Lewis Hamilton dominated this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix to comfortably beat Sauber’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

From pole position, Hamilton lost the lead only briefly during the pit-stop and even then he looked likely to regain top spot.

Although Alonso drove an excellent race, climbing up from 10th on the grid to finish third, his uninspiring qualifier made it an almost impossible task to win as the championship table was forced wide open, with Hamilton now 37 points behind the Spaniard.

"It was pretty trouble free, I don't think I had any problems," said Hamilton. "The guys did a great job, and I got a great start for once, so very happy with that.”

Alonso remained realistic following his third place “An absolutely perfect Sunday for us. Obviously the win was out of reach after starting 10th.”

The race was full of action and overtaking, there was a moment of major controversy between title contenders Alonso and Vettel, as the German was given a drive-through penalty for forcing the Spaniard off the track.

Alonso’s complained over the team radio: “He pushed me,” and the officials agreed, penalising Vettel with a drive-through penalty. Vettel rejoined seventh but pulled out of the race with just six laps remaining.

Hamilton was in impressive form, but he was only ever challenged on the first corner – holding off Massa’s challenge before building a lead he was able to protect for the rest of the race. Hamilton’s victory means he joins Alonso as the only two drivers to win three races this season.