Tag: italian grand prix

Super interesting facts about the Italian Grand Prix
Did you know that Monza is the most visited track in Formula One History, having hosted all but one Italian Grand Prix since 1950?

Here are some super interesting facts published by the FIA, about the Italian Grand Prix to get your mouth watering ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 Gran Premio d’Italia 2013 at Monza.
- The Italian Grand Prix has been run 63 times and all but one race has taken place at Monza. The only exception was the 1980 Italian Grand Prix which was held at Imola, a track which is now more commonly associated with the San Marino Grand Prix.
- Monza was one of seven tracks on the original Formula 1 world championship calendar in 1950. There are three others that are still on the calendar – Silverstone, Monaco and Spa-Francorchamps.
- The circuit layout for the first world championship race at Monza, in 1950, was mostly similar in shape to today’s, except without the chicanes. The chicanes were introduced in 1972 to slow the cars down and have remained ever since, with several revisions of course.
- Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most Italian Grand Prix wins with five. He is just one ahead of Nelson Piquet who won the race twice for Brabham and twice for Williams.
- Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have the best records of any current driver at the Italian Grand Prix. They have both won twice at Monza. Vettel’s 2008 victory was the first of his F1 career and saw him surpass Alonso’s record as the youngest winner in F1 history at 21 years, 2 months and 11 days old.
- Ferrari are the most successful team in Italian Grand Prix history. The scarlet cars have 18 wins, 45 other podiums and 19 pole positions at the Italian Grand Prix. Their last win at Monza came with Fernando Alonso in 2010.
- The opposite is true for Red Bull. Very surprisingly, they’ve only recorded one podium in Italy (Vettel’s victory in 2011) – the same as Toro Rosso (whose podium was also Vettel’s, in 2008).
- The 2005 Italian Grand Prix is one of only four F1 world championship races in history in which there were no retirements.
- Monza is the scene of the fastest ever Grand Prix which took place in 2003. Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher completed the race at an average speed of 247.585 km/h.
- The same race was also the shortest full-duration race in Formula 1 history. It lasted only 1 hour 14 minutes and 19.838 seconds.
- The fastest pole-position lap in F1 history was also recorded at Monza. And, it was also in a Ferrari. But this time, the record was set by Rubens Barichello who completed his 2004 Italian Grand Prix pole lap pole lap at an average of 260.395 km/h.
- Only three Italians have the Italian Grand Prix – Farina (who won the first world championship Italian GP in 1950), Ascari (‘51, ‘52) and Ludovico Scarfiotti (‘66).
- The last Italian driver to finish the Italian Grand Prix on the podium was Giancarlo Fisichella in 2005.
- Rubens Barrichello holds the lap record for Monza in its current configuration – 1m 21.046s. The time was set in 2004 in a Ferrari.
- In the past ten races at Monza, the polesitter has won eight times. However, Monza does not favour the pole man. In fact, in the 62 previous world championship Grands Prix at the circuit, the pole sitter has won only 20 times.
- Of the last ten Italian Grand Prix races at Monza, four have featured the safety car.
- According to Mercedes, the drivers race at full throttle for a crazy 77 percent of the lap distance! The longest time at full throttle is 16 seconds. Drivers will change their gears an average of 46 times per lap which equates to 2,438 gear changes over the 53-lap race.
Photo credit: Ascari chasing down Fangio at the 1954 Italian Grand Prix.

Wikimedia Commons license. Photo is in the public domain.
September 5, 2013
Video: Pirelli Preview for the the 2013 Italian Grand Prix

Mario Isola talks camber and tyre pressures in the run up to the 2013 Italian Grand Prix where Pirelli are bringing the Hard (orange) and Medium (White) compound tyres for the weekend.

September 5, 2013
Monza Memories – Hill hits Schumacher

Monza memories – At the 1995 Italian Grand Prix, Damon Hill hits Michael Schumacher. Hill goes on to blame Taki Inoue for the crash but it was clearly not Taki at fault. What do you think?

September 5, 2013
Italian Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Mercedes F1 Team

The Mercedes F1 Team share their Italian Grand Prix Preview Quotes.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
“Monza is always one of my favourite races and I love driving the track with its unique high-speed and low-downforce layout. The last European race of the season always has a special atmosphere and the Italian fans are so passionate about Formula One. It’s really cool for me that I speak Italian and can communicate easily with the fans in and around the circuit. To go to Monza with the feeling that we have a quick car is fantastic and I hope we will achieve another strong team result as we did in Belgium. We have to keep pushing now and I know everyone is working really hard at the factories to do just that.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
“Monza is a truly amazing circuit and it’s a great feeling to drive at our top speeds of the year there. The layout and atmosphere of Monza are very special and it really feels like you are going back to Formula One’s roots when you race there. The car has a completely different aerodynamic package to anywhere else on the calendar with really low downforce to make the most of the four long straights. My win at the Italian Grand Prix last year was the first of my career at this circuit and it was a great feeling. We had a strong weekend in Belgium with a good team result and that’s what we need to keeping doing in the second half of the season.”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
“The Italian Grand Prix marks the traditional end of Formula One’s European season and is one of my favourite race weekends on the calendar. Monza has a special atmosphere all of its own with its historic location and the passion of the tifosi making it an inspirational venue. From an engineering perspective, Monza is unique and requires a special low-downforce aerodynamic package to make the most of the high-speed layout which also places great importance on the strength of the engine on the long straights. I was very pleased with the team’s performance in Belgium and the consolidation of our current position of second place in the Constructors’ Championship. We weren’t quite in the position to fight for the win but we will keep pushing hard to close that gap and keep fighting.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
“We scored a good team result at the last race in Belgium, with third and fourth places, and that underlined one of the team’s strengths this year: our drivers. As their performances this season have shown, Lewis and Nico are probably the most closely matched and balanced driver pairing in Formula One. Their combination of speed and consistency has taken Mercedes to second place in the Constructors’ Championship and our clear target is to consolidate this position over the coming races. For the Italian Grand Prix, we will use a refined version of the low-drag package introduced at Spa. We hope to see an improvement in race pace after the lessons we learned over the race weekend in Belgium.”

Photo by the Mercedes F1 Team

September 4, 2013
Monza Preview Quotes – Williams F1 Team

Preview quotes from the Williams F1 Team ahead of the Italian Grand Prix this weekend at Monza.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams
“I really enjoy driving at circuits that are rich in history and Monza is one of the most historic we visit and the fans are incredibly passionate. It’s the fastest track of the season and we will be reaching speeds of up to 340 km/h. Most of the corners are high speed which makes it more of an adrenaline boost and the downforce will be very low on the car which makes it more challenging to drive. This circuit gives everyone the chance to open the car up and see what it is capable of on the long straights. I also have a personal affiliation with the area as I lived very close to the circuit for three years at the start of my career, when I was competing in Formula Renault and Italian F3000, so I enjoy coming back. We had a disappointing result at the Belgian Grand Prix, but our car has good straight line speed so should be suited to this track and hopefully we can continue the progress we made in Hungary and score more points.”

Valtteri Bottas, Williams
“In Monza straight-line speed is very important for lap time as well as overtaking or defending in a race so we will run the car with the lowest amount of downforce and drag of the season. Tyre wear will not be as big an issue at this race as some other circuits and because of the high pit loss teams will be trying to pit as little as possible. This is an old fashioned circuit that is high speed and has a number of good overtaking opportunities and traditionally leads to some very close and competitive racing which makes it a good spectacle for the fans. I have fond memories of Monza as this is where I won the GP3 title in 2011, so hopefully I can draw upon that experience and have a good weekend.”

Xevi Pujolar, Williams chief race engineer
“The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is another historic track which we enjoying visiting. It is a circuit of extremes and it differs significantly from most Formula One circuits. It features the highest top and average speed of all circuits, with the second lowest turn angle of the year. It has a high pit loss time and a low fuel effect, which typically pushes the race towards a one-stop strategy.

“As always it is a compromise in terms of set-up, however low drag is favoured here due to the long straights and high track efficiency, although the lack of downforce makes the chicanes tricky. Monza, alongside Monaco, is one of the two races where teams will often take specific aerodynamic components only used at those tracks. The brakes are under considerable mechanical stress due to the magnitude of the change of speed at the end of the long straights, although the long straights do aid in cooling them down again. Monza marks our last outing before the final flyaway races of the season so we will be aiming to leave Europe with some more points on the board.”

Remi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations
“Monza represents the ultimate test for an engine’s outright performance and reliability. Over three-quarters of the lap is spent at full throttle and the maximum speed goes over 330 km/h four times per lap. The cars will also be at the highest average speed of the year; very close to the 250 km/h mark. Only three chicanes break the flow of the lap so drivers try to straightline them as much as possible, however this places its own demands on the engines as the drivers ride the kerbs, momentarily unloading the internals of the units. The phases of heavy braking and acceleration only compound this challenge so we tend to use a new engine where possible.”

Photo by the Williams F1 Twitter Team.

September 4, 2013
Italian Grand Prix Preview Quotes: Force India

Preview quotes from the Force India Team ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

Paul di Resta, Force India

“Based on our past performance you’d say that Monza and Singapore are two of the stronger tracks for us. I’d like to say we can be competitive, but we have to see how it is when we get there on Friday morning. We had a very good qualifying session last year and we ended up fourth fastest so that’s a good sign for this year.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India

“The car is very efficient and we showed good top speed in Spa, so I expect the same this weekend. We are usually quick at Monza and I remember Paul qualified well last year. Also, it’s the track where I got my best result in Formula One in 2009 so historically it’s one of our best tracks.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“Like Spa, the track suits us, so we hope to be able to capitalise on that. But, as I’ve always said, my direction for the technical team has been to develop a car that is competitive on all tracks, which is something we have achieved for the last few years.”

September 4, 2013
Monza Preview Quotes – Pirelli

Pirelli’s Paul Hembery shares his thoughts about what we can expect from a tyre perspective at their home race.

Pirelli
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director

“Monza is obviously our home race, only around half an hour away from our headquarters in Milan. It’s very easy to see why the place has been called ‘the temple of speed’: it’s actually the quickest circuit that we go to all year, and the long straights and fast corners put plenty of energy through the tyres. This means that overheating and blistering can be a problem if not controlled. So correct tyre management can have a very important effect on the race and the strategy, and this is something that the teams will assess during free practice on Friday. Not only the performance of the tyres is tested here but also the durability, as there are plenty of high-speed impacts with the kerbs, which represent another important aspect of this race. Monza is one of the most popular races of the year, with lots of tifosi, and we are very much looking forward to it.”

Photo by the Dell Twitter Team

September 4, 2013
Monza Preview Quotes: Red Bull Racing

Preview Quotes from the Red Bull Racing Team ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull

“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

“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.”

September 4, 2013
Weather Report for the 2013 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix

Monza, the legendary Formula 1 circuit. The home of the Italian Grand Prix. “It really feels like you are going back to Formula One’s roots when you race there”, said Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. It is one of the most iconic Formula 1 circuits.

The weather tends to sunny and hot in Monza. It falls right at the end of the European Summer and it signals the end for the European season in Formula 1.

We expect the weather to be sunny and warm throughout the entire weekend. Temperatures will remain in the mid-to-high 20’s. There is a very slight chance of showers for the race on Sunday but we’re hoping it stays away.

September 4, 2013
Monza Preview Quotes: Lotus F1 Team

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 driver 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.”

Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
“Monza’s a very different circuit from Spa and we have an equally different aerodynamic package for the car. The weather is usually better in Italy than we saw in Belgium this year so that could help us. We certainly expect better performance and results than we saw last time out.”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director
“There’s certainly nothing (about Monza) which jumps up and causes us any great concerns. You need an aerodynamically efficient car – which we have – and a powerful engine which Renault supplies us with. You also need a car that has good change of direction for the interruptions to the straights. Some of the challenges of Monza have diminished over time; an example being the kerbs which are not as aggressive as they once were. You still need to have the suspension sufficiently compliant to enable kerb usage, but it’s not as much of a consideration as before. (A longer chassis) is certainly something we have looked at with the lessons learnt this season and we could see a longer wheelbase configuration make an appearance in Monza.”

Photo by the Lotus F1 Twitter Team

September 3, 2013