Formula 1 has headed straight to Italy for the usual late-summer blast between the trees at the picturesque Monza circuit. Motorsport Week previews the event and provides the key statistics.
History
The Italian Grand Prix is inextricably linked with Monza – a high-speed circuit located in a Royal Park to the north of the major urban conurbation of Milan.
Brescia hosted the inaugural Italian Grand Prix in 1921 but a year later the event switched to Monza, where it has been held each year since 1949, barring 1980, when the venue was being upgraded.
As a consequence, the venue is steeped in history, with moments of tragedy and triumph intertwined.
Italy also hosted a second round of the championship between 1981 and 2006, at Imola, under the San Marino Grand Prix moniker.
Circuit
Monza is renowned worldwide for its high-speed nature, with a sequence of chicanes and medium-speed corners punctuating the long straights.
The circuit used to incorporate a banked oval section but this has not been used since 1961, though the old section still remains to this date, and crosses over the current layout.
The lap begins with a blast along the main straight before the tight right/left Rettifilo Chicane, where drivers brake from 330km/h to just 70km/h.
A short spur takes the drivers through the long-radius Curva Grande, in effect a lengthy acceleration zone until the Roggia Chicane, a left/right sequence where drivers need to maximise the high kerbs while staying clear of the thin strip of gravel on corner exit.
The drivers dart beneath the shade through the two right-hand Lesmo bends, the second a more open kink that leads drivers towards the Ascari Chicane, a medium-speed complex that requires supreme commitment through a narrow segment of track, with the gravel and walls lingering close by.
Parabolica, a medium-speed right-hander that gradually opens outwards, brings drivers back onto the main straight to complete the six-kilometre lap.
The circuit places a major emphasis on engine power and braking prowess, while also testing the drivers’ ability to nail the corners while running a lower-than-usual downforce set-up.
What happened in 2017?
A soaking wet qualifying session was topped in dominant fashion by Lewis Hamilton, who used his track advantage to cruise clear in race trim.
Williams’ Lance Stroll and Force India’s Esteban Ocon started second and third respectively, though both were soon overhauled by Valtteri Bottas, who capped a Mercedes 1-2, its third in four years, as it maintained its supremacy at the track in the hybrid era.
Ferrari endured one of its worst outings of the campaign as Sebastian Vettel came home a lowly third, prompting widespread condemnation from the national press.
Hamilton’s win was his fourth at the Italian Grand Prix as he added to his triumphs in 2012, 2014 and 2015 respectively.
It drew Hamilton level with Nelson Piquet on four wins, though Michael Schumacher still holds the all-time record on five victories, all achieved with home favourite Ferrari.
Vettel will move level with Hamilton should he triumph this weekend, having taken victories in 2008, 2011 and 2013, the first of those his maiden win in the sport, achieved with Toro Rosso.
Fernando Alonso was successful in 2007 and 2010, the last of those triumphs the most recent home win for Ferrari.
Other details
Hamilton heads to Monza 17 points clear in the standings, having finished runner-up to title rival Vettel at last weekend’s post-summer return in Belgium.
In the Constructors’ battle Mercedes holds a 15-point advantage over Ferrari.
Tyre supplier Pirelli has nominated the Supersoft (red), Soft (yellow) and Medium (white) compounds for an event that is typically a straightforward one-stopper.
Either the Soft or Medium tyres must be run for one stint of the 53-lap Grand Prix, assuming dry conditions prevail.
There will be two DRS zones: one along the pit straight, and the other located along the Serraglio Straight.
Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg will drop 10 places on the grid from wherever he qualifies after being held responsible for causing the first-lap pile-up at Spa-Francorchamps.
McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris will have another outing in FP1, this time in place of the under-pressure Stoffel Vandoorne.
Formula 2 and GP3 will act as the main support series, with both championships now heading towards the home straight.
Weather forecast:
Friday: Risk of thunderstorms, 25°c
Saturday: Sunny spells, 25°c
Sunday: Sunny spells, 25°c
Timetable: (GMT+2)
Friday 31 August
FP1: 11:00 – 12:30
FP2: 15:00 – 16:30
Saturday 1 September
FP3: 12:00 – 13:00
Qualifying: 15:00 – 16:00
Sunday 2 September
Race: 15:10 (53 laps or two hours)
What next?
Singapore will host the 15th round of the season, the Singapore Grand Prix, from September 14 to September 16
