Medal to the Vettel: Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix saw history made both in qualifying and the race itself. Sebastian Vettel, from Heppenheim in Germany, became the youngest pole sitter at the age of 21 years and 73 days in the rain on Saturday. He continued to shine in the rain-affected 53-laps race at Monza, an historic circuit located in a Royal Park near Milan. Victory makes him the youngest Grand Prix winner, a mark previously held by Fernando Alonso since his triumph in the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.

 
Vettel’s Toro Rosso team, which is based in Faenza, Italy, started life as Minardi in 1985 and is now co-owned by ex Ferrari driver and Italian Grand Prix winner Gerhard Berger, and his fellow Austrian and Red Bull billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz.
 
"Unbelievable," he said. "The whole race we had no problems. The car was working fine. It was a fantastic race, a very good strategy but all that was gone when I crossed the finish line. I am speechless."
 
McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and BMW’s Robert Kubica, who also scored their first Formula 1 triumphs this season, were second and third respectively.
 
Championship contenders Felipe Massa held off points leader Lewis Hamilton to finish sixth. The British McLaren driver retains a one point lead going into Formula 1’s first night-race in Singapore later this month. Massa’s Ferrari teammate and defending world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, again failed to score any points.  Setting the fastest lap of the race on the final lap was his only consolation.
 
Despite the treacherous conditions the only retirement from the race was Giancarlo Fisichella of Force India.

 

Gran Premio Santander D’Italia 2008
We have a new winner in F1 Sebastian Vettel!!
Heikki finshes second for McLaren.
Robert Kubica takes a strong third.
Fernando holds onto fourth Nick fifth.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
1.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1h26:47.000
2.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    12.512
3.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)  +    20.471
4.  Alonso        Renault               (B)  +    23.903
5.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +    27.748
6.  Massa         Ferrari               (B)  +    28.816
7.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    29.012
8.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +    32.048
9.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  +    39.468
10.  Piquet        Renault               (B)  +    54.445
11.  Glock         Toyota                (B)  +    58.888
12.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +  1:02.015
13.  Trulli        Toyota                (B)  +  1:05.954
14.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +  1:08.635
15.  Button        Honda                 (B)  +  1:13.370
16.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +     1 lap
17.  Barrichello   Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
18.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +     1 lap
19.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari   (B)  +    2 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:28.047

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