Italian Grand Prix - Preview
OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD
Panasonic Toyota Racing heads to the high-speed Monza circuit
this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix, the home race for
Jarno Trulli. After a disappointing race in Turkey on the
newest track in Formula 1, the team is determined to bounce
back on one of the oldest. Monza was built in 1922 and since
then has become synonymous with high-speed racing. Three chicanes
have slowed the track slightly over the years but Monza remains
a theatre of speed and the team will bring a specific low-downforce
aerodynamic package to Italy, including new front and rear
wings, and other aerodynamic changes. Jarno and Ralf Schumacher
will work on optimising the Monza package, as well as understanding
the soft and medium Bridgestone Potenza tyres, when practice
begins on Friday. After missing out on points in Turkey, the
team are motivated and hopeful of a return to form in Monza.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 11): “Turkey
was a difficult weekend for me after qualifying but, despite
the disappointing result, the positive thing was that the
car felt good during the race. From where we were on the grid
it was almost impossible to achieve a good result but I am
confident we can have a better weekend in Italy. It is always
nice to race in Italy because of the heritage and history
of Monza. We will use a very low downforce set-up because
of the long straights but, as well as high speed, having confidence
under braking for the tight chicanes is important. It is completely
different from most other circuits and that makes Monza an
interesting
challenge for drivers. We will have a different aero package
on the car for this race because Monza is unique. I’m
looking forward to this weekend and hopefully we can show
the potential of our car by fighting for more points.”
Jarno Trulli (Car 12): “For me the
Italian Grand Prix is special because it is my home race and
I get a lot of support from my Italian fans. This is the only
race in Italy so I am really looking forward to it. Monza
has a really special atmosphere and it is a very different
circuit compared to the others, with the very high speeds
on the long straights. The engine plays a more important role
at Monza than some other tracks and you have to work on setting
up the car to be as quick as possible on the straights, but
stable under braking because you need to brake hard from high
speed. We had a disappointing race in Turkey after my incident
at the first corner, which was a shame because the car was
well balanced and we were expecting a better result. Now we
will focus on getting the most out of the car in Italy and
hopefully I can score points in my home race.“
Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis:
“Monza is now a unique challenge in Formula 1, the last
very high speed track remaining. Basically we have to make
a one-off car for the Italian Grand Prix in order to match
the very high efficiency required by the outstanding average
speed around the lap. In that sense it is hard to judge how
competitive you will be, but I am quite optimistic because
we have done a good job and obtained the target figures we
had in terms of aero efficiency. Monza is tough on engines
because a driver is flat out for more than 70% of the lap.
That also makes the engine more of a performance factor at
Monza than at other circuits. Other issues we face at Monza
are braking stability and riding the kerbs. The kerbs are
high and you have to ride them otherwise you lose time, but
that forces you to compromise as ideally you would run the
car lower and stiffer. As well as high speed, the other aspect
to Monza is the history, which makes it a very special venue.
I love Italy and it’s great to race there. We were unlucky
with our race in Turkey but I am optimistic we can be back
fighting for points again this weekend.”
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