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Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso leapt back into title contention after winning a thrilling battle with McLaren’s Jenson Button in the Italian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard moves up to third in the championship, 21 points behind new leader Mark Webber of Red Bull, who leapfrogged McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
Webber finished sixth at Monza, while Hamilton retired after a collision with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who came third.
Button stays fourth overall, ahead of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.
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Formula 1: Italian Grand Prix - Race Results
Formula 1: Italian Grand Prix - Race Line-Up
Formula 1: Fernando Alonso Beats Jenson Button For Pole at Monza
F1 Standings Ahead of Italian Grand Prix
The German finished fourth in a race that Red Bull had always viewed as damage limitation, one place ahead of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg.
The result in Italy means less than a win covers all five title contenders.
Massa’s rear wheel hit Hamilton’s front and broke the suspension of the McLaren.
“I had a good start and gained a position,” Hamilton said.
“In a realistic world I perhaps should’ve stayed there a while. I put my car up the inside and tried to get third - it was obviously a little bit too much. I’m very disappointed in myself and sorry for the team.
“I’ve got to try to collect my thoughts and move onto the next race. The championship is not over, but it’s mistakes like I made today that lose world championships.” BBC Sport
Webber now leads the world championship again with 187 points to Hamilton’s 182, but Alonso’s great drive vaults him to third on 166, just ahead of Button on 165 and Vettel on 163. Red Bull have 350 points to McLaren’s 347 and Ferrari’s 290.
It was a tense rather than thrilling race, but the scrap for the lower points places was always entertaining. Hulkenberg chased fifth-placed Robert Kubica for much of the race and jumped the Renault in the pit stops, but the Williams driver dropped back to seventh after Webber’s successful attack. Kubica took eighth, with Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher a distant ninth ahead of Rubens Barrichello in the second Williams.
Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi just headed Force India’s Tonio Liuzzi over the line for 11th, with Renault’s Vitaly Petrov benefiting from a very late pit stop to take 13th ahead of BMW Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa. Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersauri was 15th after a drive-through penalty for missing a chicane, while Force India’s Adrian Sutil fought up to 16th after contact on the opening lap sent him into the pits.
Timo Glock won the new teams’ race for Virgin after Jarno Trulli’s Lotus blew up late in the race, from Heikki Kovalainen in the other T127 and Sakon Yamamoto’s HRT, after Lucas di Grassi had to make a pit stop on lap 52. During Yamamoto’s pit stop an unnamed crew member was hurt, but initial reports say they remained conscious as they were taken to the medical centre for checks.
Besides Hamilton and Trulli, HRT’s Bruno Senna stopped with mechanical woes and Kamui Kobayashi did not actually leave the pit lane after problems with his BMW Sauber before he got to the grid. Formula 1
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