Italian GP: Race sees Williams F1 well off the pace
By Andrew Hooper
September 8 2013
The result of the 2013 Italian GP would see Williams F1 drivers Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas finish in 14th and 15th. For the Williasms team it was a race where neither driver was anywhere near a competitive pace seeing them struggle. The chances of scoring points seems to be getting further and further way for the Williams team.
Italian GP Race Review
After qualifying
for the 2013 Italian Grand Prix and with a penalty handed out to Force India
driver Sutil the revised grid would see the Williams F1 drivers Pastor
Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas start the race from fourteenth and eighteenth.
On pole was Vettel from Webber, Hulkenberg, Massa, Alonso, Rosberg,
Ricciardo, Perez, Button, and Vergne in tenth. The grid would move away on
their parade lap for the fifty three lap race. There were reports that it was likely that there would be race during
the race but the race would be started with everyone on dry tyres. It was
expected that the race would be either a one or two pit stop race with only
Raikkonen, Hamilton, and Gutierrez on the hard tyre. The top ten were all on
the medium tyre as the field formed up on the grid.
The lights would go off and it would be chaos at the first chicane with
parts of cars going up into the air. Vettel was leading from a fast starting
Massa with Webber third. Di Resta would retire with a damaged car off at the
second chicane. Raikkonen would pit with a damaged front wing as the field
went down the start straight. Pastor was down in fifteenth attacking
Gutierrez with Valtteri in sixteenth. Alonso was in fourth followed by Hulkenberg and Rosberg. Alonso would pass Webber at the second
chicane despite Webber making it very difficult. DRS was now enabled while
replays had shown that Raikkonen had run into the rear of Perez damaging his
front wing.
Di Resta had
locked up his front and had hit the car in front taking off his front left
wheel seeing his race come to an end. Lap five and Vettel was leading by 2.8
seconds from Massa and Alonso. Ricciardo was in seventh followed by Perez,
Vergne, and Hamilton. Pastor was now 1.5 seconds behind Gutierrez with
Valtteri 1.1 seconds behind Pastor. ON Lap eight Alonso was able to pass Massa going
into Turn one. For Williams Pastor continue to fall away from Gutierrez
while Valtteri was maintaining the gap to his team-mate. Raikkonen was down
in nineteenth but was matching Vettel's times. Vettel was told by his
engineer: “Alonso is P2. We are monitoring right-front at all times, we know
exactly where it's at. We know it's not good.” Hamilton was told to pit due
to a slow puncture but he was having issues with his radio so did not come
in. He would finally pit taking on the medium tyre.
Lap thirteen and Alonso was now 6.0 seconds behind Vettel with Massa still
third. Webber was looking to pass Massa trying to pass at Turn one. Vergne
would retire just past the second chicane pulling off the track with what
looed like an engine issue. Vergne would report: “Engine has gone.” This
would see Button move up to ninth and Grosjean tenth. For Williams Pastor was now thirteenth and
Valtteri fourteenth. The Williams drivers were matching their lap times with
Valtteri just one tenth slower than Pastor. Lap seventeenth and Pastor was
now 4.2 seconds behind Gutierrez as Pic pitted. Webber continued to run
close behind Massa but could not get past the Ferrari. The issue with Vettel was resolved as
Grosjean pitted on lap twenty one, taking on the hard tyre. Raikkonen was in
fifteenth and closing in onto Valtteri as Button pitted on lap twenty two
also taking on the hard tyre.
More drivers
were told to pit as the one stop window opened. Ricciardo would pit joined
by Perez. Both drivers had taken on the hard tyre with Perez's stop a bit
slow seeing Button move ahead of his team-mate. Vettel would pit on lap
twenty three also taking on the hard tyre. Webber would also come in also
taking on the hard's. Raikkonen had passed Valtteri with Webber coming out
behind Pastor. Alonso was leading as Massa and Hulkenberg pitted followed by
Sutil and Pastor. Rosberg was now second while Hamilton would be behind
Valtteri but on lap twenty six Valtteri would pit. Vettel was now in third
followed by Gutierrez and Webber. Rosberg would pit on lap twenty seven as
Alonso continued on despite losing time to Vettel. lap twenty eight and
Alonso would pit also taking on the hard tyres seeing him not required to
pit again.
Gutierrez would pit from fourth with the Red Bull's now first and third.
Alonso was in second while Raikkonen was now sixth. For Williams Pastor and
Valtteri were running in fifteenth and sixteenth. Pastor was 5.0 seconds
behind Sutil while Valtteri was 7.0 seconds behind his team-mate. Raikkonen
was now fifth followed by Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Hamilton, and Ricciardo. But
Hamilton would get past his team-mate to be seventh. Raikkonen would pit again on lap thirty one again taking on the
quicker medium tyre. Hamilton was now attacking fifth placed Hulkenberg
while Pastor continued to lose time to Sutil Raikkonen was out in fourteenth
while Hulkenberg would be passed by Hamilton seeing the Mercedes driver in
fifth.
Button and Perez
were now ninth and tenth running quite close together while at the front
Vettel was now leading Alonso by 11.1 seconds with Webber 1.2 seconds behind
the Ferrari. Lap thirty nine and Hamilton would be forced to pit after
having put in a considerable number of laps on medium tyres. Hamilton would
come back out in fourteenth. Webber was now 0.7 seconds behind Alonso and in
DRS range. But Webber was told that he has an issue and that he should short
shift at Turn two. Shortly after Webber Vettel would be told to short shift
in fifth but with a lead of 11.5 seconds and ten laps remaining it was not
really an issue. Raikkonen had passed Sutil for eleventh with Hamilton also
getting past the Force India. Grosjean had passed Button for eighth with
Pastor and Valtteri still fifteenth and sixteenth. Hamilton was now right
behind Raikkonen looking to take eleventh.
Webber continued to run behind Alonso with Massa fourth followed by
Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Grosjean, Button, and Perez. Hamilton
despite having DRS could not get past Raikkonen going into Turn one. Despite
their fight the pair continued to close in onto the two McLaren's. Hamilton
was able to get past Raikkonen after the first chicane using better traction
out of the corner, seeing Hamilton in eleventh. Hamilton would then get past Perez going down the start straight seeing
himself tenth. Hamilton's next target was Button in ninth with jus three
laps remaining. Hamilton was then able to get past Button for ninth going
into Turn one. Raikkonen was now in eleventh and looking to get past Button.
Vettel was told that it was now his lap lap and just to bring it home. Hamilton had closed right up to
Grosjean on the final lap as Sutil pitted. Hamilton would lock up at the
second chicane running wide allowing Grosjean to keep his place.
Vettel would cross the line to take victory in the 2013 Italian Grand Prix.
Alonso was able to retain second with Webber third. Webber would pull off to
the side of the track after crossing the finish line. Massa was fourth from
Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Grosjean, Hamilton, and Button tenth. For
Williams Pastor would finish in fourteenth and Valtteri in fifteenth. No
real change from their starting positions after fifty three laps of racing.
The Williams team are still struggling to find any pace from the
disappointing FW35. The chances of scoring points seems to be getting
further and further way for the Williams team.
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