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• Hamilton dethrones Vettel to win title on Mexican day in Monza • All five drivers finish the race in the top 10
Lewis Hamilton remains the world champion after two drivers were disqualified in the closing stages of Sunday’s Italian Formula One grand prix in Monza.
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Drivers Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari were ruled to have used a series of strategy moves with team-mate Sebastian Vettel for two laps to allow Hamilton back into the top 10.
“As it stands Valtteri is set to pick up the damages to his points package from this weekend,” the governing body, the FIA, said in a statement.
Raikkonen was fourth and will lose seven points, with Vettel told to be satisfied with runner-up, 35 points ahead of the Finn with three races remaining including Sunday’s Abu Dhabi grand prix.
Mercedes say both Mercedes drivers used “customary” sporting strategy during the second sector of the race but the risk resulted in them completing fewer laps.
“It was a technical decision and a legal decision,” Bottas told reporters. “The strategy was always in the best interest of our car and I’m very happy to have the points because this championship is not over yet.”
Raikkonen was on pole but Vettel and Hamilton finished in the top 10 with a driver being awarded just their entire grid place for any penalties or no points for any of the drivers involved if he accumulates a caution penalty.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added: “I don’t want to criticise the FIA at all. They’ve made the right decision. Let’s see what happens now.”
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Despite the disqualifications, Hamilton went on to become the youngest driver to win the title, overtaking Michael Schumacher, who won his seventh at Monza in 2004.
The British driver, who moved on to 91 points when the Dutchman Max Verstappen retired on the first lap after steering into the gravel, can now claim the career triple crown.
Vettel, who had started in second place and increased his advantage, came into the pits after a pitstop to set the fastest ever lap but team-mate Raikkonen came in two laps later after they had pitted for fresh tyres.
Hamilton, who led initially from Verstappen into the hairpin, then pitted but the track was slippery enough to suggest he was vulnerable to a passing move.
He looked slightly disoriented in the closing stages and was dropped back to seventh place but Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen moved to put Bottas alongside the German.
The move meant the safety car, which had been deployed to clean up debris from the previous pit stops, did not need to be used.