Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Lewis Hamilton wins to beat Kimi Raikkonen as Sebastian Vettel finishes fourth

Follow the latest from the Italian Grand Prix at Monza

Formula 1: Official intro video

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton renew their world championship battle in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but it was the surprise package of Kimi Raikkonen who took pole position and will start today’s race from the front in an all-Ferrari front-row.

Vettel appeared stunned that his teammate was able to get the better of him on Saturday, but Ferrari did at least show that they continue to hold the advantage over Mercedes as Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas could only manage third and fourth respectively.

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen starts fifth but he was a second slower than Bottas in front of him, and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo starts from the back after taking a complete new power unit this weekend – along with the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson after his car was completely rebuilt on Friday night following his frightening crash in second practice.

Follow the live action below...

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What time does it start?

The Italian Grand Prix starts at 2.10pm on Sunday 2 September.

Where can I watch it?

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 from 12.30pm, with highlights on Channel 4 from 7.45pm.

Starting grid

1 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1min 19.119secs

2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:19.280

3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:19.294

4 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1:19.656

5 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:20.615

6 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:20.936

7 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Renault 1:21.041

8 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Force India 1:21.099

9 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.350

10 Lance Stroll (Can) Williams 1:21.627

11 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:21.669

12 Sergey Sirotkin (Rus) Williams 1:21.732

13 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 1:22.568

14 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 1:21.888

15 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Sauber-Ferrari 1:21.889

16 Brendon Hartley (Nzl) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.934

17 Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren 1:22.085

18 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.048 + engine changes

19 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull No Time + engine changes

20 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault No Time + engine changes and 10-place grid penalty from Belgian GP

Key Points

• The Italian Grand Prix starts at 2.10pm and is on Sky Sports F1 live
• Kimi Raikkonen leads from pole position
• Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel collide on opening lap
• Vettel spins and drops to last before mounting fightback

[2 September 2018 11:42 · Jack de Menezes]

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

With lights out scheduled for 2.10pm, we'll start our full race build-up at 1.00pm, but in the meantime you can take a look back at how yesterday's dramatic qualifying session played out.

[2 September 2018 13:18 · Jack de Menezes]

With an hour to go until lights out, let's take a look at the big talking points that should dominate the Italian Grand Prix:

WEATHERIt's just started raining again at Monza, thanks to 1996 F1 world champion and occasional weatherman Damon Hill, and after Friday morning's deluge, that could make conditions exceptionally tricky for drivers if it gets any heavier.

TYRESIt looks almost certain to be a one-stop race in the cooler temperatures, with most teams likely to go for the super-soft to soft strategy.

TEAM ORDERSCould Kimi Raikkonen really win this race? If the Finn does get away at the front with Sebastian Vettel in second, you'd expect the call to come from the pit wall to let the German through in aid of his world championship challenge. I'm not sure how well that would go down at Monza though.

MID-FIELD BATTLERed Bull look to be heading the best of the rest, but they only have Max Verstappen leading the charge as Daniel Ricciardo starts from the back of the field. That means a good chunk of points could be up for grabs for the lesser teams, although watching Ricciardo's progress may prove to be the best viewing of the day.

[2 September 2018 13:29 · Jack de Menezes]

Not a bad view from the International Space Station...

Of course, the track disappearing into the trees on the left is the on that F1 uses today, whereas the banking was used back in the much more dangerous 1950s, 60s and 70s. 

[2 September 2018 13:35 · Jack de Menezes]

**PITS OPEN**

The pit lane explodes into life as the field start making their way out for their sighting laps, before heading to the grid.

[2 September 2018 13:42 · Jack de Menezes]

So what happened in qualifying yesterday?

At one point it appeared that an even bigger shock was on the cards when Lewis Hamilton put a Mercedes on provisional pole, having been second-best to the Ferraris all weekend.

But Ferrari had something up their sleeve on their final run - only for it to be in the form of Kimi Raikkonen and not Sebastian Vettel as we all expected. As usual, the Finn is really coming alive throughout the second half of the season - just as his contract is up for renewal - but he could win his first Grand Prix since returning for Ferrari, having not stood on the top step since the opening race of the 2013 season.

Here's how the action unfolded:

[2 September 2018 13:43 · Jack de Menezes]

[2 September 2018 13:45 · Jack de Menezes]

It appears Lewis Hamilton hasn't been making many friends in Monza this weekend.

The Mercedes driver often receives a frosty reception in Italy due to his rivalry with Ferrari, and he took to Instagram to thank his fans that have travelled to the circuit where there is "so much hate and negativity".

That's unlikely to go down well with the Tifosi...

[2 September 2018 13:50 · Jack de Menezes]

There's something a bit weird going on at Ferrari, as all of the mechanics have gathered around the back of Raikkonen's car to protect it from being looked at by any one else. Sky Sports' Martin Brundle reports that the FIA made a late oil check on his car - could it have any gremlins already rearing their ugly heads?

[2 September 2018 13:54 · Jack de Menezes]

Today is Kimi's 18th career pole position - but how has he fared when starting from the front? Six times he's managed to convert it into a win, a third of his total poles, and six other times it's been a podium finish. But worryingly, the other five times he's failed to finish the race.

How will he go today?

[2 September 2018 13:56 · Jack de Menezes]

Tyre strategy

As previously mentioned, it very much looks like a one-stop race today, according to our friends at Pirelli.