2008 Italian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel and Toro Rosso produced one of Formula 1’s great breakthrough victories at a rain-soaked Monza. The young German converted pole into a composed win ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Robert Kubica, becoming the sport’s youngest Grand Prix winner at the time.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso
Pole time	1:37.555
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:28.047 on lap 53
First	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso
Second	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren
Third	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
12 September 2008	Practice 1	10:00
12 September 2008	Practice 2	14:00
13 September 2008	Practice 3	11:00
13 September 2008	Qualifying	14:00
14 September 2008	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 14 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 76 points, with Felipe Massa on 74. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 131 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Italian Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Heavy rain made opening practice extremely limited. Adrian Sutil set the fastest lap, but six drivers—including both McLarens—recorded no time. The session ended early with conditions already keeping cars in the garages, leaving teams with little representative running at the high-speed circuit.

The circuit dried sufficiently in FP2 for the weekend’s only meaningful dry-tyre practice. Kimi Räikkönen went fastest ahead of the BMW Sauber pair as teams took advantage of the opportunity. With more rain expected, however, the useful dry data did not resolve the setup choices facing them for qualifying and the race.

Rain returned for final practice and Timo Glock headed Sebastian Vettel on the timing sheet. Lewis Hamilton completed only eight laps and was far from a representative pace. The persistently wet conditions made tyre choice, visibility and confidence under braking more important than the usual Monza qualifying preparation.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Italian Grand Prix FP1, 12 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:32.842	18
2	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+0.586s	14
3	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+0.853s	19
4	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+3.958s	13
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+4.058s	9
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+4.123s	10
7	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+4.300s	20
8	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+4.372s	13
9	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+4.550s	5
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+4.912s	13
11	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+5.215s	11
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+5.461s	7
13	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+6.220s	12
14	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+7.391s	5
15	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	No time	1
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	No time	2
17	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	No time	1
18	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	No time	1
19	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
20	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Italian Grand Prix FP2, 12 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:23.861	31
2	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.070s	26
3	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.086s	29
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.122s	25
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.249s	33
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.386s	34
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.504s	29
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.660s	35
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.808s	22
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.912s	35
11	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.239s	25
12	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.331s	39
13	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.343s	24
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.435s	25
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.448s	34
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.469s	28
17	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.536s	28
18	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.620s	22
19	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.892s	29
20	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.334s	23

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Italian Grand Prix FP3, 13 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:35.464	16
2	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.665s	11
3	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.883s	13
4	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.222s	9
5	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.242s	10
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.508s	12
7	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.551s	7
8	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.799s	6
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.806s	10
10	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.821s	9
11	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.040s	11
12	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+2.207s	7
13	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.314s	8
14	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.369s	9
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.418s	11
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+3.225s	8
17	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+3.855s	8
18	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+5.700s	3
19	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+7.219s	6
20	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+10.861s	8

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel claimed a sensational pole in very wet conditions, with Heikki Kovalainen alongside. Mark Webber’s final improvement placed him third ahead of Sebastien Bourdais, giving Toro Rosso two cars in the first four positions.

Lewis Hamilton’s initial tyre choice in Q2 proved costly: by the time he switched to extreme wets, the rain had intensified. He qualified 15th, one place behind Kimi Räikkönen, while Felipe Massa reached Q3 and took sixth. Robert Kubica also missed the final segment as conditions worsened.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying, 13 September 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:35.464	1:35.837	1:37.555	28
2	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:35.214	1:35.843	1:37.631	24
3	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:36.001	1:36.306	1:38.117	23
4	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:35.543	1:36.175	1:38.445	28
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:35.485	1:35.898	1:38.767	28
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:35.536	1:36.676	1:38.894	29
7	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:35.906	1:36.008	1:39.152	26
8	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:36.297	1:36.518	1:39.751	28
9	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:35.737	1:36.525	1:39.787	28
10	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:35.709	1:36.626	1:39.906	26
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:35.553	1:36.697	—	21
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:36.280	1:36.698	—	19
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:36.485	1:37.284	—	21
14	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:35.965	1:37.522	—	21
15	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.394	1:39.265	—	19
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:36.510	—	—	12
17	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:36.630	—	—	13
18	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:36.653	—	—	13
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:37.006	—	—	13
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:37.417	—	—	12

What happened in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix?

The race began behind the safety car, but Sebastien Bourdais stalled on the grid and lost a lap before restarting. Once racing began, Sebastian Vettel used the clear view ahead to build a lead over Heikki Kovalainen. Lewis Hamilton worked forward through the spray, eventually passing Kimi Räikkönen and several midfield rivals.

As the track dried, the timing of the switch to intermediate tyres became decisive. Robert Kubica and Fernando Alonso benefited from one-stop strategies, while Sebastian Vettel maintained control through his own stops. Lewis Hamilton’s strong recovery brought him back towards the points leaders, but he could not reach the podium battle.

Sebastian Vettel won by 12.5 seconds, giving Toro Rosso its first victory and rewarding a superb weekend from the team. Heikki Kovalainen finished second, with Robert Kubica third and Fernando Alonso fourth. Felipe Massa’s sixth place, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, reduced the championship gap to a single point as Kimi Räikkönen finished outside the points despite fastest lap.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 78 points, followed by Felipe Massa on 77. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 134, with McLaren on 129.

2008 Italian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Italian Grand Prix was held on 14 September 2008, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	53	1:26:47.494	10
2	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	53	+12.512	8
3	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	53	+20.471	6
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	53	+23.903	5
5	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	53	+27.748	4
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	53	+28.816	3
7	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	53	+29.912	2
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	53	+32.048	1
9	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	+39.468	0
10	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	53	+54.445	0
11	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	53	+58.888	0
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	53	+1:02.015	0
13	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	53	+1:05.954	0
14	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	53	+1:08.635	0
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	53	+1:13.370	0
16	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	52	+1 Lap	0
17	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	52	+1 Lap	0
18	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	52	+1 Lap	0
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	51	+2 Laps	0
Ret	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	11	Accident	0

Sébastien Bourdais, Kazuki Nakajima and Jenson Button started from the pitlane.

2008 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	1:28.047	236.859
2	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	52	1:29.258	233.646
3	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	52	1:29.681	232.544
4	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	52	1:29.696	232.505
5	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	52	1:29.721	232.440
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	53	1:29.807	232.217
7	16	Jenson Button	Honda	52	1:29.827	232.166
8	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	53	1:29.948	231.853
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	51	1:29.961	231.820
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	53	1:30.019	231.671
11	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	53	1:30.215	231.167
12	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	52	1:30.298	230.955
13	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	53	1:30.300	230.950
14	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	53	1:30.510	230.414
15	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	52	1:30.853	229.544
16	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	53	1:30.918	229.380
17	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	49	1:32.459	225.557
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	51	1:33.458	223.146
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	42	1:33.918	222.053
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	6	1:37.304	214.326

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	78
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	77
3	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	64
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	57
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	53
6	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	51
7	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	28
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	26
9	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	23
10	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	20
11	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	15
12	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	13
13	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
14	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	9
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	8
16	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	6
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	4
18	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	134
2	McLaren	129
3	BMW Sauber	117
4	Toyota	41
5	Renault	41
6	Toro Rosso	27
7	Red Bull Racing	26
8	Williams	17
9	Honda	14
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November