Italian F1 Grand Prix 2014 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction

Lewis Hamilton recovered from a dreadful start to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The result was confirmed by Sky Sports HQ on Twitter:

A blistering start from Nico Rosberg saw him overhaul pole-sitter Hamilton, but the World Championship leader was unable to capitalise on the Brit's early error; two identical mistakes cost the German the chance to extend his lead atop of the driver's standings.

Felipe Massa took the final spot on the podium after his Williams teammate Valterri Bottas fell back from third position on the grid. Ferrari had a day to forget in their home Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso retired and Kimi Raikkonen could only come home in 10th position.

Here’s how the top ten finished in front of the Tifosi:

Position	Driver	Team	Grid	Time
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	2	+3.100 seconds
3	Felipe Massa	Williams	4	+24.900
4	Valterri Bottas	Williams	3	+40.500
5	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	9	+50.000
6	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	8	+59.600
7	Sergio Perez	Force India	10	+62.100
8	Jenson Button	McLaren	6	+62.600
9	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	11	+63.000
10	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren	5	+65.600

Beginning the race in pole position, much was expected of Hamilton around a track where he’s typically fared well. But some hesitancy on the start line cost the Brit three places, as Rosberg, Kevin Magnussen and Bottas charged past him down into Turn 1.

It was a nightmare start for the Mercedes man, as two stubborn drivers provided a frustrating buffer between him and Rosberg, who began this race 29 points clear of Hamilton in the race for the World Championship.

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

The 2008 World Champion seemed especially keen to reduce the deficit to his teammate though, and he followed Massa past Magnussen and into third position early on. But Hamilton had eyes for the Brazilian's spot too, and on the 10th lap he was able to outbreak the Williams man into the Turn 1 chicane, moving up into second place.

Here's a look at the overtake courtesy of Sky Sports F1:

With Hamilton starting to click into gear, Rosberg nearly saw his race curtailed. He broke too late into Turn 1 and cut the corner, doing well to slalom his way through his way through the directional markers. Here's a closer look at what he had to negotiate, courtesy of Sky Sports F1:

After a poor start, Bottas was scything his way through the field from way back. The Williams driver was putting together some excellent moves, overhauling the Ferrari duo of Raikkonen and Alonso as he looked to haul his way back into contention for a podium finish.

Despite being slow off the line, the Finn was looking in sublime form, as noted here by F1 on NBC: 

Meanwhile, Hamilton was slowly but surely beginning to get after his teammate at the front. The Brit has been quicker than Rosberg over the course of the weekend, and with clear air in front of him, the German's lead was gradually being worn down. 

Hamilton's team were constantly reassuring him to stay patient at this juncture, as noted here by F1 Paddock:

Rosberg and Hamilton pitted on the 24th and 25th laps respectively, but neither could steal an advantage through the pitting process. But with Monza being a one-stop race, it meant the Mercedes duo would be allowed to race undisturbed for the remainder of the race.

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Any hopes of a imminent battle between the two seemed to be quelled however, as Hamilton's engineers encouraged him to sit two seconds behind Rosberg and conserve his tyres for the end of the race. So the Brit, not typically renowned for his patience, looked as though he may have to play a waiting game to get past his teammate.

But Hamilton was undeterred and continued to push onto the back of Rosberg, something that turned out to be a shrewd move. The German was pressured into making the same mistake he made on Lap 10, locking up into Turn 1 and being forced to wind between the bollards. Just a second back at this point, Hamilton sailed past and roared off into the distance.

Following the change of leader Rosberg's engineers also urged patience with a late attack in mind, although there was an underpinning sense that his teammate just had a little bit too much for him this around this circuit.

Lars Baron/Getty Images

A little further back in the field there was some excellent racing going on, most notablely between Sergio Perez and Jenson Button. The former had been doing a marvellous job in the Force India, and despite being overhauled by the McLaren driver on two separate occasions, the Mexican showed extraordinary skill and resilience battle back in front of Button both times.

Sky Sports F1 gives us a glimpse at the wheel-to-wheel racing the pair indulged in:

Daniel Ricciardo was impressing again in his Red Bull too. He did wonderfully to get past Perez and executed a stunning pass on his teammate Sebastian Vettel, as noted here by Fake Charlie Whiting:

There was no such battle at the front though, as Hamilton continued preserve a healthy lead at the head of the race. The charge from Rosberg didn't materialise, allowing his teammate to coast home and take his sixth win of the season.

After Hamilton's win, here's how the the race for the Driver's World Championship looks:

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	238
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	216
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing-Renault	166
4	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams-Mercedes	122
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	121
6	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing-Renault	106
7	Jenson Button	British	McLaren-Mercedes	72
8	Nico Hulkenberg	German	Force India-Mercedes	70
9	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams-Mercedes	55
10	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	41
11	Sergio Perez	Mexican	Force India-Mercedes	39
12	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	McLaren-Mercedes	38
13	Jean-Eric Vergne	French	STR-Renault	11
14	Romain Grosjean	French	Lotus-Renault	8
15	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	STR-Renault	8
16	Jules Bianchi	French	Marussia-Ferrari	2
17	Adrian Sutil	German	Sauber-Ferrari	0
18	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Caterham-Renault	0
19	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Lotus-Renault	0
20	Esteban Gutierrez	Mexican	Sauber-Ferrari	0
21	Max Chilton	British	Marussia-Ferrari	0
22	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Caterham-Renault	0

Rosberg was quick to pay tribute to his teammate's display in the aftermath of the race, per BBC Sport:

"

It was a pity it didn't work out today, Lewis drove a great race and he deserved it, so it's all ok!

"

Former driver David Coulthard also paid tribute to the resilience showcased by the Mercedes man, per BBC Sport:

"

The mental strength from Lewis to come back from that and take the win was unbelievable.

In the end two mistakes from Nico has cost him. He put on a brave face but when he goes home and reflects on this he will know he has been well beaten.

"

This victory was critical for Hamilton, and it was a performance that showcased all the facets required of a potential World Champion. He could have easily lost his cool after falling back at the start, but he drove with a poise and purpose to gradually move his way up through the field.

And when it came to the clinch, Hamilton was able to put the pressure on Rosberg, force the mistake and take advantage. Once he re-secured that first place spot, there was no way the Brit was going to yield. 

Now just 22 points behind his teammate in the race for World Championship glory, Hamilton will sense he has a real opportunity to win his second individual title. Next up it's Singapore, and although the Brit notched a win here in 2009, he'll be well aware that his performances must improve around the Marina Bay Street Circuit if he's to make further inroads into Rosberg's lead.