Italian F1 Grand Prix: Vettel Earns Historic Monza Win

The German led from pole throughout a demanding race of changing conditions to finish ahead of Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen. Vettel, 21, takes over from Fernando Alonso as F1's youngest-ever winner. Ferrari's Felipe Massa reduced Hamilton's championship lead to one point by finishing sixth. Robert Kubica of BMW climbed from 11th to third by making the most of a one-stop strategy in a race that started on a soaking track in persistent rain and then began to dry up from about half distance. The drying track and mixed-up grid led to a fascinating and unpredictable race of varying strategies.

Hamilton impressed hugely in his charge through the field, but Vettel was equally deserving of plaudits for a cool and controlled drive. Spain's double world champion Alonso, who finished fourth after a strong race in his Renault, was the first to congratulate him after the race. The German's victory was also the best result by far for the former Minardi team, which was taken over by Red Bull and made its junior outfit in 2006. They have emerged as a major force in the second half of this season, using cars provided by Red Bull but fitted with a Ferrari engine rather than the Renault used by their parent team.

Vettel left Kovalainen behind in the early stages of the race, establishing a lead of more than 10 seconds before he made his first stop on lap 18. He controlled the race from there, changing to intermediate tyres at his second stop on lap 36 as the track dried out and continuing to drive with pace and aplomb to the finish. "Unbelievable," he said. "The whole race we had no problems. The car was working fine.