Monza (Italy), Sep 6 (IANS) Formula One team Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton eased to victory in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, with Felipe Massa finishing third for Williams.
Hamilton also extended his championship lead over Nico Rosberg to 53 points, after his team-mate was forced to retire whilst running third just two laps from home, the rear of his car on fire, reports formula1.com.
Ferrari’s hopes of defeating Mercedes took a serious blow when Kimi Raikkonen failed to get away cleanly from the front row of the grid and dropped to the back of the pack.
Vettel, in the other Ferrari car, had no answer to Hamilton’s pace and the world champion went unchallenged throughout the 53 laps as he brought his car home 25 seconds clear.
Team Williams’ Valtteri Bottas narrowly lost out to team-mate Massa to take fourth.
Raikkonen was a distant fifth. Force India were sixth and seventh, courtesy Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, respectively. Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat, split by team Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson, completed the top ten.