The final European race of the 2016 season is upon us, the Italian Grand Prix at the legendary Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
This is likely to be the final race on this version of Monza, with substantial layout changes due to be made to the circuit next season but rumours of this weekend’s race being the last appear to have ended thanks to a new three-year deal.
The Mercedes drivers are likely to have more of an advantage here than they did at Spa. Despite the same tyre compounds being available, the lowest downforce levels of the year are required due to the high speeds down Monza’s famous straights. That and a much less demanding sequence of corners means the W07 shouldn’t work its tyres as hard as it did in Belgium.
Who will be best of the rest? Well, that is an interesting question. Red Bull undeniably held that crown at Spa, but Force India and Ferrari were not that far behind.
The power deficit of their TAG Heuer-branded power unit means high-speed circuits are not Red Bull’s forté. Instead, the Italian track may play into the hands of Williams who have gone off the boil a little so far this season. You’d also be foolish to write off Ferrari, especially as they will want to secure a strong result in front of the Tifosi.
Force India overtook Williams in the Constructors’ Championship last weekend and the battle between the teams will be worth watching again on Sunday. Their history at Monza is almost as notable as Spa after Adrian Sutil started second in the 2009 Italian race and claimed the fastest lap that year, despite the car not having a KERS system.
Their current drivers also have good records at Monza. Sergio Perez climbed ten places in 2012 to finish second, whilst Hulkenberg started third and finished fifth here the following season.
As for Williams, their car should suit this circuit due to their low downforce configuration and Mercedes power unit. The same can also be said of Manor who could sneak a point or two this weekend, especially if Pascal Werhlein can get into Q2 for the second qualifying session in a row.
Finally, Kevin Magnussen is expected to be fit to race, despite crashing at the top of Raidillon last Sunday. An incident that resulted in a race suspension and gave the Dane a minor ankle injury.
Read Motorsport will, of course, have reports of every session over the weekend, as well as updates on social media.
Facts & figures:
Track: Autodromo Nazionale Monza Number of Laps: 53 Circuit Length: 3.6 miles (5.8km) Race Length: 190.6 miles (306.7km) Fastest Lap: 1:19.525 (Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW, 2004, Pre-Qualifying) Fastest Race Lap: 1:21.046 (Rubens Barrichello, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, 2004) 2015 Pole Position: 1:23.397, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas 2015 Race Winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas Tyre Compounds: Supersoft, Soft, Medium First F1 Championship Grand Prix: 1950 Most Wins: Michael Schumacher (5)/Scuderia Ferrari (19)
