Italian Grand Prix Preview
Following on from last week’s Spa Grand Prix, Formula One has kept up the classic circuit theme by heading over to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
Monza along with Spa and Monaco is one of the first tracks you cast your eye for when the new season’s calendar is released. The whole venue is steeped in history; it’s a great track that’s fast unpredictable and exciting.
Of course much has changed since its heyday with almost yearly changes to the original layout. It used to be quite a dangerous circuit particularly in the early days of the sport with many fatalities occurring there.
Monza has also always been one of, if not the fastest track on the calendar. Anyone who has seen the 1966 film Grand Prix will of course remember the famous banked curves that were part of the original track. An era when safety took second place to entertainment.
The banks are long gone and the track doesn’t hold the speeds it did back in the day with the addition of the Curva Grande and Ascari in 1972 slowing things down. Still the track is so fast cars spend 80% of the race on full throttle.
Aside from the sheer pace the main stand out features are the famous Parabolica turn on the final corner, a 134mph curve that is tight and difficult for drivers and leads on to Rettifilo Tribune straight to the finish line. All in all Monza is a classic, fast track steeped in history and one of the best in Formula One.
In terms of drivers once again it’s all about the local boys. Ferrari have got off basically scot-free from the rule-breaking allegations from the German Grand Prix and so we can now take it that they have carte blanche to do as they please. So don’t be surprised to see Felipe Massa stop, reverse and park up across the track to form a barrier in order to give Fernando Alonso a clean run.
Elsewhere Jenson Button has set the pace during the practise run nudging out Sebastian Vettel by 0.097secs. The reigning champion has somehow accumulated enough points to keep him in the running this season, despite being out-driven by McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton for the whole season. However Vettel has scope to be confident as his Red Bull car is the arguably the quickest on the track and well suited to Monza, if only Mark Webber didn’t have on as well.
Hamilton was the winner in Spa and is the current championship leader; he will be looking to continue his consistent season with another solid drive. The McLaren man is the one to beat and a win here will further strengthen his title ambitions.
Meanwhile Robert Kobica will want to build on his third-place finish in Belgium, while Nico Rosberg will be aiming for the podium finish that Mercedes team mate Michael Schumacher badly craves.
It’s highly unlikely Rubens Barrichello will replicate his triumphant win of last season, but he can take heart from the fact that every time he races now he sets a new record for competing in the most grand prix's ever.
Let’s just hope the other drivers don’t buy him a cake to mark every broken record or he won’t be able to fit in his car.
Tags: