Positions after lap one of 53-lap race:

1 S Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari

2 H Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren

3 M Webber Upset at Belgian Grand Prix ...
Doubts grow on Russia's WTO plans ...
Hamilton on pole for German Grand Prix ... (Aus) Red Bull-Renault

4 S Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari

5 N Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota

6 F Massa (Brz) Ferrari

7 J Trulli (Ita) Toyota

8 F Alonso (Spa) Renault

LATEST ACTION (all times BST)

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Lap two: Bourdais is released from the pits after having all sorts of tweaks in the peak - if he can catch the back of the pack he'll have all the temperature in the tyres and a great advantage... the lights are off of the safety car and the race proper will start soon...

Lap one: Oh dear, disaster for Sebastian Bourdais - as the race starts (without a regulation formation lap as the safety car leads off) the Frenchman is left stalled on the grid - he will drop from fourth to the back of the grid. Ouch.

1258: Nakajima and Button - wisely - opt to start from the pits, meaning they can change anything they like on their cars. They were way back on the grid anyway and that should help their set-up immensely.

1256: The cars are all set now behind the safety car for their 'warm-up' laps - a great chance for them to assess any standing water, the track conditions and the visibility. The rain is pelting it down now and the crucial thing now will be what cars and teams are set up for the dry and which are set up for the wet. All teams on extreme tyres behind the safety car to start, of course.

"I got odds of 1/450 on Sutil to take a toilet break halfway through the race."
FergiesDan on 606

"Lewis has the cleaner, drier line into the first corner, compared to Kimi, and should take position, but he might live to regret questioning Kimi's presence downstairs."
RidRed on 606
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1250: Confirmation comes through - it will be a race started behind the safety car. Visibility out there is pretty darn poor.

"Re: Anon via text (below) - Everyone has used all three sets of wets, no one has a new set of extreme wets for the race."
RickRipper on 606

1247: Still no official word on a safety car start, but it is very wet out there. Bernie Ecclestone points out conditions at Monza haven't been like this since 1985 and adds: "It would be nice to see the guy who starts the race on pole. That said, the stewards are going to have a tough ol' day..."

"How did Schumacher used to start so way down in the track and still manage to make it to the podium??? Hamilton needs all of that now. He needs to try and win."
sadiewam on 606
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"I heard Lewis had it all planned. He used one set of wets, while the rest used two, he then did a rain dance and now his got two new sets for the race. It's going to be a cracker."
Anon via text

1242: "It's been drizzling on and off all morning but it's properly raining now. There is no doubt the race will start on a wet track and it seems extremely unlikely that anyone would even risk intermediates - although that's counting without another brain-fade moment from Hamilton and McLaren.

"With as many predictions for this afternoon as there are cars on the track, no-one seems to know what's going to happen."
BBC Sport's Andrew Benson at Monza

"We may not see too many cars finish. Fernando Alonso is saying that it is incredibly dangerous and that they will have to start behind the safety car."
Cricketing_stargazer on 606
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1237: Felipe Massa is out on his exploration laps and already he looks to be struggling with grip, almost spinning at half speed at Curve Grande. This could be a lottery and a safety car period has to be a pretty hot tip right now - Saturday's GP2 race started under the safety car, by the way.

"I hope Force India don't get any points, I have £5 on Sutil to not finish!"
TadpoleThe1st on 606
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1231: Aaaannnddd... after a relatively dry morning the rain is now falling rather heavily. Any consideration of intermediate tyres will now surely be put to bed, it'll have to be the full wets I reckon.

"I am hoping massa does his usual terrible wet weather driving and spins out 5 or 6 times, thus giving lewis at least a breather."
Jimbob, Nottingham via text

1229: Lewis Hamilton has been speaking ahead of the race, saying: "Saturday was one of those days when you look back and realise "what was I thinking?!". It was a terrible qualifying session but, today, I just want to get round of the first couple of laps unscathed and once I've done that I know I've got a competitive car and can push up the order."

"Let's hope for Lewis's sake Heikki wins the race and Massa finishes around 5/6th. Just you watch Lewis take-over the cars but first he has to get past Kimi who has a faster car in a straight line!"
samwaller92 on 606

"If Hamilton has no chance, according to some 606ers, then this is a seriuosly boring sport! I don't ride motorbikes, nor have I ever wanted to, but watching MotoGP as a specatcle makes Grand Prix without rain pitiful."
mullerman on 606
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1222: "Jose Mourinho is one of the celebrities in the paddock here at Monza, fresh from watching his Inter Milan side take a dramatic victory over Catania at the San Siro last night. Ex-Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari was sent off when Inter were 1-0 down, but they equalised almost immediately before going on to win.

"The game was punctuated by a series of player melees and Mourinho is already garnering some criticism in Milan for the lack of flair his side are displaying."
BBC Sport's Andrew Benson at Monza

"I think Alonso could have a chance to win if the conditions are damp and not fully wet. If it is fully wet it could be anyone's race. If it's dry it's more likey to be Massa."
Blasos on 606
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"I don't know about Monza, but there is plenty of overtaking at a sunny Silverstone today - I'm watching the 1000km Le Mans series. Good luck to McLaren as they battle the elements, 10 other teams and the FIA!"
Simon Treen via text

"What a great looking grid. After last week's efforts, this is set up for a cracker - hopefully!"
MightyWhite77 on 606

"My 1-2-3: 1. Massa 2. Kovelainen 3. Rosberg."
The Navster on 606

1214: "Hopes are high for a fantastic race, with the cars lining up on what's pretty close to a dream grid. A Toro Rosso on pole, Massa in sixth, and Raikkonen and Hamilton down in 14th and 15th and desperate to make up places should guarantee plenty of action.

"If it's dry, Heikki Kovalainen, second on the grid in the McLaren, must be a strong favourite for victory, but it doesn't look like being dry - at least not all the time.

"It's not as wet as Friday or Saturday but it has been raining on and off all morning, and with the forecast predicting light rain all day it seems likely conditions will be changing throughout the race, which always spices things up."
BBC Sport's Andrew Benson at Monza

"Well it's obvious isn't it? Hamilton has chosen to demote himself so that he knows exactly what he has to do to win the race. A cunning plan!"
Artcrunchy on 606

"It all depends on the rain because I would think Toro Rosso have their car set up for the wet, which will comprimise their speed in the dry."
vidic4ever on 606
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1209: A quick word on Vettel, then, not to mention team-mate Sebastien Bourdais, the Toro Rossos impressing all in qualifying with a super performance in the wet yesterday. Perfect choice of tyres, perfect timing, and near perfect driving. Two of the more exciting, lesser known talents in the sport and I wonder if this coming of age isn't just what we needed after last week's controversy. Heikki Kovalainen, for one, expects a tough race from the TRs... "We should not underestimate what Toro Rosso have done this year. They have been seriously fast in the last few races. We can't take anything for granted." It's up for grabs, people. Especially with conditions intermediate at the moment - showery.

1205: "Lewis Hamilton's catastrophic decision to choose intermediate tyres for the start of the second qualifying session, thus resigning himself to 15th on the grid, is the focus of much debate here today. It was a mystifying call at a time when a) it had been raining for six minutes on to an already damp track and b) he didn't need to take any risks anyway.

"If he carries on making mistakes like that - it was his fifth major error of the season - he won't need to worry about decisions by race officials depriving him of the title; he'll do it himself."
BBC Sport's Andrew Benson at Monza

"Silly aero bits and dirty air problems will make it difficult for Kimi and Lewis to overtake, even at Monza. They will both be lucky to make it into the top eight."
Clip The Apex on 606
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1200: Only this week Lewis Hamilton has been telling anyone who would listen that "I'm a racer, I overtake, and I'm one of the best at doing it. I don't feel I need to change that."

Well he's going to have to prove that today if he wants a podium finish - and he may want err on the side of caution in doing so unless he wants to run the risk of another demotion like at Spa last week.

A disastrous qualifying session will mean the young Briton starts 15th on the grid and will have it all to do to overhaul the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen (14th) and Felipe Massa (6th).

However, with rain and sunny spells forecast we are likely to see one of the most unpredictable and, hopefully, exciting races of the season and it is literally all to play for.

One curve ball that has been thrown into the mix this morning is the news that Massa has played his 'joker' and changed his engine ahead of the race - much like team-mate Raikkonen did at the British Grand Prix following his exhaust problem in France.

Traditionally, when you play a 'joker', you do it before qualifying and not after - but, hey, there's the spirit of F1 and then there's the letter of the rules. And this is Ferrari at Monza, after all...

Don't forget to get involved as much as possible via 606 or text on 81111. I want predictions, musings, stories... pretty much anything. That way I get to keep this commentary ticking along nicely and you get to enjoy your 15 minutes of fame by having your name published on Her Majesty's BBC website. Everyone's a winner. Bosh.
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