Lewis Hamilton cruised to a dominant Italian Grand Prix victory to put a stranglehold on the world title albeit in controversial circumstances after Mercedes were cleared of breaking tyre rules.

Hamilton's seventh victory this season puts him 53 points ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg as the German retired.

Mercedes were investigated on the grounds the tyres were below the minimum permitted pressure.But the stewards allowed Hamilton to keep his victory after ruling Mercedes had followed safe operating procedures.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was second as Rosberg suffered an engine failure with three laps to go. Hamilton survived a scare in the final laps when his team told him he had to drive flat out but not what the problem was.

It seems Mercedes were trying to get Hamilton to build a lead of more than 25 seconds in case of a penalty for the tyre pressure, which was 0.3psi lower than the minimum amount specified by Pirelli on safety grounds. Hamilton crossed the line exactly 25.0 seconds ahead of Vettel.

Williams's Felipe Massa fended off a late attack from team-mate Valtteri Bottas to take the final podium place.