03/09/2017
NEWS STORY
Lewis took his 59th career victory today - turning his record-braking pole position into his fourth win at Monza and sixth win of the 2017 season. Valterri finished today's Italian Grand Prix in P2 - claiming his first F1 podium in Monza.
Today's result marks the 72nd victory for the Silver Arrows in Formula One and the third one-two victory of the 2017 season.
Lewis (238 points) takes the lead in the Drivers' Championship from Sebastian Vettel (235 points), with Valtteri (197 points) in P3. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport (435 points) lead Ferrari (373 points) by 62 points in the Constructors' Championship.
Ashley Way, Head of Mechanical Design, accepted the Constructors' trophy on behalf of the team in the last race of the European season.
Lewis Hamilton: This is obviously an incredibly exciting season; the last two races have been really strong for us as a team. The way things have come together in the second half of the season is exceptional. Today, the car felt fantastic, particularly on that first stint. As we had a bit of breathing room behind us, it was easier for us to extend the life of the tyres. Valtteri did a fantastic job to get through and get this one-two. It is amazing to have the first back-to-back wins in a long, long time and claim the lead in the championship. But the fight will continue, the Ferraris have been really quick this season, especially on the high-downforce tracks. It will continue to be really close between us, so it will be 'beast mode' all the way to the last chequered flag.
Valtteri Bottas: Starting fourth, finishing second - I'm quite happy with that. What I'm really happy about is the one-two for the team! From my side it was a good race, even though I lost one position at the beginning. Luckily, I got it back quite quickly and could then overtake the Williams and the Force India. After that the pace was great and I was really enjoying it - the car war so strong today. It was amazing to be on the podium. Monza is definitely one of the best - if not the best - podiums in Formula 1. It's such a great atmosphere, so much noise, so many people - I wish everyone could experience it. Looking forward, we know that we still have a lot of work to do, the races ahead will be a close battle with Ferrari.
Toto Wolff: I'm absolutely delighted with a one-two finish here in Monza, at such an important and historic race. The main thing is we took 43 points for the constructors' championship and 25 points for the drivers' today - Lewis is now in the lead, but ultimately it's the positions in Abu Dhabi that count. But every bit of momentum matters, and we've had a good seven days in that respect. Lewis delivered a perfect weekend - from the impressive pole position to a faultless race drive today. As for Valtteri, he bounced back from the disappointment of Spa in a great way; racing hard against Kimi, then picking off Stroll and Ocon, before pulling away from the field for a very strong second-place finish. We have made the most of our opportunity this weekend and it was important to do so because we know Singapore will be more like a case of damage limitation for us. We will approach the next race with healthy scepticism, leave no stone unturned and aim to deliver every bit of performance that we can. If the Team delivers another perfect performance like this weekend, that will be a very good starting point.
James Allison: This season has been an exhilarating rollercoaster ride and we have won races by the skin of our teeth, others where we have lost by similar margins. But this was the most comprehensive of our eight victories so far this season. It was a 1-2, flawlessly executed by the team, a dominant performance and delivered on the home turf of our main competitor; all that makes it a pretty memorable day. Aside from the emotion, though, these points count the same as any others and put us in the lead of the drivers' table for the first time as well as building our lead in the constructors' standings. We know that sterner challenges await us in the races to come, so we need to bank these points, move on and make sure that we don't relinquish either championship lead from now to Abu Dhabi.