Lewis Hamilton takes Formula One drivers' championship lead with Italian Grand Prix win

Sixth win of season and 59th triumph of his career sees the Mercedes-GP driver go three points clear of Sebastian Vettel.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain leads Force India driver Esteban Ocon of France and the rest of the pack, during the first laps of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, at the Monza racetrack, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Lewis Hamilton was the Italian Grand Prix race winner. Luca Bruno / AP Photo

Graham Caygill

Sep 03, 2017

Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to take the lead of the Formula One drivers' championship for the first time in 2017.

The triple world champion dominated the 53-lap race to take the chequered flag by 5.5 seconds ahead of his Mercedes-GP teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton's championship rival Sebastian Vettel was third home in his Ferrari, and the result saw the Briton turn a seven-point deficit to the German into a three-point lead with seven races of the year remaining.

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LIGHTS OUT! #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8YSod4TiEm
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 3, 2017

Hamilton has now won six races this season, and coming on the back of last weekend's success in Belgium he is the first driver to have back-to-back wins in 2017.

Daniel Ricciardo produced one of the performances of the day as the Red Bull Racing driver came through from 16th on the grid to finish fourth. A mixture of good overtaking and a long first stint in a race where the majority of the field only pitted once, saw him make up the ground.

BREAKING: @LewisHamilton wins at Monza to take the lead in the drivers' championship #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Sk2ikB1dlh
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 3, 2017

Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari was fifth, ahead of Esteban Ocon's Force India and the two Williams cars of Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa.

Max Verstappen recovered from a puncture after contact with Massa to finish 10th, one place behind the second Force India of Sergio Perez.

The next round of the season is in Singapore on September 17, with the final race of the year, the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on November 26 at Yas Marina Circuit.