MONZA (Italy): Sebastian Vettel became the youngest race winner in Formula One history after a faultless Italian Grand Prix performance from the 21-year-old German.
In tough, wet conditions, he followed his debut pole with a maiden race win, crossing the line by sinking his head into his hands as he could not believe what had been an astonishing weekend.
"I am lost for words. It is amazing," a thrilled Vettel said over the team radio, after finishing 12.5 seconds in front of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.
Aged just 21 years and 74 days, and in only his 22nd grand prix for the Ferraripowered Toro Rosso team, he beat the previous record set by Fernando Alonso at the Hungarian GP in 2003 by almost a year.
Behind him, the title contenders endured a frantic race, with Felipe Massa sixth in his Ferrari and championship
leader Lewis Hamilton seventh for McLaren. The gap between the duo is now just down to one point.
That only rachets up the excitement for the SingTel Singapore GP on Sept 28, the first of four remaining races.
The weather yesterday again caused enough chaos, as it did in qualifying, that race director Charlie Whiting decided 11 minutes before the start that the race would begin behind the safety car.
That worked into Hamilton's hands as the last thing he wanted from a career low of 15th on the grid was an opening- lap charge into the first chicane behind a wall of spray that severely reduced visibility.
He scythed his way past the Red Bull of David Coulthard, then Giancarlo Fisichella in his Force India, before claiming the prized scalp of Kimi Raikkonen.
The Ferraris have long been notorious for their failure to get heat into their tyres in cool conditions, and this weakness allowed Hamilton to pass the reigning world champion with ease on Lap 11.
Hamilton then picked off BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, the Toyota of Timo Glock, BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and then on Lap 19, former McLaren teammate Alonso in his Renault.Jarno Trulli followed and when three of the leaders -Kovalainen, Mark Webber and Massa - made their first stops on Lap 22, Hamilton was up to second and closing in on leader Vettel.
On a one-stop strategy, the Briton remained on extreme-wet tyres as more rain was forecast, but it was not heavy
enough for the 23-year-old. One by one, other drivers started to switch to intermediate tyres and eventually, he had to change a strategy that was ready to yield a remarkable podium at one point.
Reverting to intermediates, the kind of tyre that cost him dearly during Saturday's qualifying when he took a calculated gamble and lost, Hamilton dropped to 10th and had to work all over again from Lap 36 of the 53-lap race.
"I wasn't lucky today. If it had rained, I would have won," said the Briton. "I drove really well. I took it easy at the
start and then decided to close in and hunt them down. I pulled off some good moves.
But I'm happy with that result. At least it was damage control. We came away with some points and we're still in
the lead in the championship."
Despite affecting his preparations for the Singapore GP, Hamilton will attend next Monday's appeal in Paris against
his Belgian GP penalty.
It is a battle over six points, after Spa-Francorchamps stewards stripped him of his win for cutting a chicane and
passing Raikkonen shortly afterwards.
"Of course it is not ideal so soon before a race, but we think it is important," said McLaren chief Ron Dennis.But yesterday was Vettel's moment as he became the first German to win a Grand Prix since the retirement of seven-
time champion Michael Schumacher two years ago.
But the modest young man declined comparisons with the legend, saying:
"He did so much, I just don't think this kind of comparison is the right one." Vettel was previously test and reserve
driver for the BMW Sauber team where he started his habit of setting records as the youngest man.
In Friday practice for the 2006 Turkish GP, he became the youngest person to drive at a Grand Prix meeting, aged 19 years and 53 days.
At the Japanese GP last year in heavy rain, he was the youngest man to lead an F1 race. In addition, he was the fastest driver ever to receive a fine. He was fined US$1,000 (S$1,437) for speeding in the pit lane, after only nine seconds in that maiden appearance.
"When I heard my national anthem, I almost cried, but when I heard the Italian anthem, it was very special," he said.
"It was the team's first win and the first time that anthem was played for us.
"We are a very small team compared to these others. But the mentality and the atmosphere is fantastic."
There was also a Singapore connection in his win. Home-grown YHI International sponsors the car's racing rims.
THE TIMES, LONDON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 15, 2008.
