The next big German?

The last time I heard the German and Italian national anthem play one after the other at a Grand Prix, I would have just witnessed Michael Schumacher take the chequered flag after having destroyed the opposition. Today however, the two national anthems played back to back and the field had been well and truly destroyed but the top step of the podium was occupied by one Sebastian Vettel.

After securing pole position on a rain soaked track, Seba started the race behind the safety car for two slow laps. The Mercedes powered safety car pulled into the pits on the 3rd lap and open racing was the order of the day. The pole siting Torro Rosso didn't waste anytime opening a lead over Hekki in 2nd.

Armed with a 2 stop strategy and some serious racing skills, the 21 year old German carved a fine race to take the chequered flag with his head held high. None of the emphatic screaming was heard over the radio but as you'd expect, the now youngest ever winner of an F1 race was speechless.

The race was not without drama further down the field. Both the Ferrari's made decent progress over the first stint of the race managing to make their way past the slower cars in front of them amiss heavy spray in their visors. Kimi Raikkonen starting from a lowly 14th however ended up finishing 9th.

This performance wasn't the spectacle I was expecting from the Finn who had just had his Ferrari contract renewed up to 2010. In contrast, the man starting behind Kimi was really the next big winner of the day. Lewis Hamilton despite starting 15th, made light work of most of his opposition - Kimi included - and finished the race just behind Felipe Massa.

Massa having started 6th finished exactly where he started despite Hamilton who had been 2-seconds a lap faster than him until he was caught. I had initially thought Hamilton was just sizing up his move but he stayed in that 2nd last point scoring position until the end of the race. Massa had shown some pretty good bravado despite some near-catastrophic moments.

Many of the drivers were cautious not to do a Lewis overtaking maneuver in Monza. Many were found giving back track advantage; even if the advantage was well deserved. That being said, Lewis did well to make a new name for himself in Italy. His over aggressive driving - pushing his fellows wide and faking moves - will surely leave a bitter taste in the mouth of several drivers.

All in all, it was a great day of racing. We saw a new winner, records smashed and a 1-point lead at the top of the drivers championship. In 2 weeks, more history will ensue as F1 heads for the streets of Singapore for the 1st ever night race.

I'd love to be in a position to write my next F1 entry after witnessing the race with my own eyes. Complimentary tickets anyone?