[Official] Round 14: Italian Grand Prix

[frostie]

Monza has long been a circuit tinged with sadness, it is where drivers such as Alberto Ascari, Jochen Rindt and Ronnie Peterson met their unfortunate ends and this year it is where Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button will try to breathe life into their ailing title charges.

The Circuit

Monza has hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix every year since 1950, with the sole exception of 1980 when Imola played host to the Italian Grand Prix. The circuit has changed very little since its initial races in 1922. The challenges remain the same today as they were when Formula 1 engines first roared into life through the woods of the Villa Reale Park with the current generation of drivers experiencing the highest speeds of the season as they drive from one chicane to the next touching 200 mph four points each lap.

The lap starts with drivers braking from 200 mph down to 50 mph for the Reffililo chicane before the flat out Curva Granda that leads into another slow chicane where drivers slow from top speeds. It was at the start of the ’78 race that Ronnie Peterson died following a mass crash as the field headed to the first corner. Peterson was hit from behind by James Hunt after the 1976 world champion made contact with a fast starting Ricardo Patrase. The Lotus of Peterson was pitched into the barriers with his car then catching fire before Hunt managed to extract the Swede from his car and placed him on the track.

Peterson was still conscious at this point but amazingly Italian police formed a cordon around the title contender and would not allow him to receive medical attention until 15 minutes after the accident. When medics were given access to Peterson he was treated for his burns and a fractured leg and had surgery to set his leg but later that night Peterson died due to infection. It was then decided that medical facilities at race tracks needed to be brought up to a more acceptable standard, a process that has undoubtedly saved countless of lives in the mean time.

Once through the second chicane the middle sector begins and this is where the top drivers will show their speed. The Lesmo corners are two of the greatest challenges facing drivers in the entire season, with low downforce, as a result a slightly skittish car, drivers have to challenge themselves to take these corners as fast as possible because speed is of the essence on the way to the Ascari chicane, named after the spot where double world champion Alberto died in 1955 while testing a Ferrari sports car.

From here the drivers are homeward bound with only the parabolic remaining. This corner can catch out even the very best; Ayrton Senna misjudged his braking in 1987 and slid into the gravel costing him the chance of a superb win for Lotus. In 1970 Jochen Rindt died at Parabolica following a brake failure. The German went on to become the sports only posthumous champion.

Race Preview

Lewis Hamilton comes to Italy fresh from his Spa victory and as the title leader. The McLaren driver will be confident that his MP4-25 will once more be the car to beat this weekend due to their superior F-Duct system that has consistently seen the team top the speed traps throughout the season. Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, is yet to win at Monza but this year should offer him the best opportunity to win at the most historic of all Formula 1 circuits.

Hamilton’s closest title challenger is Red Bull’s Mark Webber and while the Australian will not start this race expecting another victory, he will approach it the same way as he did at Spa-by maximising whatever opportunities come his way. Webber’s race at Spa was once more an illustration of his intelligence and desire to be champion. Following a poor start from pole position Webber was the only driver not to make an error for the duration of the race and was rewarded with a runner up finish.

While everyone around him was making a sizeable error-Vettel crashing into Button, Hamilton running wide when rain fell at the end of the race, Alonso crashing out and Robert Kubica misjudging his braking in the pits and letting Webber slip ahead of him-the 34 year old Australian kept his composure and was rewarded by leaving Belgium as the favourite for the world title.

Robert Kubica has proven this season that he is an elite driver and this weekend’s race should play to the strengths of the Polish driver once more. Kubica has finished on the podium in two of his four Italian Grand Prix and could challenge for another podium at Monza. The Renault was very strong at Spa, and Monza should offer the Enstone based team the opportunity for another strong weekend. The team has developed a very efficient blown rear wing and Kubica will be a challenger once more this weekend. His teammate Vitaly Petrov has shown consistent signs of progress in recent races but the Russian will know that with his future still unsecured that it is crucial for him to have another strong showing.

Alonso and Ferrari know that their title chances are at a crossroads and this weekend’s is the most important race for the team in the last two years. The team face the FIA World Motorsport Council hearing in Paris this week in relation to their team orders in July’s German Grand Prix, which will undoubtedly distract the team in the run up to this race. Alonso needs to maintain his focus and concentrate solely on the race and preparing his car. If there is any driver on the grid suited to this task it is Alonso but with the McLaren expected to be faster this weekend the Spaniard faces an uphill struggle to move himself back into title contention.

This weekend will see one stop strategies abound, this has long been the traditional strategy for Monza, with total pitstop times expected to take in the region of 21 seconds.

This weekend’s weather

The weather was crucial to the excitement of the last race at Spa but at Monza we will characteristic weather with the forecast for clear skies and warm sunshine.

Past Races

With such a rich history of racing it is easy to pick numerous races of note from Monza’s past but some stand out above others. One such race was the 1971 race which was won by Peter Gethin for BRM. Gethin won by a margin of just 0.01 seconds with just 0.61 seconds separating the leading five finishers. This was also the fastest ever Grand Prix featuring a thrilling slipstreaming battle to the finish. Gethin only led three laps, but the led the most important one.

In 1956 Juan Manual Fangio finished second behind Stirling Moss but the race was noteworthy because Peter Collins, Fangio’s Ferrari teammate, graciously stepped out of his car when Fangio suffered a mechanical failure and allowed Fangio to continue in his car. Collins was a title contender but knew that it would take a failure by Moss to win the title for him. His selfless act allowed Fangio to win his fourth title.

1988 was a year that featured unparalleled success by McLaren; the Honda powered team won 15 of 16 race. It was only Monza success that eluded the Woking based team. Monza was staged just a few weeks after the death of Enzo Ferrari and as a result the tifosi came out to pay their respects to the “Commendatore.” The expectation was that McLaren would win once more; qualifying gave good reason for the team to be confident with Senna and Prost locking out the front row. Prost though would not see the flag; he suffered an engine failure at half distance leaving Senna with a comfortable lead at the head of the field. With two laps to go Senna came up to lap the Williams of Jean-Louis Schlesser, making the only Grand Prix start of his career in place of a sick Nigel Mansell, Senna collided with the stand in driver at the first corner and spun into retirement leaving a delighted home crowd to see Gerhard Berger win for Ferrari, to make it even sweeter Michele Alboreto finished in second in a Ferrari one-two.

In 1999 Heinz Harold Frentzen was victorious following Mika Hakkinen’s retirement. The Finn was leading comfortably before making a mistake at the first chicane and spinning into retirement. The win thrust Frentzen into genuine contention for the title and was to be the last win by Jordan Grand Prix.

2008 was one of only four Italian Grand Prix to staged in wet conditions. Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix after the German was victorious for Toro Rosso after converting pole position to dominate the race.

BBC Schedule

Friday 30 July

Practice one: 0855-1035, BBC Red Button

Practice two: 1255-1435, BBC Red Button

Saturday 31 July

Practice three: 0955-1105, BBC Red Button

Qualifying: 1210-1430, BBC One

Sunday 1 August

Race: 1210-1515, BBC One

Year	Driver	Team
2009	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn
2008	Sebastian Vettel	Torro Roso
2007	Fernando Alonso	McLaren
2006	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2005	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren
2004	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
2003	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2002	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
2001	Juan Pablo Montoya	Ferrari
2000	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1999	Heinz Harold Frentzen	Jordan
1998	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1997	David Coultard	McLaren
1996	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1995	Johnny Herbert	Benetton
1994	Damon Hill	Williams
1993	Damon Hill	Williams
1992	Ayrton Senna	McLren
1991	Nigel Mansell	Williams
1990	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
1989	Alain Prost	McLaren
1988	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari
1987	Nelson Piquet	Williams
1986	Nelson Piquetl	Williams
1985	Alain Prost	McLaren
1984	Niki Lauda	Brabham
1983	Nelson Piquet	Brabham
1982	Rene Arnoux	Renault
1981	Alain Prost	Renault
1979	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari
1978	Niki Lauda	Brabham
1977	Mario Andretti	Lotus
1976	Ronnie Peterson	March
1975	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari
1974	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
1973	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus
1971	Peter Gethin	BRM
1970	Pedro Rodriquez	BRM
1969	Jackie Stewart	March
1968	Denny Hulme	McLaren
1967	John Surtees	Honda
1966	Ludovico Scarfiotti	Ferrari
1965	Jackie Stewart	BRM
1964	John Surtees	Ferrari
1963	Jim Clark	Lotus
1962	Granham Hill	Lotus
1961	Phil Hill	Ferrari
1960	Phill Hill	Ferrari
1959	Stirling Moss	Cooper
1958	Tony Brooks	Vanwall
1957	Stirling Moss	Cooper
1956	Stirling Moss	Maserati
1955	Juan Manual Fangio	Mercedes
1954	Juan Manual Fangio	Mercedes
1953	Juan Manual Fangio	Maserati
1952	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
1951	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
1950	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo

Misc

Weather

Chatroom

[Knowlesy]

[Born Racer]

Thanks frostie.

[Bononi]

Greaaaat ! It will be a whole Ferrari weekend, they deserved it, go TEFLONSO !




Oh BTW, nice intro frostie !

[JeremySmith]

David you are so bright ... Frostie you have the gig! fantastic stuff mate...

[Marbot]

Now that the FIA have ensured that someone will actually turn up to watch the race, let's hope that it's a good'n.

Nice intro.

[stripedcat]

Great intro. I only wish we could have another dry/wet race this weekend to spice it up a bit.

[GTRMagic]

So.. what chance of an RBR front row... despite the outright power handicap of the Renaults, I would presume the non-straight line handling would still be worth a shedload at Monza...

.. until another car gets in the way!

[Marbot]

Apparently the FIA have been out playing with the kerbs at the chicanes again. Maybe they'll suit the Ferrari's better now.

Anyhow, it should be a good race, if only a very short one.

[JamesH]

Fingers crossed the two Ferraris crash in to each other at the start and take each other out, and leave the rest of the grid to actually race. Now that would be team orders I would watch.

[Knowlesy]

I fear you are going to be in for a shock pretty soon, team
orders wise. There may well be a lot of it within a race or two.

I suggest plastic sheeting be strategically laid around your living room, so the carpets and walls aren't stained with head explosion debris.

[Splatz the Cow]

Yes when family or friends come to visit:

"What's with the plastic sheeting you've put down?"

"I'm watching the F1 this weekend."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that."





Back OT

I'm figuring RBR will be fastest at the Biassono, the two Lesmo, maybe Ascari, and definitely Parabolica.

But as always they won't be able to follow cars closely through them, (except maybe the Lesmos and Ascari,) so its hard to see where they can overtake.

For the Mercedes and Ferrari engines, there should be enough straight to catch and pass the RBRs, even when the RBRs come out of the long corners quicker.


Set up for RBR will be interesting; whether to choose more downforce then McLaren and Ferrari to maximize their strengths in the fast corners, come out of the corners with a higher top speed and pray they can get the the end of the straights in time.

Or do the opposite, and strip back the car to make it as fast as possible on the straight, and give up a lot of their advantage on the curves. The result may be that they are still not quick enough on the straight, and they also lose their cornering as well, and end up fighting with Renault and Williams.

Both of these setups are extremely risky but may lead to victory, or if wrong a major points loss.


Whereas an orthodox Monza setup, will guarantee a victory for Ferrari or McLaren, but assure that RBR is the next best finisher and minimize the points damage.

This could be the make or break race for WDC.

[Wims]

I think RBR will go for an orthodox setup and guarantee a solid finish in the points rather than to risk something. They dont really need to risk anything, as the remainding races should suit their car alot better than Monza and Spa. I dont see them being able to overtake the top cars, or even alot of the midfielders (the mercedes powered ones), unless they change the gear ratio. They simply need a taller top gear so they at least have the chance to slipstream past someone. At Spa they didnt have that chance, cause when they were in the slipstream the engine hit the RPM limiter, effectively making it impossible to overtake anyone.

[Marbot]

I think that Red Bull will be more than fast enough.

[herowassenna]

I hate to sound pedantic, but Peterson died because of an embolism.

Source: Wikipedia,
"At the hospital, Peterson's X-rays showed he had 7 fractures in one leg and 3 in the other. After discussion with Ronnie himself, the surgeons decided to operate to stabilize the bones. Unfortunately, during the night, bone marrow went into Peterson's bloodstream through the fractures, forming fat globules on his major organs including lungs, liver, and brain. By morning he was in full renal failure and was declared dead a few hours later. The cause of death was given as fat embolism."

Great intro nonetheless.

[strider]

frostie, I am so glad you got this part right:

In 1956 Juan Manual Fangio finished second behind Stirling Moss but the race was noteworthy because Peter Collins, Fangio’s Ferrari teammate, graciously stepped out of his car when Fangio suffered a mechanical failure and allowed Fangio to continue in his car. Collins was a title contender but knew that it would take a failure by Moss to win the title for him. His selfless act allowed Fangio to win his fourth title.

So many people think that Collins gave up the title by handing over his car Fangio, but he only have up the possibility should Moss have failed to win. Incidentally Luigi Musso had earlier refused to hand over his car.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by herowassenna

I hate to sound pedantic, but Peterson died because of an embolism.

...

Great intro nonetheless.

Well, I agree with you first phrase, but hate doesn't help your cause... and doesn't save your last phrase.

[herowassenna]

Originally Posted by Bononi

Well, I agree with you first phrase, but hate doesn't help your cause... and doesn't save your last phrase.

Tiresome is the only word that applies here I think, get a life...

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by strider

Incidentally Luigi Musso had earlier refused to hand over his car.

I wonder how things would have turned out if he had?

Too many 'What Ifs' in this sport.

Back to GP.

And now the weather:

Not much to say really. Warm and Sunny throughout, but with possibly a deep depression over at least one teams garage.

[bjohnsonsmith]

That was a good intro, loads of info. A great track, long may it continue; I'd love to see a race and finish like in '71.

[Sodemo]

We are pretty much guaranteed a dry race, so any hope of a 2008 style downfall can be thrown away right now.

[frostie]

Originally Posted by Wims

I think RBR will go for an orthodox setup and guarantee a solid finish in the points rather than to risk something. They dont really need to risk anything, as the remainding races should suit their car alot better than Monza and Spa. I dont see them being able to overtake the top cars, or even alot of the midfielders (the mercedes powered ones), unless they change the gear ratio. They simply need a taller top gear so they at least have the chance to slipstream past someone. At Spa they didnt have that chance, cause when they were in the slipstream the engine hit the RPM limiter, effectively making it impossible to overtake anyone.

Spa really showed that Webber at least will maximise whatever chances he has in the remaining races so I expect something similar this weekend. As you say they dont need to risk everything and even if they play it safe and keep out of trouble they can still finish in the top five and keep the title close before the last few races, which as you say will suit their car better

Originally Posted by herowassenna

I hate to sound pedantic, but Peterson died because of an embolism.

Only found that out after I posted the intro(a reader of my blog corrected me) but cant change it here now! Thanks for the compliments everyone by the way!

[frostie]

That was an interesting opening session, was pretty shocked at the wing levels of McLaren, for anyone that didnt see they had a much higher of downforce than usual (Canada levels?). Still though with the F-Duct they can afford such a setup. It'll be worth keeping an eye on their pace during the second session if they run a more conventional setting and the difference between the two settings

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by strider

frostie, I am so glad you got this part right:So many people think that Collins gave up the title by handing over his car Fangio, but he only have up the possibility should Moss have failed to win. Incidentally Luigi Musso had earlier refused to hand over his car.

Quite. Handing over if you have it in the bag would be madness. However swapping your low chance for a team mate's good chance shows sense and selflessness. 10/10 for Collins.

A great intro again. I can't leave positive reputation because I recently did that for a previous intro. A pleasure to read.

[Marbot]

I can't see Massa handing anything over to Alonso any more, except maybe some Kleenex and a passifier.

Looks like Red Bull are fast here too!