
Lewis Hamilton left the Italian Grand Prix with the 68th win of his Formula One career as well as arguably one of his finest victories. The win in Ferrari's heartland means he now has a 30-point lead in the drivers' championship, as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Team enjoyed a double podium, with Valtteri Bottas taking third place.
Lewis, who started the race at Monza on the second row of the grid, overcame tough opposition from both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, plus the thousands of Ferrari fans who cheered on their team, to take his fifth win of the season.
The four-time World Champion, who was also was jeered on the podium by the Tifosi, said he gained added motivation from the hecklers, who were desperate to see their team win on home soil. Yet the Silver Arrows driver survived a first lap collision with Vettel before overtaking Raikkonen eight laps from the end to take the chequered flag.
On paper, this should have been a win for the Italian team, who had enjoyed the better pace during the qualifying sessions. However an excellent drive from Lewis, plus a solid supporting role from Valtteri, ensured a valuable haul of points for the team. After the race Lewis said: "There was a lot of negativity, as there is when you're against an opposing team, but I could see so many British flags out there, which helped me a lot.