Monza 2006: Pantano double denies Hamilton glory.

Giorgio Pantano completed a win double in the final round of the GP2 Series at Monza, denying new champion Lewis Hamilton the chance to go out on top after another stirring comeback.

The pair led from start to finish, despite starting from eighth and sixth on the grid, and pulled clear from the rest of the field as Clivio Piccione and Nicolas Lapierre provided a rolling roadblock to aid their getaway. Although Nelson Piquet Jr managed to battle his way past the Frenchman, his race came unstuck while trying pass Piccione for third, a couple of major lock-ups eventually leading to a spin at the chicane that restricted him to sixth at the chequer.

Hamilton, too, proved that he is only human, running wide at the second Lesmo while under Pantano's rear wing and dropping into Piccione's clutches. The leader was only offered brief respite, however, as Hamilton embarked on a charge reminiscent of his comeback in Turkey, climbing back onto Pantano's tail with five laps to go. Despite clearly running faster than the Italian, however, a lock-up at the second chicane - which saw him pass the FMS car by cutting the corner before yielding to avoid a penalty - meant that another passing opportunity never arose.

Piccione held on for third place to give DPR a late-season fillip, while Lapierre headed home a close quartet including poleman Hiroki Yoshimoto, Piquet and Luca Filippi, the Italian jut missing out on points despite being just a second behind the Arden car.

The race was largely decided at the start, as Pantano and Hamilton made incredible getaways from eighth and sixth on the grid to lead into the first corner. Pantano would not have believed his luck as he found clear passage down the right-hand side of the road, while Hamilton opted to switch to the opposite side and calmly drove around the outside of his rivals. Their cause was helped by polesitter Yoshimoto being slow off the line, while Piccione also seemed to bog down in second place. As the following cars jinked to go past the tardy pair, Pantano and Hamilton executed a perfect pincer movement and swept past everyone.

Piquet, meanwhile, was also in fighting mood and, having been deprived of any last chance of taking the title by the stewards' decision to strip fastest lap from Pantano on Saturday, set about trying to end his season on a high, despite starting from seventh spot. The Brazilian was quick to pass Alex Premat and Nicolas Lapierre and, by the second lap, was already under Piccione's rear wing - but he would never find a way past.

Try as he might, Piquet found the Monegasque's car just too wide, and determined not to let the podium place go. After many laps of trying, Nelsinho finally outbraked himself into the chicane and spun, falling behind both BCN cars and the Frenchmen he had dispatched earlier in the race. Although he subsequently dispatched Luca Filippi, and Premat took care of himself with a spin that buried him in the gravel, Piquet had no answer for either Lapierre of Yoshimoto after ruining his tyres in the lock-up, and had to settle for sixth.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was gunning for Pantano, but finding that the Italian was just as stubborn as Piccione had been for his title rival. Pantano wasn't hanging about though, rattling off a series of fastest laps to keep the champion at bay. Hamilton did his best to respond, but eventually pushed just a little too hard through the Lesmos, and ran wide into the gravel exiting the second part of the right-handed combination.

They say that champions have to be as lucky as they are talented, and Hamilton was able to crab across the sandtrap before rejoining, incredibly without losing a place, such hade been his and Pantano's pace at the front. Although Piccione was now as close as he had been all race, Hamilton wasn't about to waste time on defence and, as had been the case after an error in Turkey, put his head down and began another comeback charge.

First time through, the gap to Pantano was six seconds and, with less than ten laps to go, the task of catching, let alone passing, seemed impossible. That is not a word which tends to feature large in Hamilton's vocabulary, however, and by the time he started his penultimate lap, the ART Grand Prix car was less than half a second adrift of its FMS rival.

The pair diced into the second chicane, with Hamilton taking the lead after locking up and being forced to cut the corner. He dutifully handed first place back to Pantano, and the Italian held his nerve over the final lap to win by just 0.411secs.

"This was an unbelievable race," he said afterwards, "The start was something incredible - I actually thought I had jumped the start and was waiting to be called in to the pits, but the penalty never came. Compared to last year, to finish fifth for me and the team in so few races, is amazing. I'm very happy I came back!"

Hamilton, meanwhile, was left to reflect on what might have been, and on what had happened over the entire campaign.

"It's been an amazing season, a sensational rollercoaster," he admitted, "Today, I just wanted to go out and have a good race, and I think I did that. There have been so many highlights this year that it's been amazing, a great feeling. Now the next step is Formula One world champion!"

Free of Piquet's attentions, Piccione duly came home third, a further 13 seconds back from the leading pair, but comfortably clear of Lapierre.

"It's been a tough season, with many ups and downs, but what a great finish - awesome!" he said, "I have some Italian blood in me, so to be on the podium here, with the championship winner in the final round, is just fantastic."

Lapierre was made to work for his best finish since finishing second in the sprint race at the Nurburgring in May, with Yoshimoto, Piquet and Filippi hounding him to the line. The Italian was the one to miss out on points, but had five points in hand over eighth-placed Ernesto Viso, up from 24th on the grid, the soon-to-depart Gianmaria Bruni and Fairuz Fauzy, who completed the top ten.

Premat's undignified exit had no bearing on his quest for third in the championship, having already secured that on Saturday, but may have brought a smile to rival Timo Glock, who was forced to miss the race owing to hand and wrist injuries picked up in an accident on Saturday.