After the race weekend at the legendary speed temple of Spa-Franchorchamps, the GP2 Series moves on to another prestigious venue: The historic race track of Monza awaits series leader Stoffel Vandoorne, who has increased his championship lead in the previous round with a pole position and a feature race win. Now the Belgian sits at the top of the championship table with 233 points and an advantage of 105 points over second-placed Alexander Rossi. A sprint race win in Belgium gave the Racing Engineering driver a bit of breathing space, however behing him, Rio Haryanto and Sergey Sirotkin are ready to pounce once again, sitting in third and fourth place with 109 points each.
Track and Race Info:
Length: 5,793km
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 11
Feature Race: 30 laps
Sprint Race: 21 laps
Tyres: Hard (orange) & Medium (white)
Key Factors:
– The focus on this high speed track lies of course on low downforce, however, the chicanes and slow corners require a well-balanced car.
– Tyre management is more crucial than ever. The high speeds and hard braking zones put the tyres under huge pressure, and due to the focus on low downforce set-up the mechanical grip is more important than ever. Well-conserved tyres can mke or break a race on this track.
– This is Monza we are talking about, which means that the entire track is a massive challenge for drivers and cars. Apart from the infamous Parabolica, the Variante del Rettifilo is a place to keep an eye on: Many a driver had his race ruined by a first lap crash, and as the hardest braking point on the track it is an excellent overtaking spot. The Variante Ascari is also crucial to a good laptime, and the quick direction changes require a good feeling for the tyres as they put immense stress on the rubber.
Timetable:
Friday: Free Practice at 12:00 local time (CEST), Qualifying at 15:55 (CEST)
Saturday: Feature Race at 15:40 local time (CEST)
Sunday: Sprint Race at 10:35 local time (CEST)
Driver changes:
It is a merry-go-round this weekend on Italian soil: Jann Mardenborough and Patric Niederhauser graduate from GP2’s sister series GP3 and race for Carlin and Daiko Team Lazarus, respectively. Rene Binder switches teams within the series and joins forces with MP Motorsport, running alongside debutant Meindert van Buuren. Johnny Cecotto Jr returns to the series to take over the empty Trident cockpit. Simon Trummer rejoins Hilmer Motorsport after having already contested a weekend with the German team in Austria earlier this season.
