Grand Prix starts with safety car

Eleven minutes prior to the start of the Italian Grand Prix, race director Charlie Whiting made the call to begin the event behind the safety car.

Light rain that had come and gone throughout the morning over the Monza track, which was just enough to keep the circuit damp, turned slightly heavier 35 minutes prior to the off.

That left Whiting with no alternative but to bring the safety car into play, helping the cause of Lewis Hamilton, starting a career-low 15th on the grid in his McLaren after making the wrong tyre call in qualifying yesterday.

It ensured there would be no potential catastrophe at the opening chicane, several hundred yards from the start line.

Yesterday’s heavy rain in qualifying had turned the grid on its head, with Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel becoming the youngest driver in Formula One history to claim pole position.

Due to the conditions, Whiting also made the use of extreme wet tyres compulsory.

Once the safety car pulled away that signalled the start of the race, unlike in normal conditions when the field would conduct an installation lap before returning to the grid.

Despite the jubilation in the Toro Rosso garage yesterday, there were long faces on some members of the team within seconds of the start as fourth-on-the-grid Sebastien Bourdais failed to pull away.

His car was pushed off the grid and over towards the pit lane where his mechanics worked furiously to get him going, finally doing so after the safety car had completed one lap.

The safety car then pulled in after two laps, and when the action finally started all that could be seen were walls of spray.

Hamilton, running 13th due to Bourdais’ mishap and after passing David Coulthard in his Red Bull, attempted to pass Kimi Raikkonen on lap five at the second chicane, only to brake too late.

That led to Hamilton cutting the chicane, as he did in Spa last week in the Belgian Grand Prix, which has since caused controversy.

The 23-year-old immediately gave back the place he had gained to Raikkonen, who then began to push Giancarlo Fisichella running 11th in his Force India.

After seven laps Vettel had opened up a 5.7 seconds lead over the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen in second, although the young German was forced to cut one corner on lap six after sliding into it.