Monza holds the file for internet hosting probably the most System 1 World Championship races, with this yr’s version the seventy fifth grand prix to be held on the “Temple of Velocity.” Solely in 1980 was the Italian Grand Prix held elsewhere – at Imola, whereas Monza was upgraded – and with prime 10s in every of his final two visits with Williams, your information to the high-speed 3.6-mile observe is Williams racer Alex Albon.
“I first got here to Monza in 2012 and I’ve most likely raced right here yearly since, other than 2021. So, a good bit. My first ever race in single-seaters was at Monza. I had the largest crash of my life. My greatest crash in motorsports was the primary race of my single-seater profession.
“Popping out of Ascari I clipped the again of one other automotive, rear wheel. After which I mainly did a backwards somersault. Landed on my nostril, after which landed and rolled about 4 or 5 occasions extra. So, begin to my profession!
“It is modified a little bit bit since then, however extra in the way in which they resurfaced it final yr. They usually even have modified Parabolica a good bit. It clearly went to a degree the place it had a full run-off space. And now it is form of are available in between a little bit bit.
“I’d say I most likely most favored it once I first drove it. When it was form of the old-fashioned curbs, no run-off areas and whatnot.
“Braking factors are actually troublesome. One of many bizarre issues about this observe is the tire compounds are gentle, you run very low rear wing, very low downforce, and it’s a scorching observe typically. So, regardless that there’s solely seven correct corners, the lap time and getting the tires to final the lap is basically troublesome.
“The deg right here is huge. It is all straights, you’d assume the tires could be cool, however they are not. So, it’s a problem. The steadiness between driving the curbs nicely. And specializing in downforce to working a low and stiff automotive or a bit increased and softer automotive. The trade-off is sort of essential.
“Sadly, that is develop into much less of a factor as soon as they resurfaced it. These days, the vehicles are working a bit stiffer and a bit decrease than they had been a few years in the past. It is simpler in that sense.
“It feels unusual coming right here working low downforce in comparison with different tracks. You at all times come into FP1 right here and complain, ‘The automotive is horrible. No grip.’ And you then simply alter to it because the weekend goes on.
“It is unusual. For instance, DRS barely does something round this observe. I feel you acquire a tenth to Flip 1 whenever you use DRS to when you do not. There are bizarre quirks across the observe.
“From an engineering setup perspective, it isn’t straightforward. You may have low-speed corners after which every part else is a fourth- or a fifth-gear nook. It isn’t even low and medium. You’ve got obtained low pace and you then’ve obtained medium/excessive pace.
“You might be virtually at all times balancing the 2. You’ll be able to’t have a automotive that is simply good in low pace and excessive pace. You need to make a commerce within the center someplace. You try this lots by competitor evaluation and the place your rivals are. Giving up a little bit bit right here for a little bit bit there.
The mixture of high-and low-speed sections makes setup a compromise at Monza. Lars Baron/Getty Photographs
“You mainly need lots of entrance finish for Flip 1 and a couple of, and Flip 4 and 5, as a result of they’re direction-change corners. In these low-speed chicanes, you want the entrance to show it. Carry the minimal pace and get straight on exit.
“Once you have a look at Parabolica or the Lesmos, it is good to have stability in these lengthy, mixed corners. You wish to carry the minimal pace and get on throttle and never energize the rear an excessive amount of. You then’re preventing – it sort of feels such as you’re spinning plates a little bit bit, making an attempt to get each.
“By way of a driving observe, I feel it is truly a bit overrated in that sense. As a result of it is so cease and begin, it isn’t obtained the stream of a Spa or Zandvoort that we have simply come from.
“There’s lots of pondering time in between straights, which is attention-grabbing. It is a problem in itself as a result of it’s kind of like golf. You’ll be able to overthink it, underthink it, all these form of issues. I simply assume there’s higher tracks on the market!”
AT A GLANCE
Race distance: 53 laps/190.8 miles
2024 pole time: 1m19.327s (Lando Norris, McLaren-Mercedes)
2024 winner: Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Pirelli tire allotment: There isn’t a change in compounds in comparison with final yr, when the observe had simply been resurfaced for the Italian Grand Prix on the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. The C3 is the Onerous, the C4 Medium and the C5 Smooth. Twelve months on, inevitably the floor could have aged, however it’s unlikely to have any vital impact on the vary of doable methods at this circuit, the place vehicles run within the lowest aerodynamic downforce configuration of the season.
It’s doubtless that the most well-liked decisions for the race itself would be the Onerous and Medium. One can assume that the extent of graining might be decrease than final yr because the observe will now be bedded in. Time misplaced within the pit lane for a tire change is among the many longest of the season, so groups will attempt to run as lengthy a stint as doable, protecting degradation underneath management, with the purpose of solely altering tires as soon as.
PIRELLI ITALIAN GRAND PRIX WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all occasions ET):
Friday, September 5
7:25am – 8:30am – First Observe, ESPNU
10:55am – 12:00pm – Second Observe, ESPN2
Saturday, September 6
6:25am – 7:30am – Third Observe, ESPN2
9:55am – 11:00am – Qualifying, ESPN2
Sunday, September 7
8:55am – 11:00am – Italian Grand Prix (53 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN2
