Italian F1 Grand Prix 2016 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction

Nico Rosberg stormed to within two points of Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton after rampaging to victory in the 2016 Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, where his Mercedes team-mate was forced to settle for second place. 

Hamilton made a horror start at Monza and allowed Rosberg to take a lead he rarely looked like losing, leaving the Brit to take second on the podium, while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel placed for the first time since June.

Speaking to the media after his victory, Rosberg looked to the supporters to show his appreciation:

Hamitlon recovered well to place second, but the Briton was quick to salute the efforts of his team-mate in what was a very positive day for his team:

Sunday's win also saw Rosberg tie up back-to-back race victories for just the first time since clinching first place in the opening four races of the 2016 season.

Vettel's Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen took fourth, while Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas placed fifth and sixth, respectively, and the official Formula One Twitter account provided a look at the results in full:

Here's how the driver standings look after the 2016 Italian Grand Prix:

Position	Driver	Nationality	Points
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	250
2	Nico Rosberg	GER	248
3	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	161
4	Sebastian Vettel	GER	143
5	Kimi Raikkonen	FIN	136
6	Max Verstappen	NED	121
7	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	70
8	Sergio Perez	MEX	62
9	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	46
10	Felipe Massa	BRA	41
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	30
12	Carlos Sainz	ESP	30
13	Romain Grosjean	FRA	28
14	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	23
15	Jenson Button	GBR	17
16	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	6
17	Pascal Wehrlein	GER	1
18	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	1
19	Esteban Gutierrez	MEX	0
20	Jolyon Palmer	GBR	0
21	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	0
22	Felipe Nasr	BRA	0
23	Rio Haryanto	INA	0
24	Esteban Ocon	FRA	0

Visit the official Formula One website for a breakdown of the drivers standings and race results in full.

Recap

Despite starting in pole position, Hamilton made a nightmarish start to proceedings on Sunday that he struggled to hit back from, and Rosberg wasn't in the kind of mood to relinquish his grip on the race.

Channel Four F1 translated each favourite's beginning into emoji form, and it was the start from Vettel and Raikkonen in particular that had Ferrari's hopes high early on:

In fact, Hamilton's streaky start saw him fall back to sixth while Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas and Ricciardo powered ahead, although he was past the latter pair and up to fourth just 10 laps later.

As Hamilton made his way up the order in an attempt to crack the top three, much attention fell upon 18-year-old Max Verstappen, whose risky style of driving has caused controversy of late.

Raikkonen, a driver with whom he has had history, pitted before falling behind the Dutchman before making his way back through the pack 30 laps in, with Verstappen struggling to leave his mark on Monza.

Hamilton finally made his leap into second after Vettel pitted, although motorsport writer Pablo Elizalde said Sunday was not to be his race:

A single-pit strategy worked to Rosberg's advantage after he lost just one place to Hamilton on Lap 24, only for the Briton to once again trade in for second place after pitting himself soon after.

Any momentum Hamilton did build up looked to have been lost around 10 laps from the finish, when Spanish daily Marca provided a glimpse of his spill off the track:

Further down the order, Williams' Bottas and Ricciardo of Red Bull were engaged in a mighty head-to-head to get as close to the leading pack as possible. 

Former driver Martin Brundle had major praise for the latter:

All eyes were on Mercedes, though, as the manufacturer claimed an audacious one-two for the fourth time in the 2016 season, going in favour of Rosberg for the third time this term.

Not only that, but Hamilton now leads the drivers' standings by just two points heading into the final stretch of the campaign, with tension at its absolute highest heading to Singapore on September 18.