Race Date: 08 Sep 2013
Round 12 of the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship sees the paddock journey to one of the most historic circuits on the calendar - the high-speed heaven that is Monza. Those involved in the Formula 1 Gran Premio d'Italia 2013 discuss their prospects for the coming weekend…
Circuit Name: Autodromo di Monza
First Grand Prix: 1950
Number of Laps: 53
Circuit Length: 5.793 km
Race Distance: 306.720 km
Lap Record: 1:21.046 - R Barrichello (2004)
Last year Vettel DNF'ed due to an alternator issue
Grosjean was not allowed to race @ Monza due to Spa incident
Lewis Hamilton won
Lotus is introducing a longer wheelbase version of their car
and we might hear Red Bull's driver announcement (hopefully)
Edit: Well, we know now that it is Ricciardo
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2012 Qualifying - 6th, 2012 Race - 22nd
“Monza is the fastest circuit of the year. The track itself is in principle only made up of straights and chicanes. Because of this we reach the fastest top speed of the year at Monza, getting up to 330 km/h. The acceleration through the Parabolica is a balancing act - if you make the smallest error then you will slide straight into the gravel before you know it.
“This track brings back great memories for me, mainly from my first win there in 2008 with Toro Rosso. I can’t describe the feeling of standing on the top of the podium for the first time, and Monza was one of the best places to experience it because of the thousands of passionate fans that stand beneath, it gives you goose bumps.
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2012 Qualifying - 11th, 2012 Race - 20th
“I like Monza a lot because it’s very Formula One in terms of its history and its atmosphere. All of the greats have raced there and I have an affinity with Italians from my Minardi days. The track is one of a kind, it’s an incredibly fast circuit with high top speeds, so there’s a lot of heavy braking. Monza has never been that kind to me; I’ve had a few retirements and have never finished on the podium, so I want to get a good result there this year!
“The Tifosi really make the atmosphere of the weekend, they go ballistic and they’re very passionate about a certain red team. They will climb anything to get a good view: they sit in trees, on billboards and after the second Lesmo they sit on the old banking with their feet hanging over the barrier. Overall, Monza is one of the races that I recommend people go to.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2012 Qualifying - 8th, 2012 Race - 5th
“It’s true that I have never won in Italy. For one reason or another things just haven’t worked out for me, but it doesn’t mean I can’t drive the track. Just because I have not won at a circuit in the past it doesn’t mean that I won’t win or get a good result there in the future. It is true that I have previously had some very competitive weekends there - once or twice I have been close to the win - but something has always gone wrong. Hopefully we will have a real chance to fight for that victory this time.
“Monza’s a historical place with a unique design where we achieve very high speeds. It’s a real challenge for everyone to be running so fast and a really good feeling in the car. It’s the home of the Tifosi and there will be a lot of Finnish fans there too. The atmosphere is just out of reach for every other Grand Prix. It’s great to go there with everything working well in your car and see how quickly you can go. It’s the place where we go really, really fast.
“Monza always gives a great challenge. It’s so different compared with the more modern circuits as the layout means the car needs to be set up differently. To go fast at Monza you need a car that is good aerodynamically, stable over the kerbs, and has a strong engine as we are using full throttle for most of the lap. I think we should be pretty good in those areas, but we won’t know exactly how good until we get out on track.
“It’s a unique circuit with the high speeds achieved there and everyone will be running the lowest level of downforce we see all year. Low downforce has not always been the best for our car, but the factory has been working hard to get more speed and stability for us with some changes to the car. Let’s wait and see how the car goes on Friday morning and then we’ll have a better idea of what can be achieved.”
Romain Grosjean, Lotus
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
“It’s a race I wasn’t allowed to contest last season and as a racing driver all you want to do is race, so I can’t wait to take to the track for the first time in practice on Friday morning. It’s a very historic venue; a beautiful circuit in a fantastic location and racing there is always great. It’s a special feeling when you are blasting through the park along the Monza straights, and there are so many really enthusiastic fans there. I have to admit, though, it’s not only the racing I’m looking forward to as Italian cuisine is superb. I’ll be visiting a couple of restaurants during my stay…
“For the designers, you need to have a car that’s very slippery through the air. Then for the engineers, you have to make the correct decision on gearing to make the most of the slippery car and engine power along the straights. For the
river in the car, there are a couple of heavy braking areas where you are slowing from the highest speeds of the year, so you have to be careful to get your braking right otherwise you can overshoot the corner. You see that quite a few times over the weekend.
“It can be quite hot there sometimes and it can be hard on the tyres. Considering that this is where we seem to have an advantage with our car, let’s hope for both! You use the kerbs quite a bit, which looks good on the slow motion cameras but you certainly know about it in the car! Basically, it’s a pretty great track.”
Sergio Perez, McLaren
2012 Qualifying - 13th, 2012 Race - 2nd
“Monza is probably the most beautiful circuit in Formula One - it’s just so historic; from the moment you arrive, you can feel it’s just different from any other place we visit. In fact, I had one of my best races in Formula One at Monza last year - everything came right on Sunday afternoon, I looked after the tyres beautifully and overtook Fernando Alonso on my way to finishing second, which equals my best-ever result in the sport. That was a fantastic day.
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Caterham have confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen will drive for the team during first practice in both Belgium and Italy.
Kovalainen, who raced for Caterham for three seasons between 2010 and 2012, will get behind the wheel of Charles Pic’s Renault-powered CT03 during FP1 at Spa, before taking over Giedo van der Garde’s car at Monza.
Caterham say that the work the experienced Finn will conduct will mirror that he did during similar runs for the team in Bahrain and Spain earlier in the season.
Here is Jean-Eric Verne doing wheelies at last year's Monza:
