2007 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
MONZA - PREVIEW
The Honda Racing F1 Team heads to northern Italy this week
for the penultimate European race of the 2007 Formula One
season, the Italian Grand Prix held at the historic Monza
circuit. Set in a leafy royal park just north of Milan, the
circuit is the fastest on the Formula One calendar requiring
a unique low-downforce set-up, and is a firm favourite for
drivers, fans and the teams.
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO - Senior Technical Director
"Testing at Monza last week in preparation for the Italian
Grand Prix has enabled us to find a good balance for the car
around this high-speed circuit after running through different
wing, tyre and chassis set-up options. Monza'a many straights
will be a challenge for us, however as in Turkey, we expect
to be stronger in the race than in qualifying, enabling us
to battle strongly with our mid-grid rivals."
JENSON BUTTON
"I always look forward to racing at Monza and it is a
track that I really enjoy as the racing around there can be
very exciting and the atmosphere over the weekend is always
electric. Ascari is probably my favourite part of the track
and you can have a lot of fun through there, particularly
in a well-balanced car. It's a very fast lap with big braking
points so you have concentrate hard the whole way round and
make sure that you use the kerbs to your full advantage to
take every tenth from the lap. We tested here last week for
four days which went well despite the unusually poor weather.
We ran the car in the unique set-up required for Monza with
a lower downforce setting than usual and it performed well.
The race will be tough however I expect our performance to
be more competitive than some of the recent races which gives
cause for optimism."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"Monza is quite simply one of the most special races
on the Formula One calendar and it is a real honour to race
around the legendary circuit. Some of my favourite racing
memories took place at this track, particularly my victories
here in 2004 and 2002. The atmosphere over the race weekend
takes some beating and you can really feel the history of
all the great races that have taken place over the years.
In terms of the track itself, Monza is the quickest circuit
on the calendar, featuring very long straights where top speeds
are in the region of 340kph so the power of the engine is
very important. The cars are run in the lowest downforce configuration
of the year, with stability under braking and the ability
to use the kerbs being crucial to getting a good lap. We tested
at Monza last week in preparation for the race, focusing on
the required set-up and evaluating the tyre options. We set
some reasonable lap times and the car reacted well so I am
fairly happy going into the race weekend."
AUTODROMO NAZIONALE DI MONZA
No of Laps 53 laps
Circuit Length 5.793 km
Race Distance 306.720 km
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is bursting with motorsport
tradition and remains one of the most challenging circuits
in the world. Possessing a unique character and ambience,
Monza is Formula One's oldest road course and despite being
altered from its original layout in the interests of safety,
it is still the fastest circuit on the calendar.
Due to the pace of the circuit, cars must be set up with the
lowest downforce levels possible without causing stability
problems under braking. They must also be able to ride the
Monza kerbs effectively and remain well balanced without too
much understeer at high speed. In addition, good traction
is important for exiting the Rettifilo and Roggia chicanes
effectively and braking must be optimised to cope with the
very high temperatures generated when drivers slow from top
speed to negotiate these low speed sections. Overtaking is
possible at the first and second chicanes but the fast corners
before each passing place make it hard to follow another car
closely due to modern aerodynamics and races can become quickly
strung out. These days, the slipstreaming manoeuvres seen
in the past tend to take place only when cars on two-stop
strategies have a significant performance advantage over heavier
one-stoppers.
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