The partisan crowd booed when Sebastian Vettel was interviewed by John Surtees on the Monza podium. The derision – nothing to do with Ferrari’s 1964 world champion who remains a hero in Italy – was a reflection of Vettel’s habit of winning, victory in the Italian Grand Prix meaning the Red Bull driver has won half of the season’s races so far.
It’s no coincidence that Vettel was once again a thorn in Ferrari’s side, certainly judging by the cheer that went up for Fernando Alonso after a typically stirring drive into second place.
In what was another fairly dull race – certainly at the front of the field – Alonso had pulled off the move of the day when he sat it out with Mark Webber and ran round the outside of the Red Bull to take second place during the third lap. Alonso needed to do that if he was to have any chance of hanging on to Vettel after the reigning world champion had started from pole position.
Alonso gave it everything as he stayed within five seconds of Vettel. This was the last thing Red Bull wanted, particularly as Vettel was nursing a severe tyre vibration caused by a massive brake-locking moment into the first corner. On the other hand, it said a lot about the potential of the Red Bull that, despite this handicap, Vettel was able to keep the Ferrari at arm’s length.
“It was a relief when Seb got to the end of 53 laps still in front,” said Christian Horner, team principal at Red Bull. “We could tell from the telemetry there was a bad vibration from the right-front. It must have been rattling Seb’s teeth for the first half of the race and we were advising him there was a potential problem with the tyre.”
Because of this, Vettel made his single pit stop a few laps earlier than planned and immediately set about making the most of his vibration-free front tyres by setting fastest race lap at that point to gradually open up a 10-second gap over Alonso.
Then came hope for Ferrari and the home crowd when Vettel, with 10 laps to go, was advised he needed to short-shift because of a potential gearbox issue. Once again, he took this in his stride while maintaining a comfortable lead en route to win number six in 2013.
Ferrari ran Alonso long on his first stint in the hope of having fresher tyres for a charge in the final stages. It was a forlorn hope. In any case, Alonso had his hands full keeping Webber at bay even though the Australian was also coping with a gearbox problem. Hearing about this, Ferrari urged Felipe Massa to redouble his efforts, the Brazilian crossing the line less than a second behind the Red Bull.
Catching them both, Nico Hulkenberg provided the surprise of the weekend by not only qualifying third but also maintaining that speed throughout the race to finish fifth despite losing out at the start. It was a timely performance from the German as Sauber continue to struggle for funds and Ferrari have yet to retain Massa for another season.
With seven races left and a dejected Lewis Hamilton having a disappointing race to finish ninth following a slow puncture on the Mercedes, Alonso remains Vettel’s only realistic challenger for the championship. The Red Bull’s performance was a blow to Ferrari because, historically, Monza has not suited the dark blue car.
“I have to admit, we were surprised by our speed this weekend,” said Horner. “We came here expecting to pick up what points we could. It was close in the end because Seb was losing time short-shifting but, once again, he proved why he is such a champion by dealing with this and the tyre vibration earlier.”
Singapore is next, a track where the Red Bull is expected to go well. But, fortunately for the opposition, motor racing is not that simple.
The regulatory limitation on gearboxes means that Vettel must use the same ‘box for the night race on September 22. Red Bull can check the parts and change ratios – but not the actual gearbox (and bearings) itself without incurring a penalty.
Rivals can only hope they find nothing trivial during the inspection this week.