Formula 1: What Options Does Lewis Hamilton Have at Monza?

First of all, I just want to apologise for disappearing off the radar. I would prefer not to really talk about why I haven't been around for almost a month; there are reasons for it and they are certainly valid reasons. A few of the boys know why, and I am sure they will agree its been a tough couple of weeks.

So again, I am sorry I haven't been here to support you guys but I have been checking in every now and again just to see what's been going on. It's been a strange couple of weeks.

I have still been writing, but instead of on here I have just been writing on my blog: www.f1paddock.wordpress.com. I find it relaxing to write but I wasn't in the right frame of mind or mood to defend myself against any heated debate which almost certainly would have ensued after the recent goings-on, which is why I didn't post with you guys.

So for my thoughts on things, check out my blog. For now, I am sticking this one quick article just to keep you all posted and to let you know that I am still here.

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I don't care what the weatherman says. If the weatherman says it's raining, you will never hear me complaining…words that until today, you might have heard Lewis Hamilton singing. But today in the rain it went slightly wrong.

I am 100 percent sure that in a race condition in the rain, Lewis Hamilton will be very difficult to beat. However, today, one little gamble completely wiped out any chance of a Q3 show for the Brit. It wasn't just Lewis who struggled in the rain.

From the outset, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa both struggled to find grip and speed. Massa was lucky enough to get the reset into Q3, just scraping in 10th place.

The unlucky ones were Robert Kubica, current world champion Kimi Raikkonen, and current championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Monza was set for a shock, and the underdogs were going for it hammer and tong to ensure a shock was on the cards.

Sure enough, as the chequered flag fell, we had a record breaker. Sebastian Vettel, the young German in his Toro Rosso, stuck his STR3 on pole position, becoming the youngest F1 driver ever to get a pole position.

He was followed closely by McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen, who was very fast all session in the MP4-23.

So where did it all go wrong for our man Lewis?

At the end of Q1, the track seemed as though it was drying up, and there was certainly a tram line appearing. Lewis and his race engineers took a gamble into Q2 and thought that maybe intermediate tyres would work with the tram line, but it turned out that the surface water was too much for the intermediates to clear.

A change was needed, so back into the pits car 22 went, a quick stop for wets but he couldn't get back out because of the traffic, so he lost more time waiting for the go from the pit wall.

Finally, Lewis got back out onto the track, but tyre pressure was down, temperature was lost and time was running out. The rain was heavier and that window of opportunity was closing fast.

As the clock counted down, confidence was getting lower for Hamilton after a spin at Ascari corner. The opportunity was gone, and the time would never be made back up. So as the timer ran out in Q2, Lewis was sitting in P15, and that was the end of that.

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