LEWIS Hamilton was jeered on the podium by local fans after his Italian GP victory as he moved three points clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the title race.
Hamilton, who previously said he was out to spoil the Scuderia’s 70th anniversary celebrations at their home race, was in sublime form as he led a Mercedes one-two and finished more than 30 seconds ahead of Vettel in third.
But while the ever-loud Monza faithful wildly cheered Vettel’s podium entrance, Hamilton was met with a smattering of boos after his fourth Italian GP victory.
And those jeers got ever louder after Hamilton gave his right of reply: “Mercedes power is definitely better than Ferrari power.”
The Englishman said that he respected the passion of the Ferrari-mad crowd. “I love it here in Italy and I love the passion of the fans. They’re fantastic,” he told Sky commentator Martin Brundle.
“This energy is like no where else we really get to see, apart from maybe Silverstone. So I respect it, I appreciate it.”
Previous championship leader Vettel, meanwhile, pounded his chest as he praised the home support, delivering a heartfelt message in Italian.
“You are the best fans in the world,” Vettel said. “Even if this race has been hard, we’re getting there. Forza Ferrari.”
The four-time world champion then added to Sky F1. “The podium made up for everything this weekend.”
HAMILTON: FERRARI NOT DEAD
Lewis Hamilton is smiling again. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
Hamilton believes his back-to-back wins at Spa and Monza show Mercedes are going from “strength to strength” in their title battle with Ferrari — but insists their rivals are not beaten yet.
For the first time since September 2016, Hamilton holds the lead of the Drivers’ Championship after he led a dominant Mercedes one-two on Ferrari’s home track of Monza.
After struggling in wet qualifying, Vettel recovered to third place as early as lap eight but continuously slipped further behind the two Mercedes and finished a gaping 36 seconds behind at the flag.
Mercedes have now won four of the last five races either side of the summer break but Hamilton, although delighted with the reigning champions’ form, is not getting away heading to a Singapore race in two weeks where Ferrari’s car is to hold an advantage.
“The last two races have been incredibly strong. We’ve just gone from strength to strength,” said Hamilton. “The car felt fantastic.
“It’s still close and a long way to go. Ferrari should be quick at the next circuit with the extra downforce they can put on their car so the fight continues.
“Ferrari might be a little bit quicker when we get to the tracks where you can add downforce. It will continue to be really close.”
MERCEDES BOSS: FERRARI ON THE DECLINE
Sebastian Vettel’s world title bid is faltering. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Ferrari has made a step backwards with their car after their thrashing in the Italian GP.
Vettel was beaten by almost 40 seconds — a result which Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne described as “embarrassing”.
But the size of Ferrari’s defeat could have been even more savage but for Mercedes instructing their drivers to “tune down” their engines once victory was assured for new title leader Hamilton ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas.
“It looks like Ferrari have made a step back somehow,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. “We were very solid but also they haven’t performed how everyone expected. Red Bull starting from the back of the grid and almost finishing P3? Something is out of sync, something is not how it should be.”
Contrary to expectations, Ferrari declined to introduce a new ‘Monza-spec’ engine this weekend, although the team subsequently claimed the decision was unrelated to the FIA’s crackdown on oil burning.
“We thought they would be closer,” added Wolff.
With seven races remaining, Mercedes lead the title race by 62 points while Hamilton has taken the lead in the drivers’ standings for the first time this season.
Singapore, F1’s next port of call, is expected to favour both Red Bull and Ferrari over Mercedes but Wolff is hopeful his team can buck the trend of a 2017 campaign in which the Silver Arrows have noticeably struggled at low-speed circuits.
“We are progressing with the car. Our car was very strong through the corners, and every type of corner, so that is very encouraging,” said Wolff.
“The slow, twisty circuits have rather suited Red Bull and Ferrari and lots of high-speed downforce was good for our car. But I don’t think that is a pattern which can’t be broken. Nevertheless, I expect it to be a more difficult weekend.”
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