The trend continued at Monza. Not a trend saying Car A is more competitive than Car B or that Driver X is on top form and has the measure of contenders Y and Z. No, the continuing trend shows the 2012 season to be eventful but inconsistent and unpredictable.
That may sound a strange thing to say when McLaren scored their third win in succession to make it five in total, two more than either Ferrari or Red Bull. But, whereas it was Jenson Button in charge of last week’s Belgian Grand Prix, this time it was Lewis Hamilton leading the bulk of the 53 laps at Monza.
It was as commanding a win as the Englishman could have wished for as he saved his tyres, ready to fend off a late charge from the Sauber of Sergio Perez and, before that, a potential threat from the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who eventually finished third and fourth.
The story of Monza, however, was just as significant for what was going on behind the leading McLaren. Let’s start with qualifying.
No one doubted that Ferrari would be strong on their home patch but the feet were cut from beneath the red team when an anti-roll bar mounting broke on Alonso’s car at the start of Q3. It was not only a rare failure but also an embarrassing one in front of the expectant on-lookers, not to mention Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
Alonso, convinced he would have been on pole, was resigned to starting from tenth. Even allowing for the usual hyperbole, there was no reason to disbelieve him, the Ferrari having been strong throughout two days of practice held in perfect conditions as the sun split the trees in the majestic surrounding parkland. It was left to Massa, third fastest, to carry the Ferrari torch. The beleaguered Brazilian stepped up to the plate and did all that was asked, holding second until his first pit stop and then offering no resistance when the meteoric Alonso worked his way into the top three.
Any thoughts about Alonso closing down the 12-second gap to Hamilton were diverted when Perez, having started 12th on the harder tyre (the reverse strategy to the top 10 runners), came storming through, making the most of the faster, softer tyre in the second half. It was another impressive performance, and a timely one, too, given the rumours that Ferrari have their eye on the young Mexican. But the question did remain: how difficult would it have been for Hamilton had Alonso started from the front row?
“Fernando has been as quick as us this weekend,” said Hamilton. “I’m sure if he hadn’t had that problem in qualifying, he would have been right with us and made it much more difficult for me.”
As it was, Hamilton’s win moved him back to second place in the title race, just 37 points behind Alonso. The championship story, however, was affected by more than Alonso’s early troubles. Button never looked like challenging his team-mate but second place would have helped maintain the impetus created by his win in Belgium. Then, on lap 33, the McLaren rolled to a halt.
“I don’t entirely know what caused my car to stop – I’m told it was a fuel system problem that we’re still investigating,” said Button. “The engine cut out and I had to coast to a stop.”
If McLaren thought that was bad, Red Bull were in a much worse state, the reigning champions never having had a handle on their car all weekend. Having relied on Vettel to qualify sixth, Red Bull were encouraged when he held fourth – rather too vigorously for the liking of the Stewards when they gave Vettel a drive-through penalty for easing Alonso onto the grass at the high-speed Curva Grande.
Vettel’s gradual recovery to sixth was hit six laps from home when he was urged to switch off his engine immediately. Two laps later team-mate Mark Webber, who had inherited the place, spun, flat-spotted his tyres and retired. It was the first time Red Bull had failed to score at least one point since the Korean Grand Prix in October 2010.
In no time at all, the drivers who had finished first, second and sixth in Belgium were registering zero against their names in Italy. And so the 2012 trend continues.
Who knows what will happen in a fortnight’s time in Singapore.
Standings
Driver’s championship
1. Fernando Alonso – 179 points
2. Lewis Hamilton – 142
3. Kimi Raikkonen – 141
4. Sebastian Vettel – 140
5. Mark Webber – 132
6. Jenson Button – 101
7. Nico Rosberg – 83
8. Romain Grosjean – 76
Manufacturer’s championship
1. Red Bull-Renault – 272
2. McLaren-Mercedes – 243
3. Ferrari – 226
4. Lotus-Renault – 217
5. Mercedes – 126
6. Sauber-Ferrari – 100
7. Force India-Mercedes – 63
8. Williams-Renault – 54