1. F Alonso (McLaren)

2. L Hamilton (McLaren)

3. K Raikkonen (Ferrari)

4. N Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)

5. R Kubica (BMW Sauber)

6. N Rosberg (Williams)

7. H Kovalainen (Renault)

8. J Button (Honda)

By Sam Lyon

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the Italian Grand Prix

To get involved, text us on 81111 (UK users only) or contribute to 606

"The McLaren team has been through a torrid weekend, but to finish one-two at Ferrari's home ground so to speak is the perfect answer to their off-track issues. Brilliant stuff from them, disastrous stuff for Ferrari."
David Croft on BBC Radio 5live

Lap 53: ALONSO WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
That's it - Alonso marks his 100th Grand Prix with his 19th victory, leading home a McLaren one-two that will do little less than break Ferrari hearts - and maybe their championship challenge as well. Sweet as a nut for the McLarens - is this the weekend when Ferrari give up the ghost?

Lap 52: Well, it all looks settled now, Alonso cruising around the circuit as if he's on a leisurely Sunday drive and the likes of Kovalainen and Button settling for what will be good points for both. Nico Rosberg will equal his best ever finish with sixth but, more importantly as far as the championship is concerned, Ferrari's Raikkonen is nowhere with McLaren leading home a one-two.

Lap 50: Sixth, seventh and eighth are not done and dusted just yet, though, with just six seconds separating Rosberg, Kovalainen and Button... watch this space?

Lap 48: Beautifully put by Maurice Hamilton (see below) - and it's not an exaggeration either. Hamilton's lead over Raikkonen is now pushing the 12-second mark and the top three looks decided. Someone give the fat lady a nudge, a song request has just come in...

"The McLaren pace is utterly unbelievable - they are absolutely smashing Ferrari into the ground on their own patch and what a sweet one this will be for them."
Maurice Hamilton on BBC Radio 5live

Lap 46: Robert Kubica has the edge on Rosberg as his BMW takes over fifth spot at Curva Grande. At the front, Alonso's lead is 7.7 seconds, with Hamilton now almost four and a half seconds ahead of Raikkonen.

Lap 44: Fernando Alonso pits but emerges with a lead of 7.5 seconds still firmly intact.

Lap 42: Brilliance from Hamilton! The Briton comes from nowhere to snatch back second on the inside on turn one. Raikkonen was taken completely by surprise and the soft tyres are paying dividends for Hamilton. A shot of the respective teams in the pits tells you everything - Ferrari look to have given up the ghost and McLaren think that's job done.

"Well, does this mean Alonso needs to look over his shoulder now? His lead of well over 30 seconds should be enough, but Raikkonen will be pushing hard."
David Croft on BBC Radio 5live

Lap 40: Hamilton comes into the pits with a lead of 24 seconds - but it's not enough as Raikkonen puts in the hard yards to snatch second comfortably. All of a sudden, Ferrari's one-stop strategy looks inspired and if Raikkonen can push on when Alonso pits it might just be all to play for...

Lap 38: Nick Heidfeld is now 3.2 seconds behind Raikkonen - his challenge might just affect Raikkonen's push for second - with Jenson Button pushing Nico Rosberg for seventh. The Briton is in the points as it stands, though, and that would be a major boost for him.

Lap 35: Alonso's lead is now 5.1 seconds, with Raikkonen a further 21.404 seconds back - can he hang on enough to trouble Hamilton later on? The likes of Webber, Barrichello and Davidson pit.

Lap 34: Button comes in and it's soft tyres for him for the rest of the race. McLaren's pace remains phenomenal and their lead is becoming more and more indomitable.

Lap 31: Alonso extends his lead by a further seven 10ths of a second - the Spaniard is in utter control - and Hamilton's car is just being out-matched at the moment. The Briton is now four seconds behind. Raikkonen is losing around a second a lap with his car heavy with fuel and the chances of his one-stop strategy paying dividends look slimmer than a supermodel's ankles right now.

Lap 29: As Alonso continues to pull away from Hamilton - his lead now nearly three seconds - Kimi Raikkonen is already 19 seconds off the pace with 24 laps remaining. His challenge looks done and dusted and that will have a disastrous impact on Ferrari's constructors' championship push.

"We know Hamilton - first place is everything, second is nothing - and this race is far from done in my eyes."
Maurice Hamilton on BBC Radio 5live

Lap 28: Hamilton now trails Alonso by over two seconds and he is struggling to keep pace with the Spanish world champion.

"Hamilton is the one. Come on son you can do it."
Tony, London via text

Lap 25: Raikkonen comes in and McLaren pair Alonso and Hamilton cruise back into the lead. Assuming the Finn is on a one-stop strategy, his challenge now appears to be to stay within 20 seconds of Hamilton and Alonso if he is to take advantage of their second stop later in the race.

Lap 23: Poor, poor pit for Kubica, who comes in from second only for the lane crew to struggle with the jack - the car falling off it and then the jack getting wedged underneath the car late in the stop - and nearly 18 seconds are lost thanks to that struggle.

Lap 20: Alonso comes in and concedes the lead to Raikkonen - but, vitally, he emerges just ahead of Hamilton from the pits. And the battle for seventh continues apace, as Rosberg finally overtakes Button with a fabulous manoeuvre on turn six.

Lap 18: Hamilton comes in for a refuel - perhaps explaining his faster laps over the last few - and he'll definitely be in again before this race is out. Button continues to hold off Rosberg and that's something of a titanic battle back there.

Lap 17: Alonso's lead over Hamilton is down to 1.1 seconds now, and the Briton is slipping into top gear.

Lap 16: James Steele has a handle on this race so far - Alonso is lapping at very nearly a second faster than Raikkonen in third and McLaren are in control. It could be a dogfight at the front between Alonso and Hamilton, though, as the Briton takes two 10ths off Alonso's lead on that lap.

"It's turning out to be far from the greatest home race for Ferrari so far."
James Steele on 606

Lap 14: Alonso leads Hamilton by a second and a half, with Raikkonen a further nine seconds behind.

Lap 11: Alonso is in full control of this race at the moment, lapping at around a 10th of a second faster than Hamilton every lap. Jenson Button does brilliantly to defend his seventh spot under a fierce challenge from Nico Rosberg, though the German is all over the Briton right now. And that's it for Massa! The Brazilian understandably furious as he comes in and leaps out of the car in the garage... surely his title challenge is over now.

"Disaster for Massa, who looks out of this already."
David Croft on BBC 5live

Lap nine: Surprise early on, with Felipe Massa pitting for a tyre change with less than a quarter of the race gone - not sure if the Brazilian punctured over the debris left by Coulthard's crash, but he seems to be testing the suspension as he emerges. As the lap develops it is clear he is struggling at barely half-pace and is that his race - and championship - hopes done for?

Lap eight: The McLarens are zipping around at about a second faster than the Ferraris at the moment, though the Italian team insist they have the speed over the course of a race to challenge...

"You'd better make this commentary good - ITV are not showing the race in Wales at all!"
Luke, Bangor via text

Lap six: The safety car comes off and the race will get going for real now... Hamilton has a go on turn one - first on the inside, then on the outside - but Alonso slams the door shut and it's as you were in the leading pack.

Lap four: With the safety car still out on the track, no car takes the opportunity to pit for more fuel or a tyre change. This is only helping Jenson Button's cause at the moment if, as suspected, the Briton is on a one-stop strategy.

Lap two: The safety car is out as a result of Coulthard's crash and it's settling down a bit after a ferocious start. Raikkonen leaps up a place just before the safety car's emergence, though, and that's exactly what the Finn needed early doors...

"It looks like Massa nudged Hamilton onto the kerb, there, and he should be alright as a result."
Maurice Hamilton on BBC 5live

Lap one: It all happens on turn one - Massa gets away quickly from the off, overtaking Hamilton on the opening stretch after Lewis sweeps across the track in an attempt to restrict his speed, only for the Briton to regain second spot on the first corner. However, the rookie was forced onto the tarmac in doing so, missing the turn, and he might be penalised a place for that... David Coulthard, meanwhile, crashes out at Curva Grande after his front wing splits - disaster for the Scot.

"Don't forget Jenson, his qualifying was strong and it would be great to see him sneak a couple of points."
James Bolton, Acton via text

"I predict surprises...., but no matter what the surprise is, Alonso will win! C'mon Ferraris!!!"
PumpinGun on 606

1259: Well, most of the leading pack are on hards - Kimi Raikkonen is on softs...

1257: Unofficial word that all bar the top eight are on one-stop strategies today, with the leading pack all planning two stops. And it appears the leaders are all on hard tyres as well. The drivers are settled in their cars now and we're just moments away. Tense? I should coco...

"I think Alonso has this race in the bag. Lewis has got to make sure he has a strong race to keep his points tally high."
Anon via text

1251: Ferrari managing director Jean Todt adopts the Fernando Alonso approach to interviewing revealing, again exclusively, that his team will "try our best and see what happens". Beautiful stuff. Still, he does confirm that Kimi Raikkonen is struggling a touch with a sore neck after his crash on Saturday. What impact might that have?

1247: There are approximately 3.76 million people (exaggeration alert!) scattered around the grid at the moment, with the usual mix of drivers, mechanics and pit-lane beauties dotted about. Oh to be let loose on those... Ahem, anyway, the likes of Nico Rosberg and Anthony Davidson look the very definition of relaxed, while Jenson Button - sporting a brilliantly rubbish beard - is looking to make the most of a rare top-10 start and get in amongst the points. We're less than 15 minutes away now...

"I wont predict because you just never know, as long McLaren brings in a 1-2 I will be glad, but with Hammy being 2 and Fantastico 1."
Gamba112 on 606

1239: Ferrari have now been involved in motorsport for 60 years, for your information, and the partisan crowd are understandably desperate for Raikkonen or Massa to mark the occasion with a home victory. Can Kimi or Felipe spring a surprise? Or are we looking at another two-horse race? Let us know via 606 or text in on 81111.

By the way, song requests for Vernon Kay do not constitute decent F1 chat on the texts so pull your fingers out people...

1231: More cheeky banter form Mr Hamilton, who says: "To come here and get a one-two in qualifying is a great start to the weekend. But we need to see it home on Sunday and get to the line in the same positions," before adding with a wink: "well - similar positions anyway!". With overtaking notoriously difficult at Monza, you have to think a good start is crucial for all the drivers here and, should the McLaren pair be leading after the first lap, Ferrari rivals Raikkonen and Massa might just kiss their championship hopes goodbye...

"This is my selection for the podium today. 1.Alonso. 2.Raikkonen. 3.Massa. Kimi... I still believe in you..."
sandundasa on 606

"Alonso has had several tenths of an advantage over Hamilton all weekend. If he has the lead after the first lap, he should win."
safcfan89 on 606

1218: A quick chat with Alonso track-side, and the Spaniard is keen to put the ongoing McLaren-Ferrari 'spy' row to one side. He reveals, exclusively, that he is will "try to win and do my best" today. Inspirational stuff. Meanwhile Hamilton, who sounds increasingly like David Beckham to me, is less elusive, admitting he is "emotional" about the row, adding that it's "frightening" that he "could be out of a job next week".

"If Hamilton wants to win this race he needs one of two things. Firstly, he needs to hope the difference in qualifying was down to fuel. Secondly, he needs a huge start."
Kalada on 606

1211: It's a glorious day in Monza I am happy to report. I am less happy to report I only know this because I'm looking at it on the TV, rather than bathing under the sun in Italy right now.

"Nine podiums in nine races is a tremendous record for a rookie - it's still quite possible for Lewis to win the championship y'know. Is Mr Alonso still blathering on about bias by the way? :D"
dAVE_mANuTD on 606

1200: Ooh, it's all getting a bit tense now isn't it? Just five races left in the season and it could barely be tighter at the top of the drivers' championship.

Lewis Hamilton leads the way by five points but, with Fernando Alonso starting from pole today at Monza, the British rookie will have his work cut out to extend - or even protect - that lead.

Talking of having your work cut out - Ferrari pair Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen need something really rather special to overhaul their rivals' lead.

Brazilian Massa appears to have the best chance today as he starts from third, while Raikkonen will hope his brain stops buzzing long enough after Saturday's crash in practice to make his challenge from fifth on the grid.