Most of the action occurred further down the order, much like many of the other races this season. The battle for sixth place, in the closing stages of the Grand Prix, was on fire. It began with the two ex-teammates, Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, in the McLaren and Force India, respectively. They had a breathtaking period of racing, through the beginning of lap forty, in which they were side by side for an unbelievable stretch of the lap. That heated battle drew Daniel Ricciardo in to the fight and he proceeded to dispatch both of them with skill beyond his years. He went on to catch and pass Magnussen and then Vettel, with the same efficiency, albeit on fresher tyres than his team mate. He still deserves a huge amount of credit, for the fashion in which he took the positions.
It is for this stage of the race that Daniel Ricciardo receives my coveted Driver of the Day award. The moves he made on Button, Perez and especially Magnussen were magnificent. The dummy he sold Magnussen in to the second chicane, was very special and stuck in my mind as the move of the race. He made a similar move on Sebastian Vettel and the reigning world champion must have wondered where the hell the Aussie, driving the exact same car as him, had come from. It wasn't a bad race for a team who were supposed to be well off the pace at this high speed circuit.
With the Italian Grand Prix over, the Mercedes rivalry is still very much alive and the gap between Lewis and Nico has shrunk rather than grown. Roll on Singapore, as the season enters its final stages and, despite the Mercedes dominance, an unprecedented climax.
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The Result:
