Lewis Hamilton's hopes of a dream move to Ferrari were dealt a blow at the Italian Grand Prix, as Mercedes' strategy left him languishing in ninth place. The Briton, who has long been linked with a switch to the Scuderia, could only manage a lowly finish at Monza, while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso delighted the tifosi with second place.
Hamilton joked that winning the championship would be 'like climbing Mount Everest, doing it without oxygen, running up it, in swimming trunks', but his race was compromised by a poor strategy call from Mercedes. The team opted for a two-stop strategy, which left Hamilton stuck in traffic and unable to challenge the frontrunners.
Sebastian Vettel cruised to victory for Red Bull, leading from start to finish to take his third win at Monza. The German's dominance was met with boos from the partisan Ferrari crowd, who cheered Alonso to the heavens. Vettel now holds a 53-point lead in the championship, effectively sealing his fourth consecutive title.
Felipe Massa finished fourth for Ferrari, while Nico Rosberg was sixth for Mercedes. Jenson Button rounded out the top ten for McLaren. The race was marred by a first-lap crash for Paul di Resta, who retired his Force India.
