Super Monza – F1 Temple of Speed
Posted on September 19, 2022 Tags: Monza. Lombardy. Italy
Previously published 8/9/22
And We Know How That Ended!
Images courtesy McLaren Racing
MONZA, ITALY: Daniel Ricciardo has insisted he would be open to taking a reserve driver role with Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull if it were offered to him.
Just one of the many yarns circulating about our Dan who was back in Italy – as the reigning F1 Monza champion – to see if he had what it takes to treat us to another shoey!
The forecast is pretty good at this time of the year in Lombardy so let’s see what the immediate future holds.
Monza, Lombardy, Italy
“Monza will always have a special place in my heart. Whilst another 1-2 isn’t really on the cards this time around, hopefully we can still bring you a little bit of Italian magic,” Aussie Dan said.
“I’m excited for the track, the amazing fans and the incredible food – the key combination for a good weekend.”
Hard to be Upbeat
But Dan does it Well
“Zandvoort was a tough one for me but I’m keeping my head held high. I’ll keep pushing through and try to end the season on a high. We’ve had a good look at the data and had a deep dive into how we can play it for the upcoming weekend to hopefully get back up the pointy end. It’s likely to be another difficult weekend due to the nature of the track and it’s clear we’ve got work to do but I have full confidence in the team as we head towards the last race of this triple-header.” Daniel Ricciardo.
“With it being the Temple of Speed, I’m really looking forward to getting out on track and seeing how far we can push the car. One last big push as we finish up in Europe for the season so let’s give it all we’ve got.” Lando Norris.
“It’s great to be back in Monza with the fantastic fans, and the site of our amazing 1-2 last year. This year will be different with the new car and its characteristics. There are plenty of straights with only a few turns to navigate, so we look forward to the challenge and to see how the new cars run here with the overtaking opportunities they will enhance.” Andreas Seidl.
“It’s a big event for us as we enjoy our 150-year anniversary at home, where Monza also celebrates its first century!
“So we are looking forward to a big festival of motorsport in Italy, which we can rightly feel very proud of as we equip the most sophisticated and efficient cars in Formula 1 history with 18-inch tyres.
“Monza is well-known for its high speeds and some fast corners where it’s important to have a car with perfect balance.
“This year’s tyres should lead to less overheating at the rear on a track where the cars run low downforce and often use slipstreaming to gain a tow.
“With no sprint race in Monza this year, the teams will head into the grand prix with a bit less information than last time, which means that the strategic approach will be somewhat different.”
MARIO ISOLA
Achieving a Perfect Balance
The three compounds in the middle of the range have been chosen for Monza: C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft.
• Eliminating the natural understeer tendency of the current cars is a challenge at the slow corners in Monza, with a strong rear end needed to achieve a perfect balance through the fast sections.
• Traction is important to ensure a good drive into the flat-out straights from the slower and more technical parts of the circuit: another well-known characteristic of Monza, with notable kerbs at the chicanes.
• The low downforce settings, with a specific low-drag package, mean that the focus is more on mechanical grip from the tyres.
The P Zero Yellow medium and Red soft tyres are nominated for F2, with five sets of slicks (three medium and two soft) for drivers to use across the weekend. The 21-lap sprint Saturday is followed by Sunday’s feature race over 30 laps.
F3 drivers have three new sets of P Zero Red soft tyres, plus another set of Yellow mediums carried over from the previous round for use in free practice. Saturday’s 18-lap sprint is followed by a 22-lap feature race Sunday.
Formula 1
THE FINAL EUROPEAN TEST for next year’s prototype P Zero slick tyres will take place in Monza on Tuesday after the grand prix, with Red Bull.
Great Race Schedule
THE 2022 REPCO BATHURST1000 is scheduled for 161 laps October 6-9 with Race 30 starting 11:15am local time Sunday, and Supercars on track on all four days.
Supercars are supported by the future stars of the championship in the Dunlop Series, with Super2 and Super3 drivers completing one race on the Friday and Saturday. Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, the Haltech V8 SuperUtes Series and Heritage Revival category complete the line-up.
Friday’s action is headlined by ARMOR ALL Qualifying, with the fastest 10 runners earning passage into Saturday’s Top Ten Shootout. There are six 60-minute practice sessions, three of which are for co-drivers only.
GT World Challenge
THE PENULTIMARE ROUND of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season took Perth racer Jordan Love to the Hockenheimring in Germany – an unfortunate weekend for Jordan and teammates Jannes Fittje and Alain Valente. Their #4 Haupt Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 was involved in a collision, which precluded any track time before Sunday’s qualifying and race.
They still managed 10th in Silver Class, despite Jannes making contact through the opening laps resulting in a forced retirement.
Jordan now heads to Barcelona, Spain, for the season finale 30 September 30–October 2 hoping to end on a high.
World Rally Championship
THE LEGENDARY ACROPOLIS RALLY, round 10 of the WRC, takes place during the same weekend as the Italian Grand Prix. The Greek event is run on gravel, with all the field using Pirelli Scorpion tyres.
FIA Motorsport Games
QUEENSLANDER MATT CAMPBELL has become the latest driver selected to represent Team Australia for the FIA Motorsport Games at Circuit Paul Ricard in France October 28-30. The 27-year-old joins Grove and Brenton Grove, who will contest the GT Endurance category, TCR representative Aaron Cameron and Karting youngsters Aiva Anagnostiadis and Peter Bouzinelos on Team Australia.
EDITED by AC
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