Has F1 ditched traditional trophies?

Earlier this week we told you that the FIA had broken its own rules by allowing trophies depicting the Santander logo to be presented to the drivers on the podium at the Italian Grand Prix. As we pointed out, Appendix 4, article 4 of the sporting regulations states that: “The trophies, which must be in the form of traditional cups.”

Monza winner hates to have a roof on his car

A little more upmarket than the Suzuki we told you about yesterday is Sebastian Vettel’s other car. The 21-year-old arrived in style to the Italian Grand Prix in his KTM X-Bow. The roofless car allows Vettel to get a bit more wear out of his F1 helmet. And it obviously puts him in a good racing mood if Monza is anything to go by. The car weighs just 790kg and accelerates to 100kph in 3.9secs.

Illicit silverware is being handed out 

It looks like it could be time for the FIA to impose a time penalty on themselves for breach of rules. The pretty hideous trophies awarded to Sebastian Vettel, Heikki Kovalainen and Robert Kubica after the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday appear to break FIA rules. And we all now the FIA is a stickler for enforcing its rules.

Appendix 4, article 4 of the sporting regulations states that: “The trophies, which must be in the form of traditional cups.” Now Gridcrasher has not been trophy shopping for a while, but last time we checked huge Santander flame logos did not constitute a traditional trophy. Lewis Hamilton picked up a similar trophy at Monza last year.

Spotted on F1Fanatic 

Briton not popular with Australian, German and Spaniard

Lewis Hamilton’s racing has come under criticism from his F1 rivals following a couple of controversial manoeuvres in the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. The McLaren driver - sporting an increasingly large chip on his shoulder - was in the spotlight once again for his on-track antics at Monza.

Surprisingly, first in the queue for a spot of Lewis-bashing was former team-mate Fernando Alonso. “There was some unnecessary movements he made and he repeated them with Glock and Webber,” the Spaniard said. “It is his way of racing.” But Alonso need not have worried about fighting Timo Glock’s battles as he was only too happy to speak out against Hamilton for himself. 

The ladies turned out en masse at the Italian

As any football fan with an appreciation of WAGs will testify, Italy is the most beautiful country on Earth. Thankfully the rain at the Italian GP didn’t keep the ladies at bay, and some of them even found time to smile while wearing stupid hats.

More pictures after the jump…

I call him… Mini-Schumi

Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel picked up a deserved debut win at Monza to become the youngest ever grand prix winner. At 21 years and 74 days, the German was 317 days younger than the previous record-holder, Fernando Alonso. The victory is the culmination of a great deal of promise shown in Vettel’s short F1 career.

Unfortunately, being a successful German racing driver brings with it the inevitable comparisons to Michael Schumacher. While Vettel is understandably reluctant to compare himself to Schumi, there is a very good chance that he will one day be picking up F1 titles like his compatriot. It is a view to which Schumacher himself subscribes.

Grid Crasher’s Monza report card

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (9th)

Salvaged some face with a late surge from 14th to 9th, but that does not hide the fact that he started one place in front of Lewis Hamilton and finished two places behind him. 6/10

Lewis struggles, young Toro Rosso star is the new rain master

Lewis Hamilton will start tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix down in 15th position, after a rain-affected qualifying session left the grid with a topsy turvy look. McLaren didn’t send their No.1 driver out at the right time, or on the right tyres - he should have been on extreme wets, not wets - and so Lewis will really have his work cut out if he’s to make the podium.

Sebastian Vettel put his Toro Rosso on pole - you’d have got brilliantly long odds on that happening before the session began - and further enhanced his rep as F1’s brightest young star. “It’s just unbelievable and incredible,” Vettel said. “I was joking with my engineers that if it was wet we’d have to go for pole position. There was so much water out there you never knew what to expect especially at Ascari, just needed to be lucky not to lose the car.”

Not only does Red Bull’s so-called junior outfit have its first pole, but Mark Webber starts third for the senior team, with Seb Bourdais in fourth for the second Toro Rosso. A great day all round for Red Bull.