La Pista Magica

Back in the day, Monza was a circuit where titles could be decided.

The

first

weekend

September

was

the

traditional

home

the

Italian

Grand

Prix

and

after

this

there

would

one,

perhaps

two

exotic

flyaways

afterwards

acting

coda.

Even

when

Red

Bull

started

racing,

the

Italian

Grand

Prix

was

much

part

the

run-in,

with

perhaps

three

races

come.

It’s

different

the

modern

era:

Monza

very

much

mid-season

race.

Looking Through The Fence At Monza

This season has thrown up a few challenges, to say the least and this year, Monza isn't the last European round, it's right in the middle. But that doesn't take away from how special this Italian beauty is.

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a lovely place to come racing. Set within Monza’s Royal Park, with the foothills of the Alps framed in the background at the end of the main straight, this is one of motorsport’s great locations. It is F1’s most-visited circuit: an almost ever-present venue, with only an absence in 1980 (when the race went to Imola) interrupting a string of appearances dating back to the first F1 season in 1950, and beyond.

The history is there to see, not just in the occasional glimpse of the old concrete banking lurking in the woods, but in the memorabilia stalls, the graffiti and the legion of fans.

The Well-Known Graffiti

Usually Mozna is filled with partisan fans and Max's Oranje Army has to take a back seat, but this season, it will be deafly quiet compared to every other years. Although the stands will be empty there will be a 'feel' around the circuit; it's stacked in history.

Our record in Italy is a mixed bag. It’s never really been our track, but wins for Sebastian Vettel in 2011 and 2013 were both achieved from pole position. At other times success has been a little thin on the ground, with our only other podium being a third place for Mark Webber in the 2013 race. It is perhaps this scarcity of silverware from Monza that makes many people in the design office at the Team talk very fondly about Vettel’s 2008 victory for Toro Rosso which, for many of them, was the first winning grand prix car they designed.

The Famous Banking Of The Old Circuit

In more recent times, Monza has been a good circuit for us to take strategic penalties; ahead of races in which our chances of fighting for wins is much higher. It’s produced some spectacular races though. Daniel Ricciardo was given the consolation of the Driver of the Day award in 2017 for a blistering charge from P16 on the grid to P4, in a race that saw him give an overtaking masterclass, including a blistering move on Kimi Räikkönen at the Rettifilo chicane, and very nearly catch Seb for third in an exciting chase to the flag.

2019 saw Max starting the race from the back of grid due to exceeding his quota for power unit components, but he able to battle his way up to P8 and get in the points. Alex, who was racing for the Team for only the second time finished P6.

Monza’s reputation as F1’s Temple of Speed is well-founded. It’s conceivable the cars may hit higher speeds in the thin air of Mexico (or possibly even the thick air of Baku) but nowhere is going to see a higher average speed around the lap – which makes for a fairly short grand prix.

There is, however, more than one way to achieve those numbers. While the tendency is to focus attention of ultimate top speeds, velocity coming off the corners is just as important as through the traps. It’s possible to be the fastest car around the lap with the lowest end-of-straight speeds… if you get the set-up right. The circuit has the reputation of being made for a flat-out blast – but in reality it’s a little more subtle than that.

Daniel In The Track