1973 Italian Grand Prix - Monza

September 9, 1973

He started practice with a headache from his cholera immunization and carried on with an influenza infection which gave pains across his chest and a hoarse voice on race day. His car was just plain slow through practice in addition to giving obscure braking troubles. On race morning his planned race engine dropped a valve: there was no good reason to think Jackie Stewart was going to end this particular day as World Champion.

When arriving at Monza for the Italian GP Emerson Fittipaldi and Stewart were head-to-head for 1973 title, Emerson still in with a chance if he could take victory at the Autodromo. Prior to the season Lotus team manager Peter Warr promised joint number one status to Ronnie Peterson and Fittipaldi. Coming to Austria, the race before Italy, the season had unfolded in a way that Peterson had been the quickest of the two but Fittipaldi had been more consistent, thus collecting more points than the Swede. Team Lotus therefore decided that only Fittipaldi had the chance of winning the championship and that Peterson would let Emerson ahead should the situation arise. Ronnie duly submitted to team tactics and let Fittipaldi through on lap 16, only to be handed back both the lead and the victory when fuel feed problems caused Fittipaldi to retire six laps from the end. Prior to Monza now only Cevert and Fittipaldi stood a mathematical chance of taking the title from Stewart. In Emerson's case this meant he had to win all of the remaining three races with Stewart only needing a fourth at Monza.

Jackie Stewart - Talent undeniable.

When the Friday practice/qualifying sessions began it was Peter Revson (McLaren) who was setting the pace. In fact he finished fastest in both sessions recording a 1m 36.743s. Nearest to the American was Peterson who finished second fastest at 1m 36.795s. The only other driver under 37s was Carlos Pace (Surtees). The other key players for the weekend, were not entirely happy. Denny Hulme (McLaren) and Fittipaldi were in trouble; the Brazilian's ankles were giving him pain and he had to seek attention from the medical unit. Denny, on the other hand, was having issues sorting out his car set-up. Eventually he decided that it would be better to try to adapt his driving to the car and once he did so, he was immediately up near the front.  

On Saturday there was significant improvement over the times set during the previous day. The magic bracket was the 1m 36s one, and by the end of the Saturday session 10 different drivers entered it. Thus the final session shaped up as one of those stirring last-minute pole position battles. In the end, though, only four drivers had a realistic chance at pole: Revson and Hulme, were steady, smooth and controlled .... apparently comfortably so, both with times in the 1m 35s.  That is until Peterson flashed and ultra-quick lap right past them, posting a lap at 1m 34.8s! Considering how closely bunched the bulk of the rest were, significantly slower than the track record set by Jacky Ickx (Ferrari) in 1972, Ronnie's improvement on the record by the better part of a second was remarkable. The man they called Super Swede was a special talent and this would be his seventh pole position of the season. 

For some reason the Tyrrells weren't impressive at all. François Cevert had been in particular strife all day, with his brakes and Stewart was suffering the already mentioned after effects of his cholera shots and also a growing case of the flu. All of this left them 11th and 6th, respectively, on the grid. The Scot's situation was made worse, during the untimed practice on race morning, when his engine went sick with valve trouble. The Tyrrell team had a fresh engine fitted in time for the race but the car still had problems when it came to the line, where brakes had to be bled and the ignition adjusted. It seemed that circumstances were stacking up against him.

As always on race day at Monza the crowd packed in as densely as possible, clambering up every tree and hoarding in sight. What they had all come to see was a motor race that promised plenty. There was the chance of seeing Stewart clinch the World Championship; of a tremendous battle between  Lotus and McLaren and most important of all, to any Italian, the possibility of Ferrari fighting with the best of them.

1973 Italian GP - Stewart started well only to suffer a puncture.

The start, that year, was made on the left of the wide pit straight thus making use of the full length of the main straight, bypassing the first chicane for the opening lap. The smoke and din erupted from the 24 starting cars and they all slashed away with Peterson making a superb getaway. Revson lagged off the line, from his second place grid slot, allowing Fittipaldi to surge up from the second row to slot in behind Peterson. The long, long drag up to the Curva Grande ended in a Lotus one-two, an order that would last throughout the rest of the day. The pursuit was led by Hulme in third and Stewart who had come tearing up from the third row to squeeze into fourth ahead of Revson with Arturo Merzario (Ferrari) right there in sixth place. During the opening laps this first five were already a distinct grouping and it already looked like another superbly close Grand Prix, with plenty of vivid excitement to watch. Tyres smoking and noses darting into gaps as the flood of cars poured into the newly incorporated chicanes.

Cevert had broken away from his sixth row start into sixth place, but try as he could he couldn't get up in touch with the leaders. Revson, too, showed signs of not being able to mix it with the top four, but he kept them just ahead and was in touch when Stewart began to flag. For one and a half laps the Tyrrell developed an odd behaviour and as they all tore past the pits, to begin lap 8, and lined up for the chicane , Revson saw an opening. He saw it on the outside, underlined on the braking zone and drove for it. A dodgy-looking manoeuvre amid smoke and wobbling race cars, but he pulled it off and scratched by. Next time round Stewart realized that his left rear tyre had picked up a puncture and would require changing. He stopped at the end of that lap, and exited the pits just as Hulme had a big moment at the first chicane. The New Zealander's brakes hadn't reacted quite as expected arriving at the chicane too fast and caught the kerb which launched him into the air. He landed on two wheels sideways across the track right in front of Revson who had to brake sharply to avoid a collision and lost a great deal of time in the process. Thus the two Lotus 72s had disappeared into the distance and, assuming Colin Chapman's cars were to prove reliable, the race was all over bar the shouting.

Things seemed to firmly be going Fittipaldi's way. Peterson and the Brazilian were running in close company, and it seemed certain that Peterson would wave Fittipaldi through to take the nine Championship points. Stewart obviously wasn't going to win anything that day; he was far back amongst the backmarkers after his tyre change had gone rather poorly. He had, however, managed to stay of the lead lap and that was critical. He was now driving as hard as he could, but to expect him to make up such a gap seemed too much.

Fourth Place - Stewart battled through the field.

What he did then was the stuff of legend.

By Lap 20 the order seemed set with Peterson leading Fittipaldi, Revson third some 14 seconds behind, then Cevert fourth with Carlos Reutemann (Brabham) fifth and closing slightly. Mike Hailwood (Surtees) had moved up to sixth place, passing Ickx on Lap 18. But all eyes were on the Tyrrell of Jackie Stewart who, urged on by the crowd, was driving a race that he later described as "second only to my performance in the fog at the Nurburgring." That he could drive had never been doubted and now he was taking more out of the Tyrrell 006 than had ever been taken out of it before. Incredibly the Scotsmen was making back all of the lost ground, whipping by car after car, passing the privateers and the slowest of the works cars. Then he carved through the mass of midfield works cars. By half distance he was back up to eighth place. By Lap 30 Stewart had Ickx in his sights, the Ferrari having lost some of its radiator ducting and the Scot snatched seventh place on Lap 33. He passed Hailwood into sixth on Lap 37, without further ado, but he was not content with that and next in sight was Reutemann, who never did manage to close up on Cevert. The Argentinian was never an easy customer to pass and Stewart trailed him for a lap and a half before moving up to fifth place and suddenly loomed in the mirrors of his team-mate. In a couple of laps he was right there and the loyal François let him by readily and watched him close on Revson in third place. As Stewart sliced fractions off the gap that separated him from the American, now in plain sight up ahead, scarcely the length of the Vialone chicane away, all eyes were watching the Lotus pair.

They would definitely have to move Fittipaldi ahead of Peterson if the championship was to be kept alive. If things stayed as they were Stewart's fourth place meant that Fittipaldi would have to win in Italy and repeat the performance in the two North American races with the Scot unplaced to stay in the points race. If this happened Fittipaldi and Stewart would have equal points and the verdict would go to the Brazilian on number of victories. A tall order but still a possibility.

White Flag - Lotus sinks Fittipaldi's title bid.

There it was the 55th lap and Stewart was within five seconds of Revson, already having done the lap record, eight tenths of a second faster than his own qualifying time, on the 51st lap. Surely Emerson would take over and get the extra three points? However there seemed to be no instructions from the Lotus pits for Peterson to give way, apparently he had been told before the race to use his own discretion. Ronnie was the kind of driver who is only interested in winning and, as the two Lotus 72s flashed by the pits with one lap remaining, the Swede was still in the lead. As they came out of the Parabolica for the last time he was still there. As they swept past the pits Chapman, in his traditional manner,  flung his hat skywards to celebrate the first Team Lotus one-two since Kyalami in January 1968. The Brazilian was furious after the race. Some observers had noted some favouritism towards Peterson during the season and at the time this decision was seen as an confirmation of that. In the end Fittipaldi decided it was time to leave Team Lotus and signed with McLaren for the 1974 season.

So 1973 proved to be Jackie's greatest season. Not only did he know it was his last, but he was campaigning a car that was inferior to at least two other marques: McLaren and Lotus. Yet he scratched together his five GP wins, enough to put him ahead of Fangio and Clark in total GP victories. A benchmark which would stand for 14 years. However, perhaps his greatest drive would not be counted amongst this tally. When he was ill and when the fates seemed against him, Stewart rose up, indomitable and indefatigable. Demonstrating to all something far more tangible than victories .. the heart of a champion and proof positive that he belongs among the very best of all time.

Triple World Champion - Stewart would retire at season's end.

  

2008 Italian Grand Prix - Monza

September 14, 2008

The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is one of those special places at which Formula 1 cars race. It is said by some that Formula One is a religion in Italy. If that is accurate, then Monza is it's cathedral, the Prancing Horse it's cross, and the tifosi are it's disciples.

The 1988 season however, left them little to worship. The McLaren-Hondas in the hands of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna were all but untouchable. They had won all the Grands Prix thus far that season, and there was little hope that the tifosi could wish for more than third place for their beloved Scuderia at the Italian Grand Prix. Their one shining star was Gerhard Berger. The young Austrian proved to be the main challenger, how ever hopeless it seemed, to the McLarens throughout the season and at Monza he had the added motivation that the team's venerable Commendatore, and founder, Enzo Ferrari passed away less than one month before. A victory in Italy would be a fitting tribute.

1988 Italian GP - Berger conquers the almighty McLarens. 

Fate did not go McLaren's way that day. This was Monza after all. Prost was out just after half distance with a blown engine. Senna was well in front, but the Honda mechanics had to re-map his engine to ensure that it did not go up in smoke like the Frenchman's. With Senna running more conservatively Berger came back into the picture. Knowing that the Ferraris were catching him Senna came up to lap Jean-Louis Schlesser (Williams), sitting in for Nigel Mansell who was out sick, he didn't have time to waste getting past. Schlesser locked-up his tyres on the entry to the Rettifilo chicane. Senna, seeing the Williams wide to the right, well off line, went for the overtake. Schlesser made the first corner though and was on the apex of the second when Senna arrived at the same point. The two touched and Senna spun across the next kerb and was beached with rear wheels in the air. The two scarlet cars of Berger and Alboreto blasted past now first and second leaving the tifosi ecstatic for the last few laps until Berger took the chequered flag for a remarkable victory.

On that day, in Heppenheim, Germany, Sebastian Vettel was one year, two months and 8 days old.

Fast forward in time twenty years, and three days to the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Gerhard Berger had become the co-owner of Scuderia Toro Rosso, and Vettel, now  a protégé of the Red Bull Junior Team is his driver. The team (previously Minardi) was formed for the 2006 season to act as a junior/sister squad to the premiere outfit Red Bull Racing. Vettel, the youngest driver to ever take part in a Grand Prix weekend and the youngest to score a World Championship point, joined the team during the latter half of the 2007 season replacing the American Scott Speed. Prior to him joining Toro Rosso the team's best result was an eighth place finish.  In his sixth race for the team Vettel scored a remarkable fourth place finish in China. His talent and potential was plain for all to see, but he was driving a Toro Rosso after all and so it was felt that his true form would only be seen once Ron Dennis (McLaren) or Luca di Montezemolo (Ferrari) came calling. As it turned out, the Toro Rosso was all Vettel would need to fully display his innate ability.

At Monza the young German stunned everyone by capturing the pole position on Saturday in very wet conditions, becoming the youngest driver in Formula One history ever to do so. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) with Mark Webber (Red Bull) in third. An impressive performance for sure from Vettel, but few backed him to maintain this position for very long in the race. Most felt that both Kovalainen and Webber would overwhelm him early and battle for the win. Vettel was expected to score points or perhaps a podium at best .. he was racing in a Toro Rosso after all.

2008 Italian GP - Vettel shows true pace to capture the pole position.

On Sunday heavy rain prior to the race made the track very slippery, with more rain expected throughout the day. It was not too surprising then that all chose to start the race on the extreme wet weather tyres or that the race would begin behind the safety car. After the second lap the safety car pulled off into the pit lane whereupon Vettel got away perfectly. This, of course, was absolutely crucial. With the rain coming down as it was only the leader could properly see where he was going with any confidence. Sebastian made the most of this advantage, and in the early laps the Toro Rosso was as much as 20kph faster than any other on Monza's long straights. By lap 18, when he made his first stop, he had built up a lead of twelve seconds over Kovalainen.

By now the worst of the rain had passed, but still there was no question of switching from "full wet" tyres to intermediates. Vettel temporarily dropped to fourth place, but as Kovalainen, Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari) came in for their stops, he retook the lead, and thereafter never lost it.

By the time of Vettel's second stop, on lap 36, conditions had improved to the point that now intermediates were the thing to have, and this worked much to the interests of the drivers who started the race with a heavy load of fuel on board and planned only on a single stop.

Vettel easily held the lead and never came under the remotest threat. 

With virtually everyone on intermediates, Vettel's performance came into perspective. By lap 38, seventh placed Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) began lapping fastest recording a 1:32.869, more than a second faster than the leader Vettel. Hamilton's team-mate, Kovalainen, however could make no impression on the German.

Asked about the closing laps afterwards, Vettel said, "Sometimes I was thinking 'there is still P1 on my board, how can it be? I am fuelled to finish, there is nothing, no pit stops, so just keep it together.' Then I have to say I was extremely focussed every lap. I didn't lift and try to save the engine or the tyres or anything. Of course I was looking after my car. I was trying to keep attention because especially towards the end when there was kind of a dry line throughout some corners it was crucial to stay on that dry line. Just half a metre too wide and you can be off..."

He did keep it together and was dutifully able to maintain the twelve second gap to the chequered flag becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in Formula One history. This astounding victory also marked the first win by Scuderia Toro Rosso, who were in the process the first non-Ferrari Italian-based team to win since 1957.

How on earth did this kid and this tiny team pull off such a remarkable victory? There had to be a catch somewhere, didn't there? During the race Vettel set only the fourteenth fastest lap. The only retirement of the race was Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India), so all the top teams and drivers made it to the end. The drivers of the primary Red Bull outfit, Webber and David Coulthard could only manage eighth and sixteenth respectively. This was not luck, nor a fluke. Vettel and Toro Rosso undeniably deserved this victory fair and square. Perfect strategy, excellent decision making, measured aggression and flawless driving in extremely difficult conditions is how the minnow ate the shark(s) that day. And it was beautiful to see.

Those who sold Vettel short before the race witnessed first-hand what this young talent was truly capable of ... even with inferior machinery.

"Obviously I had a bit of an advantage in the beginning when I was probably the only one with trouble-free vision." He said after the race. "But it was never easy. I knew that I would stop earlier than the others. I didn't know how much earlier, so I was pushing very hard . Sometimes I nearly lost the car - I was always trying to drive on the edge."

Remarkable victory - Vettel becomes the youngest GP winner in history.

And while the maturity of his drive was impressive, his celebration over the radio and on the podium clearly displayed the enthusiasm that is the hallmark of youth. This, mixed with the magical atmosphere that is Monza made for something truly special. The uninhibited joy on the face of a winner, and a lovely thing too, to see Berger, who won at Monza twenty years earlier, back on that very same podium, now in the role as a team owner and cheered to the rafters by the tifosi, who do not forget.

Berger had no doubts about the ability of his young star. "His intelligence and the way he works is great," he said. "I have to say I really underestimated the potential of this boy."

Boy indeed, But at twenty-one years, two months and eleven days old, and with just 22 Grand Prix starts to his name, there was very little that could be described as immature about Sebastian Vettel. The fact he won the Italian Grand Prix at all was startling enough, but the manner in which he took this victory was even more remarkable. He won from the front, on merit, beating all of the established aces with a measured, calm performance reminiscent of the great drivers of the past. One had to remind themselves that this was all new to him.

"... it feels just great. The last lap, the lap after the chequered flag, the whole podium ceremony, it was all great."

Giant Killers: Berger and Vettel share a moment on the podium.

It was new as well to the little team from Faenza, Italy ... and the young German realized this to. "I have seen every possible angle of the grid now and it is difficult when you always start from the back and you have to fight your way. You might finish a race in P15 without anyone noticing, but you still might have done a very good job, so you can still be happy and you can walk out of the paddock and be proud of yourself and the team. Now we can be proud of ourselves, celebrating a victory. It is great. To say these words together it sounds unbelievable. From where we started last year the team, the mentality has changed so much. The atmosphere is fantastic. Everybody is extremely motivated. When I jumped in the car before the race everybody said 'ok, now destroy them or push like hell.' All the guys were joking and were happy and looking forward. In that sense you could say we had the balls to do it today. Compared to BMW, or McLaren-Mercedes, or Ferrari we haven't got the amount of manpower at home in the factory .... we have about 160 people working in Faenza and everyone today feels very special and can feel very special. I am one of them."

It was an extremely exceptional performance. One that even their rivals were happy to acknowledge. "I'm delighted for him," said Ron Dennis. "Whatever the circumstances, and they weren't easy in practice or the race, he got the job done. It's easy to create reasons why, but at the end of the day he did a fantastic job, and he deserved to win. I'm pleased for him and Gerhard."

Great drivers are evident no matter what car they drive. And while Italy 2008 was the minnow's day of days, it was clear that Vettel's talent and his ability to galvanize the team around him was the crucial factor in achieving victory.

1976 Italian Grand Prix - Monza

September 12, 1976

By 1976 Niki Lauda had established himself as the premiere driver of the day. Since joining Ferrari in 1974 it was the pairing of the Austrian with the Scuderia that had that unique chemistry which could dominate the sport.  Lauda did just that.  When he came to the team it was as the number two driver behind team leader Clay Regazzoni.  However, Lauda was quickly recognized as the pace setter. He scored his first two GP victories that season and duly went on to capture the driver's title the following year winning 5 Grands Prix and 9 pole positions. His dominance appeared set to continue in 1976, as he won 5 of the first 9 races.  Leading the driver's championship by 31 points over Jody Scheckter (Tyrrell), Lauda seemed set to cruise to his second consecutive driver's title.

1976 GP Season - Lauda dominated the early races

The next round in the championship, however, was the German Grand Prix at the fabled Nordschleife of the Nurburgring. Having been the first and only driver to lap the Nordschleife in less than 7 minutes the previous year, Lauda's confidence had to be high.

Wet conditions prevailed as the grid formed for the race and most drivers, including Lauda, who was starting second, chose to start the race on wet tyres.  At the drop of the green flag Regazzoni took the lead, followed by Hunt, Jochen Mass (McLaren) and Jacques Laffite (Ligier). Lauda made a poor getaway and dropped back.  By the end of the first lap the rain abated and dry conditions began to prevail. Most of the drivers, including Lauda, pitted for slick tyres. When he rejoined the race he was pushing hard, trying to make up for his poor start and bring himself back into contention. Just after the fast left kink before the Bergwerk right hand curve, his Ferrari 312T2 snapped to the right and spun through the fencing and into an earth embankment. The car immediately burst into flames and bounced back onto the circuit. Guy Edwards (Hesketh) managed to avoid the Ferrari, but Harald Ertl (Hesketh) and Brett Lunger (Surtees) both hit it. All three drivers stopped and tried to free Lauda, from the flaming wreckage. They were joined by Arturo Merzario who stopped his Wolf Williams after passing the crash.

Brave Heroes - Edwards, Ertl and Lunger save Lauda

Thankfully, they succeeded, but Lauda was very seriously injured. He had lost his helmet when the car overturned and suffered severe burns to his head, face, arms and hands. His lungs were also severely damaged from the effect of toxic gas inhaled while he was trapped in the car. He was rushed by helicopter to a special hospital where, for several days, he was under intensive care.  The situation appeared very grim.  So grim, in fact, that a priest even administered him his last rites. The crash was so horrific that while awaiting the restart of the race Chris Amon (Ensign) decided to end his career immediately and never raced a Grand Prix again. Death in Formula One was all too common in the 1970s, and few expected the Austrian to pull through.

Miraculously, not only did he pull through, he turned up at the Italian Grand Prix just six weeks later, his head swathed in bandages and ready to race. This surprised even the Ferrari team, and complicated things, since they had hired Carlos Reutemann to replace Lauda.  The Argentinian had even used his own money to buy out his contract with the Brabham team in order to race for the Scuderia. The team had no choice but to prepare a third entry for Niki. 


1976 Italian GP - Lauda, bloodied, but unbowed.

Lauda was still ahead in the World Championship.  However, during his absence Hunt had closed up to within 14 points. Honestly though, what could he truly accomplish? As physically damaged as he was from the crash, psychologically he must have been destroyed.  Surely he could never again attain the speed necessary to regain his status as the top driver.

Niki showed that he still had mettle in qualifying. Jacques Laffite took pole position in his Ligier, ahead of Jody Scheckter (Tyrrell), Carlos Pace (Brabham), Patrick Depailler (Tyrrell), and Lauda an admirable fifth.

At the start Scheckter grabbed the lead from Laffite at the chicane followed by Pace but the Brazilian soon fell prey to Depailler, Peterson, and Reutemann. Lauda started very slow and soon faded to 12th.  To the onlooker, the gruelling demands of the race was to much for Lauda, who must have still been reeling from his terrifying accident. Mass, Hunt and Watson were carving their way through the backmarkers. On the second lap, however, Mass was in the pits with a misfire.

At the front Scheckter maintained his lead ahead but Laffite dropped back to fourth on the third lap as Depailler and Peterson went past him. A lap later Peterson passed Depailler to move into second. Regazzoni was in hot pursuit and had overtaken Reutemann and on lap 11 passed Laffite as well to take sixth place.  On that same lap Peterson, who had closed the gap to Scheckter, moved ahead of the South African to take the lead. Hunt's rapid progress came to an end on lap 12 when he spun off.

The tyres on Scheckter's Tyrrell were deteriorating and he began to drop back, being passed first by Depailler on lap 14 and then Regazzoni on lap 23. Scheckter then battled Laffite, fifth, while Lauda followed them closely, intent on a finish.

With Scheckter's tyre woes growing worse, Laffite managed to get by the Tyrrell driver.  Lauda also found his way past soon after. Ahead of this battle Depailler hit engine trouble on lap 46 and dropped back to sixth. At the checkered flag Peterson scored a welcomed win for the March team, with Regazzoni second, Laffite third and Lauda an incredible fourth.

1976 Italian GP - The last ever F1 victory for March 

At the start of the weekend, It was simply amazing that Lauda was in the car and willing to compete. His determination and grit was even more remarkable considering that the fire had burnt off part of one ear and his tear duct mechanism was severely damaged which affected his vision during the race. The amount of pain he had to have endured to qualify fifth must have been unimaginable, but to have the fortitude to not only race, but to overcome it all and fight to a fourth place finish left me absolutely speechless. 

At Monza in 1976 Lauda defined what a true champion should be. He made no excuses, and hid behind nothing.  He simply came to Monza and with this performance showed his rivals that he was the defending World Champion. If they wanted to take the title away from him they would have to beat him on the track. At a moment when we were supposed to be pitying him, he came back, with the heart of a lion, to confirm his place as one of the very great champions in Formula One history.