewis Hamilton rounds off dream weekend with victory at Monza as Jenson Button retires
Lewis Hamilton set aside speculation over his future to take victory in the Italian Grand Prix and refresh his hopes of Formula One world title glory.
Thumbs up: after an interesting week, Hamilton was all smiles after winning the Italian Grand Prix Photo: REUTERSAfter crashing out at the first corner of last Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix along with championship leader Fernando Alonso, and amid the saga of his contract negotiations with McLaren, Hamilton conjured a superb drive at Monza to claim his third win of the season and 20th of his career.
The Briton finished 4.3 seconds ahead of Sauber’s Sergio Perez in second place, with Alonso giving the Ferrari fans plenty to cheer with third to establish a 37-point gap in the standings ahead of new second-placed man Hamilton.
The start was routine enough for Hamilton, a straightforward getaway, with no drama alongside Button after McLaren yesterday celebrated the 62nd front-row lockout, and a new F1 record.
Instead, it was Ferrari’s Felipe Massa who proved to be the biggest thorn in Hamilton’s side as the Brazilian attacked going into the first chicane.
Hamilton, however, just did enough to keep his old rival at bay, the duo avoiding a collision after becoming entangled on numerous occasions last season.
