Yesterday's F1 race held at Monza has been indeed one of the most eventful and action-packed grands prix of the 2011 season so far. MERCEDES GP PETRONAS' driver Nico Rosberg was forced to retire prematurly, as his race was terminated in the first corner following an accident caused by HRT's Daniel Ricciardo who lost control of his car. From the very first moments of the race, Michael Schumacher managed to climb three positions up to P5 and conquered the drivers ahead to reach P3 during lap 4.
For the next 24 laps, all the attention was caught by the passionate fight between the former champion and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. Michael was able to put some gap behind his car and that of the chaser and was even faster than the Briton on the long, straight lines, achieving higher peak speeds than Lewis who was able to use the DRS. Towards lap 28, the tyre wear-out was affecting Schumacher's pace and after some messages received from his team via the radio system, the German was forced to recognize himself defeated and let Hamilton go past him. For the rest of the race, engineers chose a safer strategy and Michael had to apply a wiser approach on the track, ensuring a good pace that could also preserve the tyres and the fuel quantity. In the end, he took home his MGP W 02 single-seater on a satisfying 5th position which brought him 10 valuable championship points. After the 13th Formula 1 grand prix of 2011, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is 4th in the official standings with 108 points. In the drivers' rankings, Nico Rosberg is 7th (56 points) and Michael Schumacher 8th (52 points).
* Official photos courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
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