Italian Grand Prix 2014, Monza - Race 13/19

[Shimmy]

Monza

Monza is regarded by many as the embodiment of Formula One racing. Not only is it a fantastic example of a track that combines speed with skill, it also has a heart and soul all of its own. It has seen some of the finest races of all time, but also some of the sport's worst accidents. The names of great drivers and the sounds of engines from years gone by linger in the grand old trees surrounding the track in the royal park.

Work began on the circuit in 1922 and was completed in under six months. After Brooklands in the UK and Indianapolis in the USA, it was the third permanent race track in existence. With a banked oval incorporated into the design of the road racing circuit, the total track length stood at a whopping 10 kilometres.

The list of famous victories and horrifying crashes is long, and all combine to make Monza one of the most magical places on the Formula One calendar. For many there is nowhere that encapsulates the sport better than this circuit. The Italians call it 'La Pista Magica', the magic track, a description few would disagree with.

TV Times




Track Diagram & Information




Live Timing

http://www.formula1.com/live_timing/


Weather Forecast





Technical Changes

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/


Italy Preview Quotes

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/9/16274.html


WDC Standings




Constructors' Championship Standings




Practice 1




Practice 2




Practice 3




Qualifying




Race

 

[Gambisk]

Yay my favourite. Would probably have been a Mercedes fest as they have the strongest engine but that forecast rain could make it interesting again.

 

[The_Abyss]

Can't wait to see how quick that Williams is here.

 

[Guerrilla]

Thanks Shimmy! , been keeping half an eye out for this thread

Yay my favourite. Would probably have been a Mercedes fest as they have the strongest engine but that forecast rain could make it interesting again.

Yea, that weather could definitely make things interesting!

 

[el_dazza]

Wet weather? A track that'd suit Williams?

Bottas podium and Massa DNF then!

 

[Ryan-3]

Love this circuit and hope Williams can show off their pace.

 

[this_is_gav]

Williams inherent speed is what's possibly also their weakness when it comes to tracks such as this.

My theory behind their Spa pace (where I thought they'd be right up close to challenging Mercedes) is this:

It's a shame that Williams didn't have the pace to challenge here, as many were feeling, but thinking about it, it's not a surprise. They have a less draggy car, which in all likelihood means the base car isn't working the air as well as the other cars, so when you start to take off a bit of wing, they lose more downforce relatively to their more optimised opponents.

It might simply be that they couldn't get the tyres working or some such reason, but this weekend will tell us, as while both are high-speed circuits, Spa has plenty of long, fast, aero-dependant corners, so aero efficiency is utterly key - at Monza it's more a case of stop-start, and while aero efficiency is obviously still vital, outright speed is still king.

 

[Glaucus]

So bets on ham Nico crashing at first corner.
I'm really hopping it sours to prost senna levels.

Hopefully another great weekend for ric

 

[~Mike~]

Away this weekend so will have to catch the highlights.

Hopefully more sparks between Lewis & Nico.

 

[413x]

So bets on ham Nico crashing at first corner.
I'm really hopping it sours to prost senna levels.

Hopefully another great weekend for ric

part of me wants them to fail and go down in a blaze of hatred

but other part of me wants merc to be rewarded for at least trying no team orders with two similar opponents

 

[Glaucus]

Yeah that is a good point, if this doesn't work for merc, no1 drivers will become even more ingrained.

 

[Skeeter]

To be fair, the Mercedes spat is pretty tame so far. 1 dodgy qualifying session, one refusal to let the slower driver past, and one collision caused by being to stubborn to move. Any single one of the RBR Vettel/Webber incidents was a bigger "thing" than all the Merc issues combined at the moment.

But I would much rather see Bahrain style battles than see them descend into childish rants and punting each other off the track.

Anyway. This weekend. Lewis needs to win here to get his head back in gear.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

I would like both, great racing and playground fights
Maybe we can all have our cake and eat it

 

[Guerrilla]

Close, wheel to wheel racing doesn't always have to end in a coming together

 

[Gambisk]

Close, wheel to wheel racing doesn't always have to end in a coming together

Totally agree, however I think due to F1 having been very processional for a number of years and now with DRS push to pass, the drivers are losing their ability to fight wheel to wheel safely.

The more experienced drivers like Alonso can still battle safely as they have this skill from their years working their way up the ranks to F1 through the lower tiers. But the recent practice of signing drivers before their 18th birthday probably isn't helping. These young drivers are missing the experience of wheel to wheel action in the lower tiers while they do the odd Friday practice session as a third driver and the chance of a drive in a few years time.

 

[JeditOjanen]

So bets on ham Nico crashing at first corner.
I'm really hopping it sours to prost senna levels.

Hopefully another great weekend for ric

I just want Nico "Britney Hitler" Rosberg to go into the wall and Hamilton to win. Ricciardo can be second, I don't mind.

 

[Guerrilla]

Totally agree, however I think due to F1 having been very processional for a number of years and now with DRS push to pass, the drivers are losing their ability to fight wheel to wheel safely.

The more experienced drivers like Alonso can still battle safely as they have this skill from their years working their way up the ranks to F1 through the lower tiers. But the recent practice of signing drivers before their 18th birthday probably isn't helping. These young drivers are missing the experience of wheel to wheel action in the lower tiers while they do the odd Friday practice session as a third driver and the chance of a drive in a few years time.

That has to be a big part of it at the very least... That said the lower tiers have some abysmal driving too, they are encouraged to race aggressively but the majority aren't skilled enough to do it well as they are there because of their money not because of their talent.

 

[smr]

Woooooooohoooooooooooooo Formula 1 is back \o/ Monza!!! Love this track, great History, great fans, great track. The Tifosi are gonna be a happy bunch this weekend, Alonso is staying put.

 

[dannyjo22]

I just want Nico "Britney Hitler" Rosberg to go into the wall and Hamilton to win. Ricciardo can be second, I don't mind.

Really Hitler, because he's German. Do you work for the Sun? Is that was this place is descending into? Would it be acceptable if I called Lewis a ******?

Hopefully they will both be next to each other on the grid, other than that not bothered who wins.

 

[Glaucus]

They really need to come up with a solution, it's stupid. Fine they want rid of gravel. You need something though other than tarmac.