F1 Raceweek: Italian GP in numbers

Monza, August 30: The Formula One season did not disappoint upon its resumption in Belgium last weekend, as Sebastian Vettel closed the gap on Lewis Hamilton in the title race.

Hamilton had capitalised on a change in weather conditions to claim pole, once again demonstrating his talent for driving in the rain, but his Mercedes could not keep up with Vettel's Ferrari in dry conditions the following day.

The German's success at Spa leaves him 17 points behind the leader in the standings ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

However, Monza has not been a happy hunting ground for Ferrari of late. In contrast, Mercedes are on an impressive winning streak at one of the most famous venues on the calendar, with Hamilton victorious a year ago.

Ahead of the latest chapter in an absorbing year, we have combined with Opta to pick out the key numbers ahead of the 14th race on the F1 calendar.

#Seb5 on track! #F1MilanFestival #SF71H pic.twitter.com/rAWdZlV8gY
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) August 29, 2018

4 - Mercedes have won four on the spin at Monza, the most consecutive wins for a constructor at the Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton has triumphed on three occasions, while Nico Rosberg was victorious in 2016.

6 - Lewis Hamilton has recorded the most pole positions at Monza, while he is also only one win away from equalling Michael Schumacher as the driver to have won the most races at the circuit (4).

11 - The title has been decided in Italy on 11 occasions in F1 history, albeit not since 1979, when Jody Scheckter secured the crown with Ferrari when there were still three races remaining in that season.

18 - Unsurprisingly, Ferrari are the most successful team at Monza. They have won on 18 occasions, though not since 2010. They also hold the record for the most pole positions (19) as well.

28 - Marcus Ericsson celebrates his 28th birthday on raceday. He is the only Swedish driver to appear in at least 11 races without recording a single victory, podium place, pole position, fastest lap or even a stint in first place.

52 - No Italian driver has triumphed on home soil since Ferrari's Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966, a 52-year drought.

67 - Monza is the circuit where the most races have been held in the history of the sport.

99 - After finishing third in Belgium last time out, Kimi Raikkonen knows a top-three finish on Sunday will see him bring up a century of podium appearances in his F1 career.

102 - Fernando Alonso - who has announced he will leave the sport at the end of the campaign - is stuck in a dry spell. The two-time world champion has not won in his last 102 outings.