OK time is up for us but as soon as anything is announced from the stewards inquiry, we will have the breaking story online.
For now, I'll point you in the direction of Andrew Benson's race report, which can be found here, and don't forget to watch the highlights on BBC One at 17:05, it is going to be well worth a watch.
What a dramatic day! See you again for Singapore in two weeks.
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Good timing...
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Di B: I'd like to know how close to an F1 race the tyre pressures are checked & if the teams have enough time to rectify an issue!
Rob: Williams weren't disqualified having different tyres on so nor should Merc. A fine would be more fitting with maybe a grid penalty.
Adam May: If Hamilton is disqualified what happens to Rosberg? Grid penalty at the next race? Race ban?
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This is a great picture of Felipe Massa. Ruddy love Felipe. Such a top bloke.
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Aidy Muttram: Interesting that teams are penalised for trying to avoid tyre blow outs. Weren't they told the tyres were 'safe' at Spa?
Benedict Salido: A breach is a breach. RIC was stripped off his podium last year. Now that it's HAM, he's exempted?
Lisa Hrabec: Why was it acceptable to take away Ricciardo's podium in Australia but unthinkable to do the same to Mercedes @ #ItalianGP
Vettel doesn't want to talk about tyres
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Sebastian Vettel, who finished second, has been asked about the investigation into Mercedes' tyre pressures by Sky Sports:
"Look, I think it's not fair that you hammer questions at the drivers because it's not directly our decision.
"This race happened, we've all been through the podium ceremony, which was fantastic. It's a bit of a shame that we've started to lose the focus of the result.
"Please, stick your microphone in someone else's face."
He wasn't angry when he said it, but still, Seb, very harsh...
Massive step in wrong direction - Rosberg
Formula 1Copyright: Formula 1
The outcome of the stewards inquiry is not of primary concern for Nico Rosberg, you would imagine, after a hugely disappointing end to his race.
He retired late on with smoke billowing out of his Mercedes, and he said: "It is a massive step in the wrong direction. I keep going. Giving up doesn't exist for me."
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Tom Boddington: Yes it's a small margin, but rules are rules and Mercedes broke them. They should be punished.
Stuart Humphrey: When were the pressures checked? If wrong why were they not told to correct?
Hamish Warnes: Feel that the FIA has to be strict when it comes to tyre regulations especially considering the recent safety concerns.
League of his own
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It was a great day for Sebastian Vettel as he secured second for Ferrari, but was also a historic one for the German.
He became the all-time leading points scorer in F1 history as he moved on to 1,796.
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Chris Hawkins: Shouldn't the team get fined rather than the driver, as it was not him who made the decision or error of pressure.
Cammy Bouse: Are people really trying to say they shouldn't be disqualified?! Especially after all the safety concerns over tyres!
Martin Wilson: Symonds being inconsistent calling for Hamilton DSQ, Williams ran mismatched tyres & no DSQ.
Shayan S: It's a shame for Hamilton but if Mercedes have broken the rules then they've got to pay the price, no question about it.
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Daily Mirror's F1 journalist Byron Young is at the post-race new conference...
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Ben Leonard: Of course Williams are calling for disqualification! Then they'll have another driver on podium and in more points!
Ed Stevens: I'm not surprised Williams are pushing for a Hamilton DSQ. That would move Bottas up to 3rd!
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Well, now we wait to find out the outcome of the stewards inquiry. At the moment, Lewis Hamilton is the Italian Grand Prix winner.
His seventh win of the season means he has 40 wins from 160 starts, compared to Ayrton Senna's 41 in 161 starts.
Hamilton leads by 53 point, he only led by this much in 2014 after winning the double-points Abu Dhabi GP.
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Andrew Ebling: Is F1 really shambolic to the point of penalising or excluding a driver over 0.3PSI of tyre pressure?
CJ Ed: If Hamilton is disqualified & Ferrari is gifted a win - in Monza!!! - smacks of conspiracy to me. Just saying.
Ben Murden: I had 26psi less than I should have in my tyres the other day. It definitely didn't make me any faster...
Tyres not reason we won - Hamilton
Here's a bit more from Lewis Hamilton's Sky interview:
"Formula 1 is about running to the bare minimum. For whatever reason today, 0.3psi - if that's what it was - 0.3psi.
"It makes no difference to the car, particularly on one tyre. I'm sure Pirelli could prove it. That's not the reason we won today.
"I don't know when any decisions will be made because I haven't spoken to anyone."
Hamilton not worried
Lewis Hamilton is talking to Sky Sports F1 right now and is asked about the tyre pressure investigation.
He says: "No need to worry. I've had an amazing weekend. What will be, will be.
"I don't know what to say about it, it's not my job. Today I've been so happy with how the car has been in the race."
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Williams head of performance Rob Smedley is now talking to Sky and agrees with his colleague Pat Symonds about the potential punishment for Mercedes:
"It's a safety issue - as far as I know, it's a disqualification."
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Hamilton should be disqualified - Symonds
Williams' chief technical officer Pat Symonds thinks Lewis Hamilton could, perhaps should, be disqualified.
He tells Sky Sports F1: "I expect quite a big penalty - a disqualification.
"It's out of my hands but I don't think it's a tough decision if the measurements are verified."
Drama in Italy
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So to sum up what happened in the last hour or so:
Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix
Both Hamilton and Rosberg under investigation by stewards for potential breach of tyre pressure regulations
Hamilton's left-rear tyre found to be 0.3psi under required mark
Rosberg's same tyre 1.1psi below
Mercedes received report from FIA at 15:04 local time, before the race had finished
Benedict Salido: @MercedesAMGF1 being really secretive only points to something they know they've done wrong and are now trying to cover it up.
Joe Ovenall: Thoroughly enjoyed the look on Vettel's face as Hamilton realised it may not have been quite such a successful day.
Mad Pauly: Hamilton's huge lead won't be so huge if he's disqualified...
Matthew Coe: Deflate-gate is hitting F1, I'm sure the New England Patriots and Tom Brady can advise Mercedes on how to escape punishment.
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Lewis Hamilton looked to be taken aback in that post-race news conference.
The one we have just seen is usually a very brief one for drivers to answer in their native language, meaning Hamilton would sit back while Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa answered.
However, Hamilton was asked outright about the alleged tyre pressure issue, causing him to raise his eyebrow in surprise.
Hamilton tyre investigation
Toto Wolff adds: "We are the first to be sure (we are safe and legal)."
Asked by Tom Clarkson about a potential penalty, he says "I've no idea what that might be."
Tom wants to know if the investigation was the reason Mercedes asked him to push in the closing laps:
"It could be one of the reasons."
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Mercedes' boss Toto Wolff has been asked by BBC F1's Tom Clarkson if they went below the minimum tyre pressure.
Wolff says: "No because we measure them with Pirelli. At the moment we have no detail what is going on."
Told by Tom that the left rear was supposedly 0.3psi below the limit, Wolff adds: "Says who?"
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Lewis Hamilton's advantage over Sebastian Vettel as he crossed the line was 25.042s. If a 25-second time penalty is applied, he would win by just 0.042s...
Post-race press conference
Race winner Lewis Hamilton is asked about an investigation into starting the race with one of his tyres 0.3psi below the minimum tyre pressure. Does he have any comment?
"Not really no. I wasn't aware of it."
Trouble ahead?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
So what is in store for Lewis Hamilton?
He was being told to push towards the end and increase his advantage over Sebastian Vettel, but was not being given a reason why.
Mercedes are under investigation for running illegal tyre pressures in the race, and it would seem they were trying to get Hamilton to build a lead of more than 25 seconds in case of a penalty for the tyre pressure, which was 0.3psi lower than the minimum amount specified by Pirelli on safety grounds.
Hamilton is now facing a question about it in the post-race news conference...
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Rob Carnell: Would be better if Darth Vader did the interview. Just saying....
Scott Wiseman: I bet Lewis had to build that gap incase of a time penalty if they get one over tyre pressures
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Do you think George Lucas hears Star Wars puns everywhere he goes?
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George Lucas asks Hamilton "do blondes have more fun?"
Lewis laughs but then turns to the crowd and says "thank you everyone".
And that's a wrap!
One of the more bizarre podium interviews we've seen.
Celebrations done, but now Hamilton's focus goes to stewards inquest. Intrigue ahead...
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Third-place Felipe Massa: "It feels very tough, the last three laps of the race I was fighting with my team-mate but I'm very happy."
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Sebastian Vettel plays it up to the crowd by speaking in Italian for his podium interview. "Grazi" he shouts enthusiastically. Now it's Felipe Massa's turn.
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George is now bowing to Lewis Hamilton for winning by over 20 seconds.
Hamilton said: "This team is just remarkable. I'm incredibly grateful to them. They've done a great job all year."
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DUM DUM DER DUM DUM DE DUM (That's the tune from Star Wars, if you were wondering).
The man to conduct the podium interviews is Star Wars director George Lucas.
"Happy New Year," he shouts through the microphone.
Okaaaaayyy...
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The grid is just a sea of red after fans were let on to the track to celebrate and huge cheers go up as Sebastian Vettel's name is said over the speaker system. He has had the boos in the past, but is lapping up the love right now.
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Lewis Hamilton, cap off, races on to the podium, showing off his bright blond hair. Back-to-back race wins at Monza for Hamilton, and boos rings out from the Tifosi, they wanted to see a Ferrari man on the top step.
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Does this explain why Hamilton had to push?
Could there be a time penalty in the offing for the race winner?
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Big advantage over Rosberg
Lewis Hamilton's advantage over Nico Rosberg in the drivers' championship is now 53 points - two race wins.
Is this the turning point in the title race?
Team radio
Williams' Felipe Massa after holding off team-mate Valtteri Bottas to finish third: "Well done guys. I'm getting too old for that!"
1) Hamilton 2) Vettel 3) Massa 4) Bottas 5) Raikkonen 6) Perez 7) Hulkenberg 8) Ricciardo 9) Ericsson 10) Kvyat
Team radio - Hamilton not happy
Enginner to race winner Lewis Hamilton: "Well done, Lewis. We'll explain all when you get back."
Hamilton replied: "Those last few laps were not cool, man."
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Phew, drama at the end but Lewis Hamilton brings it home. Sebastian Vettel finishes second, much to delight of the home fans, while Felipe Massa does enough to sneak third.
As result of Nico Rosberg's retirement, Felipe Massa is third, but Valtteri Bottas wants that podium place. These two are fighting!
Team radio
Engineer to Lewis Hamilton: "Just keep doing what you're doing - no need to take any risks."
Hamilton replied: "Picking up the pace to where I was was taking risks."
LAST LAP
The retirement of his team-mate is of no concern just now for Lewis Hamilton, after he was urged to push by his team. However his advantage over Sebastian Vettel is up to 25 seconds after he was urged to go flat out. Surely he has this in the bag?
Yellow flag
My word! There we are thinking there is trouble for Lewis Hamilton but disaster for Nico Rosberg, smoke pours out of the back of his Mercedes and he comes to a stop. That is it, race over for Rosberg!
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Fernando Alonso had been closing in on Jenson Button, but pushing too hard? He pits, gets out of his car and that is the end of his race.
Team radio
Lewis Hamilton: "I've not got a lot more pace in me. What do I need to do?"
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Henry Banye: So we can confirm this new Merc engine is half a sec faster than the upgraded Ferrari. Championship over.
Stuart Edward-Jenks: When was the last time a driver won the champ in a car not considered the dominant car of the season?
Trouble for Hamilton.
Another message for Lewis Hamilton.
"We need some good lap times now Lewis, no need to ask questions," he is told. "We will explain it at the end."
Some late drama on the cards? Four laps to go...
Team radio - trouble for Hamilton?
Engineer to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton: "Okay, we're going to go strap-mode three. Don't ask questions. Just execute."
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Camera shots of some pretty concerned faces in the Mercedes garage.
"We need to pull the gap," Lewis Hamilton is told over team radio. "Don't ask questions."
Another pit stop coming for the leader?
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Kimi Raikkonen is still seventh but has brought that gap down between himself and Sergio Perez to one second.
Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg looks to be safely on the podium, with Felipe Massa 13 seconds behind. He wants that second place, though, but their lap times a pretty similar.
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Oooh that gap is getting smaller between Sebastian Vettel, in second, and Nico Rosberg, in third. Down to three seconds with nine laps to go.
Can Rosberg catch him? Ferrari fans are creeping towards the edge of their seats.
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Jenson Button is back where he started after a spell in the top 10 earlier in the race. He is currently lapping in 15th, with Fernando Alonso one place behind him.
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Nico Hulkenberg is not happy.
"I'm telling you something is not working at the back," he tells Force India over team radio. "It reminds me of the last year - no traction, no grip, nothing."
Hulkenberg is holding on to eighth but Marcus Ericsson is 0.7s behind him.
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Peter Wanyonyi: Virtuoso performance this summer by @LewisHamilton. Scarily for his rivals, he will get even better next season. Total dominance!
Martijn Kosters: This race needs more Maldonado.
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Where's Kimi Raikkonen?
The Finn's Ferrari is seventh, four seconds behind Sergio Perez but he is chipping away at that advantage.
Team radio
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Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (currently second) as he approaches Sauber's Felipe Nasr: "Come on now, blue flag."
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Max Verstappen is an absolute joy to watch at times and he has the Toro Rosso garage applauding with a fine pass on Felipe Nasr at the first chicane. Verstappen is up to 13th.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton is keeping himself interested by going 0.9 seconds faster than anybody else out there."
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A new fastest lap for Lewis Hamilton - 1:26.890. He is surely coasting towards victory here.
Meanwhile, Williams are on course for some good points with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas fourth and fifth respectively.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
"It doesn't seem like Rosberg is making big headway into the gap to Vettel (4.9 seconds). It does seem to me that Vettel has enough in hand right now."
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How's it looking for a potential Mercedes one-two?
Nico Rosberg is third, 4,9s behind Sebastian Vettel with 17 laps remaining.
"We think P2 is still possible, just need to look after the brakes and attack when [Vettel's] tyres have gone off," Rosberg is told over team radio.
Team radio
Engineer to Force India's Nico Hulkenberg (currently seventh): "At the moment, lap times and tyre deg are all pointing to the one-stop."
And the rest after 32 laps
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Top 10 after 32 laps
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Sainz the 'animal'?
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"For all Lewis Hamilton fans, this is a beautiful thing. Is he at the top of his game? It's difficult to imagine he could climb any higher."
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A different strategy in play at Red Bull as both Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat take on softs.
Ricciardo is out in 10th, with Kvyat 12th.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes is getting smaller as far as the rest of the field are concerned, his advantage now 19 seconds. Faultless from the Brit so far.
Close!
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Reece Young: Has Hamilton dominated a race more than he is today? Perfection so far.
Vertically Challenged: Rosberg may be a good driver, but to become a great driver you have to learn to pass on track and pass well.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Roberto Merhi was already locking up and completely caught out by Kimi slowing down as he entered the pit-lane. How close was that?"
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Yowzer!!
Close, close shave for Kimi Raikkonen. He is called in but is almost struck by Roberto Merhi behind him, the later hitting the brakes hard to avoid impact.
The pit stop proves a smooth one after that drama and Raikkonen is back out in 10th, with medium tyres bolted on.
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Nico Rosberg is rearing up and ready to pounce on Kimi Raikkonen. Rosberg is on the fresher tyres, so if he gets this right he should be able to pass without any drama.
Rosberg fancies it on the pit straight and breezes past.
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Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Hamilton is having a breeze of it - no challenge whatsoever."
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A 2.7s stop sees Lewis Hamilton back out and comfortably in front again with medium tyres on his Mercedes.
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Sebastian Vettel pits, takes on mediums and is out in 2.4s to retain second place ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
"OK Lewis, box," Lewis Hamilton is then told over team radio.
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Khan: If Hamilton wins then Rosberg is gonna have to go onto a crazy winning run to get momentum.
Reece Young: Has Rosberg ever made a pass on track? Seems to always rely on the undercut.
Mark Heath: Another strategy error from Williams?
Douglas D P Townsend: Well @McLarenF1 might as well be powered by Mario's ice cream van. Clearly on a par with the #Honda
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Both Red Bulls are in to the top 10, with Daniel Ricciardo eighth and Daniil Kvyat ninth.
Ricciardo, though, is closing on Sergio Perez...and passes him to climb up to seventh.
Up ahead, Lewis Hamilton's advantage is now up to 15 seconds, but Sebastian Vettel is about to pit...
Mercedes happy as Rosberg undercuts both Williams
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ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Lewis Hamilton might be losing some grip but he is being kept out for now. He has told over team radio that he is matching Nico Rosberg's lap times, despite the latter being on fresh medium tyres.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"I'm not sure the reason for Williams to stay out longer with Valtteri."
Team radio
Race leader Lewis Hamilton: "I'm losing grip on the front-left. I've got some understeer."
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Valtteri Bottas is coming in now for his first pit stop. A nervy moment for the Williams team after mixing up compounds at Belgium last time out, but all good as mediums are bolted on without any bother and he is back out in seventh.
Top 10 after 20 laps
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Rosberg was able to go purple and purple in the second and last section and that was how he was able to get the undercut (on Massa)."
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Felipe Massa pits from third for mediums but re-emerges behind Nico Rosberg and is currently eighth.
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Shohidur Rahman: When Button can't get past Verstappen even with DRS you know the Honda engine is rubbish.
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Nico Rosberg makes a first, and potentially only, pit stop. He is in to have softs swapped for mediums and is back out in sixth.
Definitely not Lotus's day
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Up front and Lewis Hamilton increases his advantage further and now leads Sebastian Vettel by almost 10 seconds.
"Starting to lose the rears a bit," says Vettel over team radio.
hamiltonCopyright: hamilton
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Sean Richardson: Beautiful defensive driving by @ValtteriBottas. Great stuff.
William Lloyd: C'mon Bottas!!
Aled Midha: I'd get so excited if Bottas did one of his trademark round-the-outside overtakes on the parabolica
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It's been a feature of his career that in wheel-to-wheel combat, Nico Rosberg has been slightly hesitant while Lewis Hamilton has been Senna-esque."
Bottas & Rosberg battle
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A bit of racing for Jenson Button as Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso moves past the McLaren, but Button attempts to bite back.
"Brace yourself, we might see a McLaren overtake here," says David Coulthard.
Sadly, we don't as Verstappen holds him off at the first chicane.
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Uh oh, something wrong with Nico Hulkenberg's Force India?
"I hear a strange noise - maybe something on the exhaust," he says over team radio.
Hulkenberg is currently seventh.
Team radio
Mercedes' engineer to Nico Rosberg: "Nico just be aware - brakes are very hot, brakes are hot."
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Nico Rosberg, who looked to have been hampered by Kimi Raikkonen's failure to get away at the start, is trying to claw back positions.
He is eyeing a move on Valtteri Bottas' Williams - which is fourth - and has a go through Curva Grande, but can't complete the pass.
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Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter
Quote Message: That is Pastor Maldonado's eighth retirement of the season so far
That is Pastor Maldonado's eighth retirement of the season so far
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Carlos Sainz is given a five-second penalty after leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He decides to get it served now and pits, locking up as he does so, before rejoining in 18th.
Max Verstappen, who has served his drive-through penalty, is now up to 13th.
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Malcolm Porter: Pastor Maldonado still stubbornly defying the rule that the more you do something the better you get…
LH44 Pogba: @nico_rosberg still behind the Williams.... That's what happens when you sell your engines to a competitor.
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GetCopyright: Get
It is looking like another Italian Grand Prix will be won from pole as Lewis Hamilton increases his advantage to six seconds with 11 laps completed.
Frustrating for Jenson Button as his McLaren is lapping three seconds slower than the rest of the field. Daniil Kvyat is the next driver to swoop on by and Button is down to 13th.
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Maldonado in contact shocker
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It's a sorry state of affairs, Jenson doing everything he can but unquestionably the Honda power unit the worst out there."
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Jensnon Button's brief foray into the points places is over, at least for now, as Carlos Sainz and then Daniel Ricciardo get past the McLaren. Button is now down to 12th.
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Kimi Raikkonen is trying to climb back up the field after that shocker of a start and he passes Carlos Sainz at the first chicane to move into 10th. He is more than 20 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. Plenty to do.
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Bernie Austin: Did the Iceman melt under pressure?
Adam: Terrible luck for @Lotus_F1Team they looked good for some points today.
Anthony Hueston: Kimi caught taking a nap on the grid.
Welsh Racer: oh Kimi *facepalm*
Hamilton builds advantage
Lewis Hamilton is 2.7 seconds down the road from Sebastian Vettel after five laps. All Ferrari's hopes are now pinned on the German in his first race at Monza for the team.
Fast-starting Button
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"McLaren-Honda are definitely lacking straight-line speed and it's going to be tough for Jenson Button to stay where he is right now (ninth)."
Button on the move
There is movement in midfield too with Jenson Button up into the points. From 15th he is up to ninth, with Carlos Sainz behind him.
Grosjean & Maldonado out
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"After the delight of the podium finish in Belgium, misery for Lotus here at Monza."
Bad day for Lotus
All over before it really started for Lotus. Romain Grosjean pulls over to the side of track and is out of his Lotus while Pastor Maldonado has also retired.
Rosberg drops down
What's happened here? Nico Rosberg, for the fourth race in row, did not get away well at all and he is down in sixth.
Lewis Hamilton leads from Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Raikkonen, it looked like he went into anti-stall. The car didn't move as the lights went out."
Go! Go! Go!
LIGHTS OUT! Disastrous start for Kimi Raikkonen, the car doesn't move as the lights go out and he drops right to the back of the field as he finally gets under way.
Lewis Hamilton holds the lead into the first corner, with Sebastian Vettel behind him.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Ferrari have clearly done a strategy to help Raikkonen over Vettel in qualifying. How is that going to play out in the long run to the first corner?"
THE GRID
One final reminder of how the grid lines up:
1) Hamilton 2) Raikkonen 3) Vettel 4) Rosberg 5) Massa 6) Bottas 7) Perez, 8) Grosjean 9) Hulkenberg 10) Maldonado
11) Nasr 12) Ericsson 13) Stevens 14) Merhi 15) Button 16) Alonso 17) Sainz, 18) Kvyat 19) Ricciardo 20) Verstappen
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Lewis Hamilton leads the field off on the formation lap. Here we go then...
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Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
BBCCopyright: BBC
Quote Message: Mercedes might be leading the world championship and in dominant fashion but they are not letting off in terms of developments. They have brought a new rear wing. We saw in Spa they had already developed this new system with a big swoop and that allows a better airflow and a better efficiency of downforce. However, at Monza it is more important for straight-line speed so they have made that whole top section smaller. That allows them to have an even higher top speed but still have that important downforce level.
Mercedes might be leading the world championship and in dominant fashion but they are not letting off in terms of developments. They have brought a new rear wing. We saw in Spa they had already developed this new system with a big swoop and that allows a better airflow and a better efficiency of downforce. However, at Monza it is more important for straight-line speed so they have made that whole top section smaller. That allows them to have an even higher top speed but still have that important downforce level.
Watch the full video as Allan McNish explains how F1 teams get extra speed in Italy here.
'Always a first-corner incident'
Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
"Lewis Hamilton is going to have to work for it. He is going to have to really focus on the start. It's quite a long run but it's also a tight one and there is always an incident."
“Some strategy chat for you. This should be a one-stop race, but it’s not easy to make the tyres go that far so there will be some management to be done - and the higher the track temperature the harder it gets. Two stops is not attractive at least partly because the total time loss for a pit stop is one of the highest of the season at 25 seconds or so, because of the length of the pit straight and the speed the cars go down it.
"But if there is a safety car, a two-stop becomes more attractive because the time loss for a stop is greatly reduced. Mercedes are expecting a strong challenge from Ferrari, whether or not Lewis Hamilton gets away in front.
"And there will be plenty of nerves in the garage over whether Hamilton’s engine will last the race.”
Who will have the force today?
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Star Wars director George Lucas is a guest of the Mercedes team today and has just been chatting to Radio 5 live's Jennie Gow, telling her: "It's very fascinating and very intense. There have been some great races this year and real drama. It's going to be a great race today - these guys are not going to pussy-foot around at all."
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Kristine Kirby: The penalties are so silly now - 50 grid spots - some cars should technically be starting at the Italian-Swiss border.
Yuri: Good luck to everyone at the #ItalianGP Will definitely be supporting my Brazilian @MassaFelipe19
Mat Page: Surely the wouldn't take Monza off the #F1 circuit after 2016
The standings - constructors
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...and the constructors' championship.
The standings - drivers
Formula 1Copyright: Formula 1
Almost race time. Here's a quick look at the drivers' championship...
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LH44 Pogba: The all important start at Monza. History favours #P1, but the new start regulation leaves all fingers crossed.
Andrew Priestley: Kimi Raikkonen has nothing to lose in the World Championship standings, so he will be super aggressive into turn one. Lewis beware.
Robert Muir: Italian blue skies, smell of coffee and high octane in the air, Matt Monroe on the iPod and a Ferrari 1,2.
“The grid at Monza was not, let’s say, the most surprising line-up, at least at the front - Mercedes and Ferrari locking out the front two rows, and Williams on the third. Behind them, the Mercedes customer cars of Force India and Lotus were led by Sergio Perez’s Force India.
“At Lotus there was a nice little story behind Romain Grosjean taking eighth. Arriving at the track on Saturday morning after an overnight thunderstorm, the team found their tyre blankets water-logged, and only three sets working - with six needed for qualifying. To the rescue came Ferrari, Sauber and Toro Rosso. Ferrari - whose technical director James Allison is good friends with Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane - even went beyond the call of duty, taking one of their own sets of tyres out of blankets to ensure Lotus had everything they needed. Permane was overwhelmed by the generosity of his rivals - especially as Toro Rosso and Sauber are Lotus’s direct rivals in the constructors’ championship. ‘I am humbled,’ he said. ‘I can’t thank them enough.’”
Is the result written in the sky?
A rousing rendition of the Italian national anthem gets the home fans going, while coloured smoke from an air display fills the sky above. Superb atmosphere at Monza as the start of the race approaches.
A podium finish would be special - Vettel
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (third on the grid), racing at Monza as a 'home' driver for the first time, said: "This year, finally, I'm in the right colours.
"I can't make any promises but we will push as hard as we can. Today it would be very, very special to be on the podium."
What the papers say
The Sunday Times say that Ferrari are 'back with a bang' after qualifying second and third, ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. It contrasts their performance with the 'cull of managerial and technical staff' that occurred this time last year as they failed to finish on the podium during 2014.
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A first for Vettel?
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Passionate Ferrari fans celebrate Michael Schumacher's win in 1996Image caption: Passionate Ferrari fans celebrate Michael Schumacher's win in 1996
Sebastian Vettel is also looking emulate the likes of Michael Schumacher (1996) and Fernando Alonso (2010) in winning on his first appearance at Monza for Ferrari.
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Sebastian Vettel has won two of the last four races in Italy, with Lewis Hamilton winning the other two.
"How the mighty have fallen. By size, budget, ambition and reputation, McLaren and Red Bull ought to be competing with Mercedes and Ferrari at the front of the grid. But the failures of engine partners Honda and Renault to come to terms with the new hybrid formula mean they line up at the back today, along with Toro Rosso compiling a total of 168 grid places in penalties.
"It is a going to be a long afternoon for both teams - especially the McLaren drivers who can realistically expect to make no progress, so down on power is the Honda engine compared to everything else.”
We can only go forwards - Ricciardo
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo (19th on the grid after engine penalties): "We can only go forwards from where we are. If it gets boring at any point, I can have a look and see some crazy fans doing crazy things."
Ricciardo, smiling as always. What a champ.
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Angela: This will be a exciting start
B: The F1 penalties this weekend are ridiculous #notcricket
Jeremiah Kariuki: Putting my wager on Lewis winning, Kimi second and Massa having a good race to take 3rd! Expecting a good start by Williams.
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Max Verstappen also has a drive-through penalty to serve early on after his car was released in an unsafe condition during qualifying.
All in all not a great weekend so far for the young rookie.
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The pit lane is open and the cars head on out to the grid. Max Verstappen reports that his seat is moving around again, after finding it a bit loose in practice also.
Terrible idea to ditch Monza - Button
McLaren's Jenson Button (15th on the grid) describes Monza as "a great place to drive" because "the Tifosi are always massively supportive, there is so much history and passion here".
Referring to the doubts surrounding the future of the race, Button describes any suggestions of Formula 1 not coming to Monza as "a terrible idea".
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Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi is at Monza today and met Bernie Ecclestone earlier.
I wonder if the future of the Italian Grand Prix was discussed, with no deal in place for Monza to hold the race from beyond 2016.
Bottas targeting podium
Williams' Valtteri Bottas, who starts is optimistic of a good result today: "I think we will be stronger in the race than in qualifying so it should be good fun. We can finish on the podium."
The need for speed
Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
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Quote Message: Williams have effectively reduced the whole size of the chord of the rear wing, making it much smaller. That means they have a higher top speed but it takes away quite a lot of the downforce. They have sacrificed a lot of the cornering stability for the straight-line acceleration."
Williams have effectively reduced the whole size of the chord of the rear wing, making it much smaller. That means they have a higher top speed but it takes away quite a lot of the downforce. They have sacrificed a lot of the cornering stability for the straight-line acceleration."
Watch the full video as Allan McNish explains how F1 teams get extra speed in Italy here.
Massa jnr supporting Ferrari?
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There was an amusing moment in Saturday's BBC qualifying show involving Felipe Massa, who lines up fifth on the grid in the Williams today.
The Brazilian had his young son alongside him, who was clutching a little toy Ferrari car.
"It is not even me, it is Alonso," said Massa, who left Ferrari to join Williams in 2013.
Barca's Alves backing Massa
F1 stats and a fact about a hats
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By some distance, Ferrari have won more races than any other team at Monza with 18 triumphs.
There's more stats like that, plus why Monza's industrial centre might be of interest to Lewis Hamilton, here.
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I've just seen a flash of tartan trousers walking through the paddock. It can only be the one and only Sir Jackie Stewart.
The Scot is at the scene of his first-ever win in Formula 1, having secured victory at the Italian Grand Prix 50 years ago.
What the papers say
TheSun on Sunday describe Hamilton as 'Hair to the throne' and say he was 'in seventh heaven' after taking pole position but they have some harsh words for Honda, as the McLarens continue to struggle. They say: 'There are simply no excuses for their continued failure, especially given that they are spending around £300m a year.'
The Sun on SundayCopyright: The Sun on Sunday
What the papers say
Plenty of puns on Lewis Hamilton's new hairstyle in the Sunday papers. Describing the Briton as a 'Blond Bombshell', the Sunday Mirror says Mercedes will be taking 'a massive gamble' by keeping the new specification engine in Hamilton's car after a problem with was discovered with Nico Rosberg's. The Mirror say: 'Mercedes boffins now fear the world champion's all-conquering power plant may go the same way in a race run mostly at a staggering 220mph.'
“Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were rampant two weeks ago in Belgium, and Ferrari had to risk a one-stop strategy in an attempt to turn a likely fifth or sixth place into a podium, a gamble which ended in the spectacular tyre blow-out experienced by Sebastian Vettel.
"One race on, though, and Ferrari are an altogether more serious force on home ground, second and third on the grid and only 0.2secs from Hamilton, thanks to an engine upgrade. ‘They have obviously made an improvement,’ Hamilton said. ‘They have definitely made a step with their engine for qually. I still think the gap can be bigger.
"It’s great to see them making a step forward and giving us a run for our money.’ Was he expecting a stronger challenge from Ferrari in the race? ‘I’m expecting it, but the engineers I don’t believe are.’”
Hamilton 'doesn't think about records'
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A very rock and roll arrival to the circuit for Lewis Hamilton, who closed in on another record with pole yesterday.
He is now one behind Ayrton Senna's total of eight consecutive pole positions, and Hamilton said: "I never really think about the records. It's not really fair on Ayrton - he was so good that if he had lived beyond his passing... while I am getting close in terms of numbers, they are not really real."
Monza memories
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Giuseppe Farina was the winner of the first-ever Formula 1 race back in 1950 and also the maiden Italian Grand Prix that same year. Today's race is the the 65th at Monza.
Engine not to blame - Rosberg
Speaking in the drivers' parade, Nico Rosberg says Mercedes have discovered the nature of the problem that led to his engine change for qualifying and it is not related to the power unit.
The German revealed: "It was a chassis component. We have sorted it out but today it's still a compromise because we are using the old engine. It's done six races so the engine loses power."
On your marks...
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The start is going to be crucial for Nico Rosberg.
Lining up fourth on the grid, he cannot afford to lose any positions early on, which means he needs to improve on his recent race starts.
Rosberg has lost positions on the first lap of the last three races in a row.
“There was a tough break for Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson after qualifying. The Swede continued his strong recent form with a very impressive 10th place on the grid, but he was penalised three places for impeding Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
"The offence was clear, and Ericsson held his hands up. It turns out that his engineer had told him he did not need to look in his mirrors as there was no-one behind him on a flying lap, so he was focusing on maintaining the right gap to the Ferraris in front of him. But the engineer had misread the situation. He apologised and admitted his mistake, but by then it was too late.”
THE GRID
1) Hamilton 2) Raikkonen 3) Vettel 4) Rosberg 5) Massa 6) Bottas 7) Perez, 8) Grosjean 9) Hulkenberg 10) Maldonado
11) Nasr 12) Ericsson 13) Stevens 14) Merhi 15) Button 16) Alonso 17) Sainz, 18) Kvyat 19) Ricciardo 20) Verstappen
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Jenson Button was asked about only accumulating five grid-place penalty.
"A good day," he joked.
Lay of the land after 168 grid-place penalties
Right, as is increasingly the norm these days, there are a fair few grid-place penalties to be applied that changes the order slightly from yesterday's qualifying.
Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen is set to start at the back after failing to progress to Q2 for the first time in his career and picking up a 20-place grid penalty for changing two power unit components.
Daniel Ricciardo is also on the back row after accumulating a total of 50 grid-place penalties, while his Red Bull team-mate Daniil Kvyat is set to line up in 18th after a 35-pace grid drop.
Just ahead of Kvyat is Carlos Sainz after also incurring a 35-place penalty, with McLaren's Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso starting 15th and 16th after being penalised for changing power unit elements.
Finally, Marcus Ericsson is down to 12th from 10th after being found to have impeded Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying.
Phew.
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Something tells me Fernando Alonso is going to struggle to make it seven podiums at Monza, but stranger things have happened.
“Another dismal qualifying for McLaren and Honda led to a grilling for F1 boss Yasuhisa Arai at McLaren’s news conference later on Saturday.
"Arai had been quoted after the Belgian Grand Prix claiming that the internal combustion element of Honda’s engine was about 25bhp up on Renault’s - a figure with which not many other engineers in the paddock would concur. Arai finally admitted what has been an open secret for a while - that deployment of hybrid energy is Honda’s biggest problem.
"In other words, the boost of 160-180bhp provided by the hybrid system simply runs out partway down the straight. It was was left to Fernando Alonso to say precisely what that means for the team. ‘There are so many areas we need to improve,’ the Spaniard said, ‘but on a circuit that has six corners and on the GPS, we lose two or three tenths in those corners. The rest of the three seconds, we need to find on the straights."
Contrasting fortunes
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This is a landmark race for Lewis Hamilton, with it being his 50th as a Mercedes driver.
Since joining the team in 2013, Hamilton has won 18 races and stood on the podium 30 times. In contrast McLaren - the team he left - have scored two podiums, both coming at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.
Fair to say that move has worked out well for Hamilton.
Remembering Justin Wilson
Ferrari making huge strides?
David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
Quote Message: I had a chance to talk to some of Mercedes' representatives. The engine that came out of Nico Rosberg's is said to be about three tenths of a second slower than the upgraded engine Lewis Hamilton has. That would suggest if they didn't have the upgrades Ferrari have made a huge turnaround since Spa where they were over a second off pole.
I had a chance to talk to some of Mercedes' representatives. The engine that came out of Nico Rosberg's is said to be about three tenths of a second slower than the upgraded engine Lewis Hamilton has. That would suggest if they didn't have the upgrades Ferrari have made a huge turnaround since Spa where they were over a second off pole.
"There is every reason to believe the Italian Grand Prix will not be the Lewis Hamilton cakewalk you might expect from seeing him on pole position. Quite apart from the uncertainty over the start, there is the fact that Mercedes face a renewed challenge from Ferrari courtesy of a significant engine upgrade for the red cars, and there are question marks about the reliability of the modified engine in Hamilton’s car after team-mate Nico Rosberg’s needed to be replaced ahead of qualifying.
"Hamilton said afterwards he had ‘no concerns’. Rosberg’s problem was a leak in the cooling system which contaminated the power-unit. Hamilton’s engine has been studied and Mercedes believe it has not problems. But it is fair to say there will probably be some crossed fingers in the Mercedes pit during the race.”
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Who will win?
Do you think Ferrari can pull something out of the bag and secure victory in front of their fans? Or is Lewis Hamilton destined to storm to a seventh win of the season?
Let us know how you see this race going via #bbcf1, text in on 81111 (UK only) and have your say on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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A touching moment as Formula 1 paid its respects to Justin Wilson, the British ex-F1 driver who died last month after suffering a serious head injury in an IndyCar 500 race.
Coming up
The drivers are waving to the fans on the truck for the drivers parade at the moment, blue skies and bright sunshine above them.
The race gets under way at 13:00 BST, with 5 live commentary starting at 12:30 BST.
Highlights of the race will be on BBC One at 17:05 BST.
“Kimi Raikkonen was as surprised as anyone to see himself on the front row. ‘It’s been a while,’ he said. ‘Eight, 10 years, probably.’ Not quite that long, Kimi. In fact, the last time was China 2013, two and a half years ago.
"‘We probably surprised ourselves a little bit,’ the Finn said, one corner of his mouth briefly flickering upwards into an almost-smile. What did it mean for him? ‘It’s nice to get it right once in a while,’ he said, referring to his troubles with qualifying that for a while this year looked as if they might cost him his place in F1.
"‘I’m very happy, obviously but, you know, the biggest thing is that much less troubles in the first corner if you make a normal start.’”
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Quote Message: "Where we are on the grid is the minimum we could do for the Ferrari supporters. I could hear them pushing us in qualifying, they were like 10 engine tokens for us. We look forward to the race." from Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene
"Where we are on the grid is the minimum we could do for the Ferrari supporters. I could hear them pushing us in qualifying, they were like 10 engine tokens for us. We look forward to the race."
"Lewis Hamilton won himself a hundred or so more Italian fans on his way into Monza this morning.
"Hamilton arrived into the track’s chaotic crossroads entry blockage, where the paddock road meets the way to the car parks. On an MV Agusta Brutale Dragster motorbike (look it up), in matte black helmet with mirror visor, white, designer-ripped jeans, Mercedes T-shirt, tattooed arms on show, Hamilton produced clouds of tyre smoke with a burn-out to raucous cheers and then spent several minutes signing autographs. Quite a way to announce an arrival.
"Will those same fans be cheering him as he waves from the top step of Monza’s iconic rostrum later? That might not be such a sure thing as you would think...”
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Hello! Welcome to our coverage of the Italian Grand Prix.
Back in 1988, only one race in that season was won by a team other than McLaren - the Italian Grand Prix.
It did not prevent Ayrton Senna going on from claiming a first world title, but it was a significant and emotional win for Ferrari, coming soon after the death of the team's founder, Enzo Ferrari.
The team has recorded eight wins at Monza since that race, but none since 2010. Can either Kimi Raikkonen or Sebastian Vettel, starting from second and third respectively, end a five-year wait?
Fortune to favour Ferrari?
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"Senna spins! Into the lead goes Berger and into second goes Alboreto. What a fantastic situation!"
Those were a stunned Murray Walker's words as Ayrton Senna retired late in the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, allowing Ferrari to go on and score a one-two.
Lewis Hamilton, like Senna back then, has been the dominant driver this season and will be expected to record victory at Monza, where he starts on pole.
But maybe, just like that race 27 years ago, there is a twist in the tale of this year's Italian Grand Prix to come.
Live Reporting
Gary Rose
All times stated are UK
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images - Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix
- Both Hamilton and Rosberg under investigation by stewards for potential breach of tyre pressure regulations
- Hamilton's left-rear tyre found to be 0.3psi under required mark
- Rosberg's same tyre 1.1psi below
- Mercedes received report from FIA at 15:04 local time, before the race had finished
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Passionate Ferrari fans celebrate Michael Schumacher's win in 1996Image caption: Passionate Ferrari fans celebrate Michael Schumacher's win in 1996 
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Latest PostPost update
OK time is up for us but as soon as anything is announced from the stewards inquiry, we will have the breaking story online.
For now, I'll point you in the direction of Andrew Benson's race report, which can be found here, and don't forget to watch the highlights on BBC One at 17:05, it is going to be well worth a watch.
What a dramatic day! See you again for Singapore in two weeks.
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Good timing...
Get involved #bbcf1
Di B: I'd like to know how close to an F1 race the tyre pressures are checked & if the teams have enough time to rectify an issue!
Rob: Williams weren't disqualified having different tyres on so nor should Merc. A fine would be more fitting with maybe a grid penalty.
Adam May: If Hamilton is disqualified what happens to Rosberg? Grid penalty at the next race? Race ban?
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This is a great picture of Felipe Massa. Ruddy love Felipe. Such a top bloke.
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Aidy Muttram: Interesting that teams are penalised for trying to avoid tyre blow outs. Weren't they told the tyres were 'safe' at Spa?
Benedict Salido: A breach is a breach. RIC was stripped off his podium last year. Now that it's HAM, he's exempted?
Lisa Hrabec: Why was it acceptable to take away Ricciardo's podium in Australia but unthinkable to do the same to Mercedes @ #ItalianGP
Vettel doesn't want to talk about tyres
Sebastian Vettel, who finished second, has been asked about the investigation into Mercedes' tyre pressures by Sky Sports:
"Look, I think it's not fair that you hammer questions at the drivers because it's not directly our decision.
"This race happened, we've all been through the podium ceremony, which was fantastic. It's a bit of a shame that we've started to lose the focus of the result.
"Please, stick your microphone in someone else's face."
He wasn't angry when he said it, but still, Seb, very harsh...
Massive step in wrong direction - Rosberg
The outcome of the stewards inquiry is not of primary concern for Nico Rosberg, you would imagine, after a hugely disappointing end to his race.
He retired late on with smoke billowing out of his Mercedes, and he said: "It is a massive step in the wrong direction. I keep going. Giving up doesn't exist for me."
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Tom Boddington: Yes it's a small margin, but rules are rules and Mercedes broke them. They should be punished.
Stuart Humphrey: When were the pressures checked? If wrong why were they not told to correct?
Hamish Warnes: Feel that the FIA has to be strict when it comes to tyre regulations especially considering the recent safety concerns.
League of his own
It was a great day for Sebastian Vettel as he secured second for Ferrari, but was also a historic one for the German.
He became the all-time leading points scorer in F1 history as he moved on to 1,796.
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Chris Hawkins: Shouldn't the team get fined rather than the driver, as it was not him who made the decision or error of pressure.
Cammy Bouse: Are people really trying to say they shouldn't be disqualified?! Especially after all the safety concerns over tyres!
Martin Wilson: Symonds being inconsistent calling for Hamilton DSQ, Williams ran mismatched tyres & no DSQ.
Shayan S: It's a shame for Hamilton but if Mercedes have broken the rules then they've got to pay the price, no question about it.
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Daily Mirror's F1 journalist Byron Young is at the post-race new conference...
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Ben Leonard: Of course Williams are calling for disqualification! Then they'll have another driver on podium and in more points!
Ed Stevens: I'm not surprised Williams are pushing for a Hamilton DSQ. That would move Bottas up to 3rd!
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Well, now we wait to find out the outcome of the stewards inquiry. At the moment, Lewis Hamilton is the Italian Grand Prix winner.
His seventh win of the season means he has 40 wins from 160 starts, compared to Ayrton Senna's 41 in 161 starts.
Hamilton leads by 53 point, he only led by this much in 2014 after winning the double-points Abu Dhabi GP.
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Andrew Ebling: Is F1 really shambolic to the point of penalising or excluding a driver over 0.3PSI of tyre pressure?
CJ Ed: If Hamilton is disqualified & Ferrari is gifted a win - in Monza!!! - smacks of conspiracy to me. Just saying.
Ben Murden: I had 26psi less than I should have in my tyres the other day. It definitely didn't make me any faster...
Tyres not reason we won - Hamilton
Here's a bit more from Lewis Hamilton's Sky interview:
"Formula 1 is about running to the bare minimum. For whatever reason today, 0.3psi - if that's what it was - 0.3psi.
"It makes no difference to the car, particularly on one tyre. I'm sure Pirelli could prove it. That's not the reason we won today.
"I don't know when any decisions will be made because I haven't spoken to anyone."
Hamilton not worried
Lewis Hamilton is talking to Sky Sports F1 right now and is asked about the tyre pressure investigation.
He says: "No need to worry. I've had an amazing weekend. What will be, will be.
"I don't know what to say about it, it's not my job. Today I've been so happy with how the car has been in the race."
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Williams head of performance Rob Smedley is now talking to Sky and agrees with his colleague Pat Symonds about the potential punishment for Mercedes:
"It's a safety issue - as far as I know, it's a disqualification."
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Hamilton should be disqualified - Symonds
Williams' chief technical officer Pat Symonds thinks Lewis Hamilton could, perhaps should, be disqualified.
He tells Sky Sports F1: "I expect quite a big penalty - a disqualification.
"It's out of my hands but I don't think it's a tough decision if the measurements are verified."
Drama in Italy
So to sum up what happened in the last hour or so:
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Benedict Salido: @MercedesAMGF1 being really secretive only points to something they know they've done wrong and are now trying to cover it up.
Joe Ovenall: Thoroughly enjoyed the look on Vettel's face as Hamilton realised it may not have been quite such a successful day.
Mad Pauly: Hamilton's huge lead won't be so huge if he's disqualified...
Matthew Coe: Deflate-gate is hitting F1, I'm sure the New England Patriots and Tom Brady can advise Mercedes on how to escape punishment.
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Lewis Hamilton looked to be taken aback in that post-race news conference.
The one we have just seen is usually a very brief one for drivers to answer in their native language, meaning Hamilton would sit back while Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa answered.
However, Hamilton was asked outright about the alleged tyre pressure issue, causing him to raise his eyebrow in surprise.
Hamilton tyre investigation
Toto Wolff adds: "We are the first to be sure (we are safe and legal)."
Asked by Tom Clarkson about a potential penalty, he says "I've no idea what that might be."
Tom wants to know if the investigation was the reason Mercedes asked him to push in the closing laps:
"It could be one of the reasons."
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Mercedes' boss Toto Wolff has been asked by BBC F1's Tom Clarkson if they went below the minimum tyre pressure.
Wolff says: "No because we measure them with Pirelli. At the moment we have no detail what is going on."
Told by Tom that the left rear was supposedly 0.3psi below the limit, Wolff adds: "Says who?"
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Lewis Hamilton's advantage over Sebastian Vettel as he crossed the line was 25.042s. If a 25-second time penalty is applied, he would win by just 0.042s...
Post-race press conference
Race winner Lewis Hamilton is asked about an investigation into starting the race with one of his tyres 0.3psi below the minimum tyre pressure. Does he have any comment?
"Not really no. I wasn't aware of it."
Trouble ahead?
So what is in store for Lewis Hamilton?
He was being told to push towards the end and increase his advantage over Sebastian Vettel, but was not being given a reason why.
Mercedes are under investigation for running illegal tyre pressures in the race, and it would seem they were trying to get Hamilton to build a lead of more than 25 seconds in case of a penalty for the tyre pressure, which was 0.3psi lower than the minimum amount specified by Pirelli on safety grounds.
Hamilton is now facing a question about it in the post-race news conference...
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Rob Carnell: Would be better if Darth Vader did the interview. Just saying....
Scott Wiseman: I bet Lewis had to build that gap incase of a time penalty if they get one over tyre pressures
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Do you think George Lucas hears Star Wars puns everywhere he goes?
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George Lucas asks Hamilton "do blondes have more fun?"
Lewis laughs but then turns to the crowd and says "thank you everyone".
And that's a wrap!
One of the more bizarre podium interviews we've seen.
Celebrations done, but now Hamilton's focus goes to stewards inquest. Intrigue ahead...
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Third-place Felipe Massa: "It feels very tough, the last three laps of the race I was fighting with my team-mate but I'm very happy."
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Sebastian Vettel plays it up to the crowd by speaking in Italian for his podium interview. "Grazi" he shouts enthusiastically. Now it's Felipe Massa's turn.
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George is now bowing to Lewis Hamilton for winning by over 20 seconds.
Hamilton said: "This team is just remarkable. I'm incredibly grateful to them. They've done a great job all year."
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DUM DUM DER DUM DUM DE DUM (That's the tune from Star Wars, if you were wondering).
The man to conduct the podium interviews is Star Wars director George Lucas.
"Happy New Year," he shouts through the microphone.
Okaaaaayyy...
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The grid is just a sea of red after fans were let on to the track to celebrate and huge cheers go up as Sebastian Vettel's name is said over the speaker system. He has had the boos in the past, but is lapping up the love right now.
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Lewis Hamilton, cap off, races on to the podium, showing off his bright blond hair. Back-to-back race wins at Monza for Hamilton, and boos rings out from the Tifosi, they wanted to see a Ferrari man on the top step.
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Does this explain why Hamilton had to push?
Could there be a time penalty in the offing for the race winner?
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Big advantage over Rosberg
Lewis Hamilton's advantage over Nico Rosberg in the drivers' championship is now 53 points - two race wins.
Is this the turning point in the title race?
Team radio
Williams' Felipe Massa after holding off team-mate Valtteri Bottas to finish third: "Well done guys. I'm getting too old for that!"
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Ryan Ng: @nico_rosberg's luck just like what @AussieGrit used to have at @redbullracing... Oh dear oh dear.
Alex Harrison: Hamilton's on fire, while Rosberg is on fire. Loving it.
Italian GP result
11) Sainz 12) Verstappen 13) Nasr 14) Button 15) Stevens 16) Merhi
Retired: Rosberg, Alonso, Grosjean, Maldonado
Italian GP top 10
1) Hamilton 2) Vettel 3) Massa 4) Bottas 5) Raikkonen 6) Perez 7) Hulkenberg 8) Ricciardo 9) Ericsson 10) Kvyat
Team radio - Hamilton not happy
Enginner to race winner Lewis Hamilton: "Well done, Lewis. We'll explain all when you get back."
Hamilton replied: "Those last few laps were not cool, man."
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Phew, drama at the end but Lewis Hamilton brings it home. Sebastian Vettel finishes second, much to delight of the home fans, while Felipe Massa does enough to sneak third.
Chequered flag
LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
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As result of Nico Rosberg's retirement, Felipe Massa is third, but Valtteri Bottas wants that podium place. These two are fighting!
Team radio
Engineer to Lewis Hamilton: "Just keep doing what you're doing - no need to take any risks."
Hamilton replied: "Picking up the pace to where I was was taking risks."
LAST LAP
The retirement of his team-mate is of no concern just now for Lewis Hamilton, after he was urged to push by his team. However his advantage over Sebastian Vettel is up to 25 seconds after he was urged to go flat out. Surely he has this in the bag?
Yellow flag
My word! There we are thinking there is trouble for Lewis Hamilton but disaster for Nico Rosberg, smoke pours out of the back of his Mercedes and he comes to a stop. That is it, race over for Rosberg!
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Fernando Alonso had been closing in on Jenson Button, but pushing too hard? He pits, gets out of his car and that is the end of his race.
Team radio
Lewis Hamilton: "I've not got a lot more pace in me. What do I need to do?"
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Get involved - #bbcf1
Henry Banye: So we can confirm this new Merc engine is half a sec faster than the upgraded Ferrari. Championship over.
Stuart Edward-Jenks: When was the last time a driver won the champ in a car not considered the dominant car of the season?
Trouble for Hamilton.
Another message for Lewis Hamilton.
"We need some good lap times now Lewis, no need to ask questions," he is told. "We will explain it at the end."
Some late drama on the cards? Four laps to go...
Team radio - trouble for Hamilton?
Engineer to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton: "Okay, we're going to go strap-mode three. Don't ask questions. Just execute."
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Camera shots of some pretty concerned faces in the Mercedes garage.
"We need to pull the gap," Lewis Hamilton is told over team radio. "Don't ask questions."
Another pit stop coming for the leader?
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Kimi Raikkonen is still seventh but has brought that gap down between himself and Sergio Perez to one second.
Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg looks to be safely on the podium, with Felipe Massa 13 seconds behind. He wants that second place, though, but their lap times a pretty similar.
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Oooh that gap is getting smaller between Sebastian Vettel, in second, and Nico Rosberg, in third. Down to three seconds with nine laps to go.
Can Rosberg catch him? Ferrari fans are creeping towards the edge of their seats.
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Jenson Button is back where he started after a spell in the top 10 earlier in the race. He is currently lapping in 15th, with Fernando Alonso one place behind him.
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Nico Hulkenberg is not happy.
"I'm telling you something is not working at the back," he tells Force India over team radio. "It reminds me of the last year - no traction, no grip, nothing."
Hulkenberg is holding on to eighth but Marcus Ericsson is 0.7s behind him.
Get involved - #bbcf1
Peter Wanyonyi: Virtuoso performance this summer by @LewisHamilton. Scarily for his rivals, he will get even better next season. Total dominance!
Martijn Kosters: This race needs more Maldonado.
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Where's Kimi Raikkonen?
The Finn's Ferrari is seventh, four seconds behind Sergio Perez but he is chipping away at that advantage.
Team radio
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (currently second) as he approaches Sauber's Felipe Nasr: "Come on now, blue flag."
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Max Verstappen is an absolute joy to watch at times and he has the Toro Rosso garage applauding with a fine pass on Felipe Nasr at the first chicane. Verstappen is up to 13th.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Hamilton is keeping himself interested by going 0.9 seconds faster than anybody else out there."
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A new fastest lap for Lewis Hamilton - 1:26.890. He is surely coasting towards victory here.
Meanwhile, Williams are on course for some good points with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas fourth and fifth respectively.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It doesn't seem like Rosberg is making big headway into the gap to Vettel (4.9 seconds). It does seem to me that Vettel has enough in hand right now."
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How's it looking for a potential Mercedes one-two?
Nico Rosberg is third, 4,9s behind Sebastian Vettel with 17 laps remaining.
"We think P2 is still possible, just need to look after the brakes and attack when [Vettel's] tyres have gone off," Rosberg is told over team radio.
Team radio
Engineer to Force India's Nico Hulkenberg (currently seventh): "At the moment, lap times and tyre deg are all pointing to the one-stop."
And the rest after 32 laps
Top 10 after 32 laps
Sainz the 'animal'?
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"For all Lewis Hamilton fans, this is a beautiful thing. Is he at the top of his game? It's difficult to imagine he could climb any higher."
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A different strategy in play at Red Bull as both Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat take on softs.
Ricciardo is out in 10th, with Kvyat 12th.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes is getting smaller as far as the rest of the field are concerned, his advantage now 19 seconds. Faultless from the Brit so far.
Close!
Get involved - #bbcf1
Reece Young: Has Hamilton dominated a race more than he is today? Perfection so far.
Vertically Challenged: Rosberg may be a good driver, but to become a great driver you have to learn to pass on track and pass well.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Roberto Merhi was already locking up and completely caught out by Kimi slowing down as he entered the pit-lane. How close was that?"
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Yowzer!!
Close, close shave for Kimi Raikkonen. He is called in but is almost struck by Roberto Merhi behind him, the later hitting the brakes hard to avoid impact.
The pit stop proves a smooth one after that drama and Raikkonen is back out in 10th, with medium tyres bolted on.
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Nico Rosberg is rearing up and ready to pounce on Kimi Raikkonen. Rosberg is on the fresher tyres, so if he gets this right he should be able to pass without any drama.
Rosberg fancies it on the pit straight and breezes past.
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Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Hamilton is having a breeze of it - no challenge whatsoever."
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A 2.7s stop sees Lewis Hamilton back out and comfortably in front again with medium tyres on his Mercedes.
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Sebastian Vettel pits, takes on mediums and is out in 2.4s to retain second place ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
"OK Lewis, box," Lewis Hamilton is then told over team radio.
Get involved - #bbcf1
Khan: If Hamilton wins then Rosberg is gonna have to go onto a crazy winning run to get momentum.
Reece Young: Has Rosberg ever made a pass on track? Seems to always rely on the undercut.
Mark Heath: Another strategy error from Williams?
Douglas D P Townsend: Well @McLarenF1 might as well be powered by Mario's ice cream van. Clearly on a par with the #Honda
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Both Red Bulls are in to the top 10, with Daniel Ricciardo eighth and Daniil Kvyat ninth.
Ricciardo, though, is closing on Sergio Perez...and passes him to climb up to seventh.
Up ahead, Lewis Hamilton's advantage is now up to 15 seconds, but Sebastian Vettel is about to pit...
Mercedes happy as Rosberg undercuts both Williams
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Lewis Hamilton might be losing some grip but he is being kept out for now. He has told over team radio that he is matching Nico Rosberg's lap times, despite the latter being on fresh medium tyres.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"I'm not sure the reason for Williams to stay out longer with Valtteri."
Team radio
Race leader Lewis Hamilton: "I'm losing grip on the front-left. I've got some understeer."
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Valtteri Bottas is coming in now for his first pit stop. A nervy moment for the Williams team after mixing up compounds at Belgium last time out, but all good as mediums are bolted on without any bother and he is back out in seventh.
Top 10 after 20 laps
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Rosberg was able to go purple and purple in the second and last section and that was how he was able to get the undercut (on Massa)."
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Felipe Massa pits from third for mediums but re-emerges behind Nico Rosberg and is currently eighth.
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Shohidur Rahman: When Button can't get past Verstappen even with DRS you know the Honda engine is rubbish.
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Nico Rosberg makes a first, and potentially only, pit stop. He is in to have softs swapped for mediums and is back out in sixth.
Definitely not Lotus's day
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Up front and Lewis Hamilton increases his advantage further and now leads Sebastian Vettel by almost 10 seconds.
"Starting to lose the rears a bit," says Vettel over team radio.
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Sean Richardson: Beautiful defensive driving by @ValtteriBottas. Great stuff.
William Lloyd: C'mon Bottas!!
Aled Midha: I'd get so excited if Bottas did one of his trademark round-the-outside overtakes on the parabolica
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It's been a feature of his career that in wheel-to-wheel combat, Nico Rosberg has been slightly hesitant while Lewis Hamilton has been Senna-esque."
Bottas & Rosberg battle
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A bit of racing for Jenson Button as Max Verstappen's Toro Rosso moves past the McLaren, but Button attempts to bite back.
"Brace yourself, we might see a McLaren overtake here," says David Coulthard.
Sadly, we don't as Verstappen holds him off at the first chicane.
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Uh oh, something wrong with Nico Hulkenberg's Force India?
"I hear a strange noise - maybe something on the exhaust," he says over team radio.
Hulkenberg is currently seventh.
Team radio
Mercedes' engineer to Nico Rosberg: "Nico just be aware - brakes are very hot, brakes are hot."
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Nico Rosberg, who looked to have been hampered by Kimi Raikkonen's failure to get away at the start, is trying to claw back positions.
He is eyeing a move on Valtteri Bottas' Williams - which is fourth - and has a go through Curva Grande, but can't complete the pass.
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Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter
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Carlos Sainz is given a five-second penalty after leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He decides to get it served now and pits, locking up as he does so, before rejoining in 18th.
Max Verstappen, who has served his drive-through penalty, is now up to 13th.
Get involved - #bbcf1
Malcolm Porter: Pastor Maldonado still stubbornly defying the rule that the more you do something the better you get…
LH44 Pogba: @nico_rosberg still behind the Williams.... That's what happens when you sell your engines to a competitor.
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It is looking like another Italian Grand Prix will be won from pole as Lewis Hamilton increases his advantage to six seconds with 11 laps completed.
Still, a long way to go.
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Frustrating for Jenson Button as his McLaren is lapping three seconds slower than the rest of the field. Daniil Kvyat is the next driver to swoop on by and Button is down to 13th.
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Maldonado in contact shocker
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"It's a sorry state of affairs, Jenson doing everything he can but unquestionably the Honda power unit the worst out there."
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Jensnon Button's brief foray into the points places is over, at least for now, as Carlos Sainz and then Daniel Ricciardo get past the McLaren. Button is now down to 12th.
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Kimi Raikkonen is trying to climb back up the field after that shocker of a start and he passes Carlos Sainz at the first chicane to move into 10th. He is more than 20 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. Plenty to do.
Get involved - #bbcf1
Bernie Austin: Did the Iceman melt under pressure?
Adam: Terrible luck for @Lotus_F1Team they looked good for some points today.
Anthony Hueston: Kimi caught taking a nap on the grid.
Welsh Racer: oh Kimi *facepalm*
Hamilton builds advantage
Lewis Hamilton is 2.7 seconds down the road from Sebastian Vettel after five laps. All Ferrari's hopes are now pinned on the German in his first race at Monza for the team.
Fast-starting Button
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"McLaren-Honda are definitely lacking straight-line speed and it's going to be tough for Jenson Button to stay where he is right now (ninth)."
Button on the move
There is movement in midfield too with Jenson Button up into the points. From 15th he is up to ninth, with Carlos Sainz behind him.
Grosjean & Maldonado out
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"After the delight of the podium finish in Belgium, misery for Lotus here at Monza."
Bad day for Lotus
All over before it really started for Lotus. Romain Grosjean pulls over to the side of track and is out of his Lotus while Pastor Maldonado has also retired.
Rosberg drops down
What's happened here? Nico Rosberg, for the fourth race in row, did not get away well at all and he is down in sixth.
Lewis Hamilton leads from Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Raikkonen, it looked like he went into anti-stall. The car didn't move as the lights went out."
Go! Go! Go!
LIGHTS OUT! Disastrous start for Kimi Raikkonen, the car doesn't move as the lights go out and he drops right to the back of the field as he finally gets under way.
Lewis Hamilton holds the lead into the first corner, with Sebastian Vettel behind him.
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David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Ferrari have clearly done a strategy to help Raikkonen over Vettel in qualifying. How is that going to play out in the long run to the first corner?"
THE GRID
One final reminder of how the grid lines up:
1) Hamilton 2) Raikkonen 3) Vettel 4) Rosberg 5) Massa 6) Bottas 7) Perez, 8) Grosjean 9) Hulkenberg 10) Maldonado
11) Nasr 12) Ericsson 13) Stevens 14) Merhi 15) Button 16) Alonso 17) Sainz, 18) Kvyat 19) Ricciardo 20) Verstappen
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Lewis Hamilton leads the field off on the formation lap. Here we go then...
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Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
Watch the full video as Allan McNish explains how F1 teams get extra speed in Italy here.
'Always a first-corner incident'
Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
"Lewis Hamilton is going to have to work for it. He is going to have to really focus on the start. It's quite a long run but it's also a tight one and there is always an incident."
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
“Some strategy chat for you. This should be a one-stop race, but it’s not easy to make the tyres go that far so there will be some management to be done - and the higher the track temperature the harder it gets. Two stops is not attractive at least partly because the total time loss for a pit stop is one of the highest of the season at 25 seconds or so, because of the length of the pit straight and the speed the cars go down it.
"But if there is a safety car, a two-stop becomes more attractive because the time loss for a stop is greatly reduced. Mercedes are expecting a strong challenge from Ferrari, whether or not Lewis Hamilton gets away in front.
"And there will be plenty of nerves in the garage over whether Hamilton’s engine will last the race.”
Who will have the force today?
Star Wars director George Lucas is a guest of the Mercedes team today and has just been chatting to Radio 5 live's Jennie Gow, telling her: "It's very fascinating and very intense. There have been some great races this year and real drama. It's going to be a great race today - these guys are not going to pussy-foot around at all."
Get involved - #bbcf1
Kristine Kirby: The penalties are so silly now - 50 grid spots - some cars should technically be starting at the Italian-Swiss border.
Yuri: Good luck to everyone at the #ItalianGP Will definitely be supporting my Brazilian @MassaFelipe19
Mat Page: Surely the wouldn't take Monza off the #F1 circuit after 2016
The standings - constructors
...and the constructors' championship.
The standings - drivers
Almost race time. Here's a quick look at the drivers' championship...
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LH44 Pogba: The all important start at Monza. History favours #P1, but the new start regulation leaves all fingers crossed.
Andrew Priestley: Kimi Raikkonen has nothing to lose in the World Championship standings, so he will be super aggressive into turn one. Lewis beware.
Robert Muir: Italian blue skies, smell of coffee and high octane in the air, Matt Monroe on the iPod and a Ferrari 1,2.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
“The grid at Monza was not, let’s say, the most surprising line-up, at least at the front - Mercedes and Ferrari locking out the front two rows, and Williams on the third. Behind them, the Mercedes customer cars of Force India and Lotus were led by Sergio Perez’s Force India.
“At Lotus there was a nice little story behind Romain Grosjean taking eighth. Arriving at the track on Saturday morning after an overnight thunderstorm, the team found their tyre blankets water-logged, and only three sets working - with six needed for qualifying. To the rescue came Ferrari, Sauber and Toro Rosso. Ferrari - whose technical director James Allison is good friends with Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane - even went beyond the call of duty, taking one of their own sets of tyres out of blankets to ensure Lotus had everything they needed. Permane was overwhelmed by the generosity of his rivals - especially as Toro Rosso and Sauber are Lotus’s direct rivals in the constructors’ championship. ‘I am humbled,’ he said. ‘I can’t thank them enough.’”
Is the result written in the sky?
A rousing rendition of the Italian national anthem gets the home fans going, while coloured smoke from an air display fills the sky above. Superb atmosphere at Monza as the start of the race approaches.
A podium finish would be special - Vettel
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (third on the grid), racing at Monza as a 'home' driver for the first time, said: "This year, finally, I'm in the right colours.
"I can't make any promises but we will push as hard as we can. Today it would be very, very special to be on the podium."
What the papers say
The Sunday Times say that Ferrari are 'back with a bang' after qualifying second and third, ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. It contrasts their performance with the 'cull of managerial and technical staff' that occurred this time last year as they failed to finish on the podium during 2014.
A first for Vettel?
Sebastian Vettel is also looking emulate the likes of Michael Schumacher (1996) and Fernando Alonso (2010) in winning on his first appearance at Monza for Ferrari.
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Sebastian Vettel has won two of the last four races in Italy, with Lewis Hamilton winning the other two.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
"How the mighty have fallen. By size, budget, ambition and reputation, McLaren and Red Bull ought to be competing with Mercedes and Ferrari at the front of the grid. But the failures of engine partners Honda and Renault to come to terms with the new hybrid formula mean they line up at the back today, along with Toro Rosso compiling a total of 168 grid places in penalties.
"It is a going to be a long afternoon for both teams - especially the McLaren drivers who can realistically expect to make no progress, so down on power is the Honda engine compared to everything else.”
We can only go forwards - Ricciardo
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo (19th on the grid after engine penalties): "We can only go forwards from where we are. If it gets boring at any point, I can have a look and see some crazy fans doing crazy things."
Ricciardo, smiling as always. What a champ.
Get involved - #bbcf1
Angela: This will be a exciting start
B: The F1 penalties this weekend are ridiculous #notcricket
Jeremiah Kariuki: Putting my wager on Lewis winning, Kimi second and Massa having a good race to take 3rd! Expecting a good start by Williams.
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Max Verstappen also has a drive-through penalty to serve early on after his car was released in an unsafe condition during qualifying.
All in all not a great weekend so far for the young rookie.
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The pit lane is open and the cars head on out to the grid. Max Verstappen reports that his seat is moving around again, after finding it a bit loose in practice also.
Terrible idea to ditch Monza - Button
McLaren's Jenson Button (15th on the grid) describes Monza as "a great place to drive" because "the Tifosi are always massively supportive, there is so much history and passion here".
Referring to the doubts surrounding the future of the race, Button describes any suggestions of Formula 1 not coming to Monza as "a terrible idea".
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Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi is at Monza today and met Bernie Ecclestone earlier.
I wonder if the future of the Italian Grand Prix was discussed, with no deal in place for Monza to hold the race from beyond 2016.
Bottas targeting podium
Williams' Valtteri Bottas, who starts is optimistic of a good result today: "I think we will be stronger in the race than in qualifying so it should be good fun. We can finish on the podium."
The need for speed
Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst
Watch the full video as Allan McNish explains how F1 teams get extra speed in Italy here.
Massa jnr supporting Ferrari?
There was an amusing moment in Saturday's BBC qualifying show involving Felipe Massa, who lines up fifth on the grid in the Williams today.
The Brazilian had his young son alongside him, who was clutching a little toy Ferrari car.
"It is not even me, it is Alonso," said Massa, who left Ferrari to join Williams in 2013.
Barca's Alves backing Massa
F1 stats and a fact about a hats
By some distance, Ferrari have won more races than any other team at Monza with 18 triumphs.
There's more stats like that, plus why Monza's industrial centre might be of interest to Lewis Hamilton, here.
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I've just seen a flash of tartan trousers walking through the paddock. It can only be the one and only Sir Jackie Stewart.
The Scot is at the scene of his first-ever win in Formula 1, having secured victory at the Italian Grand Prix 50 years ago.
What the papers say
TheSun on Sunday describe Hamilton as 'Hair to the throne' and say he was 'in seventh heaven' after taking pole position but they have some harsh words for Honda, as the McLarens continue to struggle. They say: 'There are simply no excuses for their continued failure, especially given that they are spending around £300m a year.'
What the papers say
Plenty of puns on Lewis Hamilton's new hairstyle in the Sunday papers. Describing the Briton as a 'Blond Bombshell', the Sunday Mirror says Mercedes will be taking 'a massive gamble' by keeping the new specification engine in Hamilton's car after a problem with was discovered with Nico Rosberg's. The Mirror say: 'Mercedes boffins now fear the world champion's all-conquering power plant may go the same way in a race run mostly at a staggering 220mph.'
Ferrari 'giving us a run for our money'
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
“Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were rampant two weeks ago in Belgium, and Ferrari had to risk a one-stop strategy in an attempt to turn a likely fifth or sixth place into a podium, a gamble which ended in the spectacular tyre blow-out experienced by Sebastian Vettel.
"One race on, though, and Ferrari are an altogether more serious force on home ground, second and third on the grid and only 0.2secs from Hamilton, thanks to an engine upgrade. ‘They have obviously made an improvement,’ Hamilton said. ‘They have definitely made a step with their engine for qually. I still think the gap can be bigger.
"It’s great to see them making a step forward and giving us a run for our money.’ Was he expecting a stronger challenge from Ferrari in the race? ‘I’m expecting it, but the engineers I don’t believe are.’”
Hamilton 'doesn't think about records'
A very rock and roll arrival to the circuit for Lewis Hamilton, who closed in on another record with pole yesterday.
He is now one behind Ayrton Senna's total of eight consecutive pole positions, and Hamilton said: "I never really think about the records. It's not really fair on Ayrton - he was so good that if he had lived beyond his passing... while I am getting close in terms of numbers, they are not really real."
Monza memories
Giuseppe Farina was the winner of the first-ever Formula 1 race back in 1950 and also the maiden Italian Grand Prix that same year. Today's race is the the 65th at Monza.
Engine not to blame - Rosberg
Speaking in the drivers' parade, Nico Rosberg says Mercedes have discovered the nature of the problem that led to his engine change for qualifying and it is not related to the power unit.
The German revealed: "It was a chassis component. We have sorted it out but today it's still a compromise because we are using the old engine. It's done six races so the engine loses power."
On your marks...
The start is going to be crucial for Nico Rosberg.
Lining up fourth on the grid, he cannot afford to lose any positions early on, which means he needs to improve on his recent race starts.
Rosberg has lost positions on the first lap of the last three races in a row.
Get involved #bbcf1
Always check your mirrors
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
“There was a tough break for Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson after qualifying. The Swede continued his strong recent form with a very impressive 10th place on the grid, but he was penalised three places for impeding Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
"The offence was clear, and Ericsson held his hands up. It turns out that his engineer had told him he did not need to look in his mirrors as there was no-one behind him on a flying lap, so he was focusing on maintaining the right gap to the Ferraris in front of him. But the engineer had misread the situation. He apologised and admitted his mistake, but by then it was too late.”
THE GRID
1) Hamilton 2) Raikkonen 3) Vettel 4) Rosberg 5) Massa 6) Bottas 7) Perez, 8) Grosjean 9) Hulkenberg 10) Maldonado
11) Nasr 12) Ericsson 13) Stevens 14) Merhi 15) Button 16) Alonso 17) Sainz, 18) Kvyat 19) Ricciardo 20) Verstappen
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Jenson Button was asked about only accumulating five grid-place penalty.
"A good day," he joked.
Lay of the land after 168 grid-place penalties
Right, as is increasingly the norm these days, there are a fair few grid-place penalties to be applied that changes the order slightly from yesterday's qualifying.
Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen is set to start at the back after failing to progress to Q2 for the first time in his career and picking up a 20-place grid penalty for changing two power unit components.
Daniel Ricciardo is also on the back row after accumulating a total of 50 grid-place penalties, while his Red Bull team-mate Daniil Kvyat is set to line up in 18th after a 35-pace grid drop.
Just ahead of Kvyat is Carlos Sainz after also incurring a 35-place penalty, with McLaren's Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso starting 15th and 16th after being penalised for changing power unit elements.
Finally, Marcus Ericsson is down to 12th from 10th after being found to have impeded Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying.
Phew.
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Something tells me Fernando Alonso is going to struggle to make it seven podiums at Monza, but stranger things have happened.
Actually, no they haven't.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
“Another dismal qualifying for McLaren and Honda led to a grilling for F1 boss Yasuhisa Arai at McLaren’s news conference later on Saturday.
"Arai had been quoted after the Belgian Grand Prix claiming that the internal combustion element of Honda’s engine was about 25bhp up on Renault’s - a figure with which not many other engineers in the paddock would concur. Arai finally admitted what has been an open secret for a while - that deployment of hybrid energy is Honda’s biggest problem.
"In other words, the boost of 160-180bhp provided by the hybrid system simply runs out partway down the straight. It was was left to Fernando Alonso to say precisely what that means for the team. ‘There are so many areas we need to improve,’ the Spaniard said, ‘but on a circuit that has six corners and on the GPS, we lose two or three tenths in those corners. The rest of the three seconds, we need to find on the straights."
Contrasting fortunes
This is a landmark race for Lewis Hamilton, with it being his 50th as a Mercedes driver.
Since joining the team in 2013, Hamilton has won 18 races and stood on the podium 30 times. In contrast McLaren - the team he left - have scored two podiums, both coming at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.
Fair to say that move has worked out well for Hamilton.
Remembering Justin Wilson
Ferrari making huge strides?
David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
Not so straightforward for Mercedes?
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
"There is every reason to believe the Italian Grand Prix will not be the Lewis Hamilton cakewalk you might expect from seeing him on pole position. Quite apart from the uncertainty over the start, there is the fact that Mercedes face a renewed challenge from Ferrari courtesy of a significant engine upgrade for the red cars, and there are question marks about the reliability of the modified engine in Hamilton’s car after team-mate Nico Rosberg’s needed to be replaced ahead of qualifying.
"Hamilton said afterwards he had ‘no concerns’. Rosberg’s problem was a leak in the cooling system which contaminated the power-unit. Hamilton’s engine has been studied and Mercedes believe it has not problems. But it is fair to say there will probably be some crossed fingers in the Mercedes pit during the race.”
Get Involved #bbcf1
Who will win?
Do you think Ferrari can pull something out of the bag and secure victory in front of their fans? Or is Lewis Hamilton destined to storm to a seventh win of the season?
Let us know how you see this race going via #bbcf1, text in on 81111 (UK only) and have your say on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
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A touching moment as Formula 1 paid its respects to Justin Wilson, the British ex-F1 driver who died last month after suffering a serious head injury in an IndyCar 500 race.
Coming up
The drivers are waving to the fans on the truck for the drivers parade at the moment, blue skies and bright sunshine above them.
The race gets under way at 13:00 BST, with 5 live commentary starting at 12:30 BST.
Highlights of the race will be on BBC One at 17:05 BST.
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
“Kimi Raikkonen was as surprised as anyone to see himself on the front row. ‘It’s been a while,’ he said. ‘Eight, 10 years, probably.’ Not quite that long, Kimi. In fact, the last time was China 2013, two and a half years ago.
"‘We probably surprised ourselves a little bit,’ the Finn said, one corner of his mouth briefly flickering upwards into an almost-smile. What did it mean for him? ‘It’s nice to get it right once in a while,’ he said, referring to his troubles with qualifying that for a while this year looked as if they might cost him his place in F1.
"‘I’m very happy, obviously but, you know, the biggest thing is that much less troubles in the first corner if you make a normal start.’”
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Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Monza
"Lewis Hamilton won himself a hundred or so more Italian fans on his way into Monza this morning.
"Hamilton arrived into the track’s chaotic crossroads entry blockage, where the paddock road meets the way to the car parks. On an MV Agusta Brutale Dragster motorbike (look it up), in matte black helmet with mirror visor, white, designer-ripped jeans, Mercedes T-shirt, tattooed arms on show, Hamilton produced clouds of tyre smoke with a burn-out to raucous cheers and then spent several minutes signing autographs. Quite a way to announce an arrival.
"Will those same fans be cheering him as he waves from the top step of Monza’s iconic rostrum later? That might not be such a sure thing as you would think...”
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Hello! Welcome to our coverage of the Italian Grand Prix.
Back in 1988, only one race in that season was won by a team other than McLaren - the Italian Grand Prix.
It did not prevent Ayrton Senna going on from claiming a first world title, but it was a significant and emotional win for Ferrari, coming soon after the death of the team's founder, Enzo Ferrari.
The team has recorded eight wins at Monza since that race, but none since 2010. Can either Kimi Raikkonen or Sebastian Vettel, starting from second and third respectively, end a five-year wait?
Fortune to favour Ferrari?
"Senna spins! Into the lead goes Berger and into second goes Alboreto. What a fantastic situation!"
Those were a stunned Murray Walker's words as Ayrton Senna retired late in the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, allowing Ferrari to go on and score a one-two.
Lewis Hamilton, like Senna back then, has been the dominant driver this season and will be expected to record victory at Monza, where he starts on pole.
But maybe, just like that race 27 years ago, there is a twist in the tale of this year's Italian Grand Prix to come.