After Sebastian Vettel took a comfortable victory in Belgium to reduce the championship lead down to 17 points, round 14 of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship heads to the atmospheric, popular and famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken D’Italia 2018, where “The Tifosi” come in their droves to support the mighty Ferrari. This will be the 88^th Italian Grand Prix since 1921 and the 84^th time that the event will be held at Monza.

 

 

A look at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza

 

 

Built in the Royal Villa of Monza Park in its woodland setting, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a permanent racing circuit located near the city of Monza, North Milan in Italy. The circuit has played host to the Italian Grand Prix since the sport of Formula 1 began in 1950 with the exception of 1980 where the race was held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola) in San Marino while the Monza circuit underwent refurbishment. The site has three tracks including the Grand Prix circuit, the 2.405km (1.494 mile) short circuit and a 4.250km (2.641 mile) high speed oval with steep banking which has been unused for many decades. The main features of the Grand Prix circuit include the Curva Grande, the Lesmos, Variante Ascari and Parabolica.

 

The first track was built from May 15 to July 1922 and financed by the Milan Automobile Club. The original circuit was 10km (6.25 miles) long with a flat banked oval section and a road circuit all combined into one. Since then it has continuously undergone many modifications and changes due to driver and spectator safety reasons.

 

The 1.6L turbocharged V6 hybrid engines displayed speeds of up to 360 kph (223 mph) in 2016. The circuit is mostly flat but has a gradual gradient from the second Lesmo up to the Variante Ascari. Due to low aerodynamic profile needed, with its resulting low downforce, the grip is very low, and understeer is a more serious issue than at other circuits on the calendar. However, oversteer is also present in the second sector, requiring use of a very distinctive opposite lock technique. Since both maximum power and minimal drag are key for speed on the long straights, only drivers with enough power or aerodynamic efficiency are able to challenge for the top positions. The drivers are full throttle for nearly 80% of the lap due to its long straights and fast corners.

 

The modern Grand Prix layout is 5.793km (3.900 miles) in length with 11 corners and runs in a clockwise direction.

 

Race distance is 306.720km (190.597 miles) in length with 53 laps in total.

 

Rubens Barrichello holds the fastest lap record with a 1:21.046 set at the 2004 event in his Scuderia Ferrari F2004.

 

Michael Schumacher holds the record for most victories at the Italian Grand Prix with five.

 

Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful constructor at its home Grand Prix with 19 victories.

 

The Last Five Winners

 

 

2017: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2016: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG F1. 2015: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2014: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2013: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing.

 

Tyres

 

 

With the Autodromo Nazionale Monza featuring some the F1 calendar’s fastest straights and the teams running a low downforce/drag setup, F1’s sole tyre supplier Pirelli will be bringing with them the red-branded P Zero Supersoft, yellow-marked P Zero Soft and the white-branded P Zero Medium tyre compounds along with the green-marked Intermediates and blue-branded Full Wet compounds in case of rain. Pirelli brought the Super Softs, Soft and Medium compounds so they can meet the unique demands of performance and durability that the Monza circuit usually requires.

 

With high energy loads up to 4.5g and all forces at work encouraging heat build-up through the tyres and big impacts with the kerbs, the tyre compound and structure is tested to its limits throughout the lap and is more demanding than a slow circuit. With a low downforce setup used at Monza, the drivers need to take care of the rear tyres, so they don’t provoke wheelspin especially out of the Variante del Rettifilo and Variante della Roggia chicanes.

 

At Monza, the top three teams have opted for similar amounts of the more durable medium compounds, with all three giving two sets to one driver and one to the other. Ferrari have almost avoided the soft tyres and have gone more aggressive with the supersofts.

 

Reigning Champions Mercedes have selected two sets of mediums, three softs and eight supersofts for Lewis Hamilton and for team-mate Valtteri Bottas, one set of mediums, four softs and eight supersofts.

 

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has gone with one set of softs, two mediums and ten sets of the faster supersoft rubber while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen has opted for one set of mediums, two softs and ten sets of supersoft rubber on offer.

 

Red Bull’s choices are in-between Ferrari’s and Mercedes, with Daniel Ricciardo choosing two mediums, three softs and eight supersofts and Max Verstappen will have one medium, five softs and seven supersofts at his disposal.

 

McLaren have followed Verstappen’s choice of selecting just seven sets of the supersofts for Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne with both drivers also opting for two sets of mediums and four sets of softs.

 

DRS Zones

As in 2017, there will be two DRS zones at Monza. The first zone detection point is 95 metres before turn seven with the activation point 210 metres after turn seven. The second zone detection point will be 20 metres before turn 11 with the activation point 115 metres after the finish line. *Info to be updated when released.

 

Pitlane Speed Limits

Pitlane speed limits will be 80km/h during practice, qualifying and the race.

 

ICYMI: Belgian GP Rewind – Vettel storms to dominant victory

 

 

Sebastian Vettel cruised to a comfortable Belgian Grand Prix victory at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps as a chaotic first corner crash became the major talking point following the sport’s return from its traditional summer break.

 

Vettel slipstreamed title-rival and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton down the long Kemmel Straight on the opening lap, flying passed the Silver Arrows with both Force India’s of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez close to making it four cars wide heading towards Les Combes.

 

Ocon pulled out having almost running wheel-to-wheel with Vettel, which allowed the German to keep the lead from Hamilton as Perez made the move around the outside of Ocon into third place.

 

That happened just before the deployment of the sole safety car of the Grand Prix following a dramatic first-corner incident at La Source, which saw McLaren’s Fernando Alonso launched into the air over Charles Leclerc.

 

Nico Hulkenberg locked the wheels of his RS18 works Renault and slammed into the rear of Alonso, who was sent into the back of and then over Leclerc and hitting the Sauber’s halo safety protection device in the process.

 

All three cars were eliminated from the race with all drivers emerging unscathed.

 

Daniel Ricciardo’s RB14 suffered a broken rear wing as a result of Alonso’s flying McLaren, which caused the Red Bull to run wide through La Source and gave Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari a right-rear puncture.

 

Ricciardo and Raikkonen then pitted to repair their respective entries before rejoining, although both drivers did not finish the race, Raikkonen returned to the pits a few laps later whilst Ricciardo fell two laps from the lead as the Red Bull crew worked on his car then retired from the Grand Prix with 13 laps remaining.

 

The safety car stayed out for four laps following the opening lap drama, with Hamilton pushing for the overtake on Vettel then backing off into the Bus Stop Chicane at the restart but the Briton fell back after a minor lock up.

 

Vettel built a comfortable three second gap until the Mercedes crew called Hamilton to stop on lap 21, with the German covering the Briton with his stop a lap later.

 

Hamilton’s “hammer time” out lap threatened to put him with a chance of attacking Vettel, but the Briton caught the Red Bull of Max Verstappen at the end of the lap, with Vettel emerging safe from DRS range.

 

The Ferrari rapidly re-built its solid lead, as Hamilton fell 11 seconds behind, with Vettel crossing the line to take his 52^nd career victory to surpass the legendary Alain Prost for third on the all-time winners list and reducing Hamilton’s lead in the championship to 17 points.

 

Verstappen came home in a distant third to complete the podium, having got ahead of both Force India’s earlier on, passing Ocon on the run down into Les Combes three laps after the race restart and making the same move on Perez a few laps later.

 

Verstappen was half a minute down from the lead with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas coming home fourth and finishing the same amount behind the Dutchman.

 

Bottas started at the back after receiving an engine penalty for exceeding the power-unit component limit for the season by taking the works Mercedes newly upgraded power-train but gradually moved up the field and passing Perez’s Force India with a few laps remaining.

 

That relegated the ‘new’ Force India team to fifth and sixth respectively on its debut, with it’s 18 points earned putting the Silverstone-based outfit instantly in-front of Williams in the Constructors standings and one point behind Sauber, which stays ahead only due to Marcus Ericsson taking home the final point on offer.

 

The Racing Point Force India team also equalled the best points scored for a team on making its Formula One debut, matching Mercedes total of 18 scored in 2010 and Brawn in 2009 (under the old points scoring system).

 

Haas pairing Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen finished seventh and eighth respectively, which pushed the Kannapolis/Banbury outfit to just six points behind Renault in the battle for fourth in the Constructors Championship.

 

Red Bull-bound Pierre Gasly took home ninth place for Honda-powered Toro Rosso and ahead of the aforementioned Sauber of Ericsson who completed the top ten.

 

Carlos Sainz finished outside the top ten in 11^th place meaning Renault have failed to score points for the second time this season.

 

The Williams duo of Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin ended the Belgian Grand Prix in 12^th and 13^th places and in-front of Toro Rosso’s Brendan Hartley and McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne who were brought up the rear and finished a lap down.

 

The Situation

 

 

Lewis Hamilton returns to Monza on top of the Driver’s Championship with 231 points and a 17-point lead over rival Sebastian Vettel who is second on 214 points while Kimi Raikkonen is third and a further 85 points behind the Briton on 146 points.

 

Mercedes heads to Italy sitting on the top of the Constructors Championship with 375 points and 15 ahead of nearest rival Ferrari who are second on 360 points while Red Bull Racing are a further 137 points behind the Silver Arrows in third on 238 points.

 

At the event Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg will be hit with a 10-grid placed penalty for causing the dramatic opening lap collision at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

 

2018 Formula 1 World Driver’s Championship Standings

1. Lewis Hamilton – 231 Points.
2. Sebastian Vettel – 214 Points.
3. Kimi Raikkonen – 146 Points.
4. Valtteri Bottas – 144 Points.
5. Max Verstappen – 120 Points.
6. Daniel Ricciardo – 118 Points.
7. Nico Hulkenberg – 52 Points.
8. Kevin Magnussen – 49 Points.
9. Fernando Alonso – 44 Points.
10. Sergio Perez – 40 Points.

 

2018 Formula 1 World Constructors Championship Standings

1. Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport – 375 Points.
2. Scuderia Ferrari – 360 Points.
3. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing – 238 Points.
4. Renault Sport F1 Team – 82 Points.
5. Haas F1 Team – 76 Points.
6. McLaren-Renault F1 Team – 52 Points.
7. Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda – 30 Points.
8. Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team – 19 Points.
9. Racing Point Force India F1 Team – 18 Points.
10. Williams Martini Racing – 4 Points.

 

The Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken D’Italia 2018 weekend begins Friday August 31 with Free Practice 1 and 2, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying Saturday September 1 and the 53 lap Race Sunday September 2.