Monza, Italy - 14/9/2008
The RBS-backed AT&T Williams team was unlucky to come away from a dramatic Italian Grand Prix without points. Nico Rosberg starred in the season's first all-wet qualifying session, but could only finish in 14th position, two places behind team-mate Kazuki Nakajima.
The race was won by Sebastien Vettel, who became the youngest winner in Formula One history. Aged just 21, and in only his 22nd Grand Prix for the Toro Rosso team, Vettel beat the previous record set by Fernando Alonso at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2003 by almost a year.
He finished 12.5 seconds clear of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, who also started from the front row, with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica third.
It could have been so different for the Williams team, with Nico starting fifth on the grid as the FW30 car backed up the form shown in the pre-race test at the famous Monza autodrome.
Fifth became fourth when Sebastien Bourdais failed to get his Toro Rosso away from the grid and Nico maintained the position until he was passed by Felipe Massa's Ferrari. With a one-stop race planned, Rosberg was on course for a points finish when he pitted just after half distance, but he was forced to pit again when the rain eased.
"Everyone who had pitted up to that point took another set of extreme wet tyres and, being in a strong position, there was no reason to gamble and do anything different," explained Nico. "I'd suffered some degradation early on, which was unusual because the car is normally kind to its tyres, but everything was okay.
"Unfortunately, the rain eased off and a couple of laps later the guys who ran a bit longer than me were able to go straight on to normal wets. I stopped at the same time as Lewis Hamilton, who had the same problem and, as I was going nowhere, the team called me back in for normal wets."
Kazuki, who had qualified 18th, elected to start from the pit lane and make some aerodynamic changes to the car. "I struggled with the brakes early on and didn't have the pace," he said, "but unlike Nico I changed to wets at just the right time and from then on my pace was better."
The Williams cars raced with a ‘500' sticker on the airbox at Monza to denote the 500th race for the team. The team's first victory came in Silverstone's British Grand Prix of 1979, a race won by Clay Regazzoni. "It's not a great emotional moment but there is a bit of pride," said team principal Frank Williams.
Many drivers were nervous about the combination of heavy rain and the fastest circuit on the calendar – and were relieved that the race passed without serious incident. "The visibility was very difficult at the start when the safety car pulled in after just a couple of laps," said Kazuki. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica admitted that he passed team mate Nick Heidfeld on the main straight without realising he was there!
Teams were unanimous in congratulating Sebastian Vettel and Toro Rosso on their maiden Grand Prix wins. Vettel won from pole in Monza at the age of just 21. "That lap after the chequered flag might not have been my fastest at Monza but it was the best," said Vettel. "It's the best day of my life."
