Vettel makes his mark

Following an impressive pole position in qualifying, the German put in a mature performance to finish ahead of McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica.

The first two laps at Monza were run behind the safety car, until organisers decided that the wet track could be raced on.

Vettel then laid the foundations for his win by setting a searing pace, stretching out a lead of 10 seconds over second-placed Heikki Kovalainen. Behind the battle at the head of the field, Lewis Hamilton had a torrid time defending his championship points lead.

The McLaren star lined up 15th on the grid, after a disappointing qualifying performance. However, on race day, the Brit put on a sparkling display of driving, scything through the field to second place.

Sadly, his charge was halted by a drying track, which forced him into the pits for an unscheduled tyre change, dropping him to seventh. Title rival Felipe Massa was sixth, allowing him to close within one point at the top of the table.

But at the end of the race, all the attention focused on the overjoyed Vettel. “For sure, this is the best day of my life,” he said. “I will never forget these emotions. It is unbelievable. Winning is so much greater than you might think it is.”

The teams now travel to Singapore on 28 September for the first ever night race in the history of F1.