Currently reading: Motorsport wrap: Hamilton claims F1 points lead with Italian Grand Prix win
British star breaks pole position record before storming to glory at Monza

Lewis Hamilton has moved into the lead of the Formula 1 championship after taking a dominant victory in the Italian Grand Prix, leading home team-mate Valtteri Bottas for a Mercedes-AMG one-two.

The British racer’s path to his sixth win of the year was eased when he snatched pole position in a dramatic wet qualifying session. Hamilton’s pole, the 69th of his career, set a new record, moving him clear of Michael Schumacher’s tally of 68.

04 Hamilton pole

The other big names weren’t so fortunate in a qualifying session delayed for several hours due to rain and a heavy crash for Romain Grosjean (Haas). There were also myriad grid penalties, so Hamilton lined up ahead of Lance Stroll (Williams) and Esteban Ocon (Force India), with title rival Sebastian Vettel down in sixth on the grid in his Ferrari.

Hamilton immediately pulled clear of Ocon at the start and built up a healthy lead while Bottas charged through to second. Vettel battled up to third but was no match for the Mercedes drivers and had to push to fend off Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages.

03 Vettel ferrari

Having won the Belgian and Italian races on consecutive weekends, Hamilton now leads Vettel by three points with seven grands prix to go. “It’s amazing to come and have back-to-back wins,” he said. “It’s been a long time that Sebastian has been leading the championship, so to now be slightly ahead is a great feeling.”

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The Audi A1 is a stylish and competent supermini, if a little expensive - but does it have the edge over the Mini hatch, Seat Ibiza and Ford Fiesta?

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Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix to slash Vettel's points lead

FIA World Endurance Championship: Mexico City

Porsche claimed a dominant one-two finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship race in Mexico City, the trio of Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard taking glory to extend their points lead.

The second Porsche 919 Hybrid of Nick Tandy, André Lotterer and Neel Jani was just seven seconds behind at the finish, but the two Toyota TS050 Hybrids were a full lap behind.

Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim claimed GTE Pro glory in their works Aston Martin Vantage GTE. They actually finished behind Sam Bird and Davide Rigon’s Ferrari 488 GTE on the road, but took honours because the Ferrari was given a ten-second penalty for speeding during a full course yellow.

02 Porsche wec

Round-up: World Rallycross, IndyCar Series, Formula 2

-Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo) scored his fourth World Rallycross Championship victory in a row in Lohéac, France. Mattias Ekström was second in his Audi A1.

-Luca Ghiotto crossed the line first in both Formula 2 races at Monza, although he lost out on his race one win after being handed a time penalty for cutting a chicane. Antonio Fuoco inherited that victory.

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-Alexander Rossi claimed the second IndyCar Series win of his career with a commanding drive at Watkins Glen in New York State. Scott Dixon finished second, while points leader Josef Newgarden crashed exiting the pit lane. That means Dixon is now just three points behind Newgarden heading into the season finale at Sonoma, California.

01 Rossi indy

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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xxxx 4 September 2017

Ans

Yes, millions!

Thekrankis 4 September 2017

Hang on a moment...

...I will do some painting so they can all watch it dry..... 

Thekrankis 4 September 2017

Hang on a moment...

...I will do some painting so they can all watch it dry..... 

Thekrankis 4 September 2017

Hang on a moment...

...I will do some painting so they can all watch it dry..... 

Thekrankis 4 September 2017

Do people watch this boring charade any more?

Gone are the days when it was exciting and adventurous......