Massa can take title lead from Hamilton

After being stripped of a stirring victory in Belgium, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton must fight to keep his Formula One lead in Ferrari's home race on Sunday.

Italian fans will be hoping Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who inherited the win at Spa last weekend after Hamilton was demoted to third and world champion team-mate Kimi Raikkonen crashed out, can pile on the pain at Monza.

"I am really motivated to have a great race there, especially in front of all our home fans," said the Brazilian, two points adrift of Hamilton with five races left.

Last year the oldest and fastest track on the calendar effectively marked the point at which Massa had to swing behind Raikkonen's title campaign after suffering a suspension failure early in the race.

The opposite could happen on Sunday, with Raikkonen now 19 points behind Hamilton going into the final European round of the year and with his own challenge fading fast.

The Finn, without a win since the end of April, refused to give up hope however.

"We'll give it all to win, for the team and for the fans," he said.

"It would be fantastic to win the Italian GP for the first time. I've got nothing to lose, so I'll give it all, going flat out."

If Massa scores two points more than Hamilton, he will go top on race wins (5-4 at present) - at least until McLaren's appeal into the Spa stewards' decision is heard.

The 23-year-old Briton also has high hopes for Monza, with Mercedes-powered McLaren romping to a one-two there last year.

"It is just going to be a very tough fight," Hamilton said of the battle ahead. "But I will do everything I can to make sure I come to the next race just as strong, if not stronger.

"I know I can get stronger, so the team is going to do that and we are going to keep on improving."

If Hamilton does win, his will be the 200th grand prix victory by a British driver.

Apart from the Ferraris, Hamilton will also have to watch out for Poland's Robert Kubica on the BMW-Sauber driver's return to the circuit where he scored his first podium in only his third race in 2006.

Kubica won in Canada in June and is now third overall, a point ahead of Raikkonen. His BMW-Sauber team-mate Nick Heidfeld, second at Spa, was also quickest in testing at Monza last month.

"We have done well at Monza in the past and hopefully it will be the same this year," said technical director Willy Rampf.

Spain's Fernando Alonso won at Monza last year for McLaren, his last victory before leaving the team and returning to Renault.

Alonso, his future still uncertain with several teams waiting for him to decide where he will be next year, has a different agenda this time as he tries to steer Renault to fourth place overall ahead of Toyota.

Statistics

Some Formula One statistics for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix at Monza:

Wins

• Felipe Massa's controversial victory in Belgium, after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was demoted to third place, was the Brazilian's 10th in Formula One, second in a row and fifth of the season.

• Massa has now won one more race than compatriot Rubens Barrichello in the all-time list. The only Brazilians to have won more are champions Ayrton Senna (41), Nelson Piquet senior (23) and Emerson Fittipaldi (14).

• Ferrari have won seven races to McLaren's five and BMW-Sauber's one in 2008.

• Since 1950, the Italian team have won 208 races. McLaren have 161 wins and Williams 113.

Monza

• Ferrari have won six of the last 10 Italian Grands Prix in front of their home fans at Monza. McLaren have, however, won two of the last three.

• The driver on pole position has won seven of the last 10 races at Monza.

• Ferrari's now-retired Michael Schumacher (in 2000 and 2003) is the only driver in the last 17 seasons to win at Monza and go on to take the championship that year.

• The last Italian driver to win at Monza was Ludovico Scarfiotti with Ferrari in 1966. The only Italians in this year's race are Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) and Jarno Trulli (Toyota).

• Fisichella, third in 2005 with Renault, is the last Italian to stand on the Monza podium.

• Ferrari have won 17 times at Monza since 1950, McLaren nine since 1968.

• Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso has not won a race since last year's triumph in Monza with McLaren.

• Poland's Robert Kubica took the first podium of his F1 career at Monza when he finished third in 2006.

Points

• Ferrari and BMW-Sauber are the only teams to have scored points in every race this year.

• Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil are the only drivers yet to score a point in 2008 (not including Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson from the now-defunct Super Aguri).