Vettel leads practice at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has once again dominated the opening practice session at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. The 23-year-old German prodigy, who has seven pole positions and two victories this season, beat rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari by 0.076 seconds.
The Red Bull driver executed a technically brilliant performance of the track during the second practice, to score a lap time of 1:22.839s, beating Jenson Button of McLaren’s first practice time of 1:23.693s. This is a significant result for the Red Bull team, given that critics favor McLaren to be better suited to the overall layout of the circuit. But Vettel, who is currently third in the Driver’s Championship with 151 points, once again showcased a magnificent display for the powerful Red Bull vehicle. The Ferraris and McLarens were left behind with Alonso’s team-mate Felipe Massa in third, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton in fourth, Button in fifth, and team-mate Mark Webber in sixth.
Disappointed with the practice result, Ferrari expressed dissatisfaction with the grip of the track. Other teams are struggling to adjust the composition of their vehicles to better suit the historic track, which is the fastest on the F1 circuit. Massa, who suffered a near fatal accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix last year, came dangerously close to repeating the incident when his car soared off the track when exiting the Curva Parabolica at approximately 150mph, but managed to steer himself to safety.
McLaren, who successfully introduced the F-duct aerodynamic device that has since been put into use by other teams, has worked throughout the week to modify their car for testing. The F-duct aerodynamic device is a new mechanism which “reduces the car’s drag on the straights, allowing them either to have fastest straight-line speed for the same cornering pace, or to run more downforce in the corners without a penalty down the straights,” BBC Sport explained. Due to its characteristic drag, using the device at Monza is a delicate issue, and working between the straights and the corners will be a difficult challenge for the drivers.
With the end of the F1 championship season nearing, the drive for victory is as prevalent as ever in the hearts of the leading contenders. The virtuosic Vettel will try to earn another pole and potentially another victory, of which has eluded him most of the season; Webber will seek to regain first place from current leader Hamilton; and Button will be fighting for points as hungrily as Alonso.
Third practice will take place on Saturday, September 11 before qualifying.
Tags: