F1 | ITALIAN GP, GIAN CARLO MINARDI: “MONZA A CRUCIAL TURNING POINT FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. MERCEDES MUST STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE BY MCLAREN”

The Formula 1 World Championship lands in Monza for one of the most awaited and fascinating rounds of the whole season. The Italian Grand Prix is always special, but this year it takes on an even greater significance given the tight competition that has characterized the championship so far and the presence of Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the top of the world championship ladder.

Monza is a unique circuit and completely different from Zandvoort. It is the Temple of Speed, a circuit in which aerodynamic efficiency, the power of the power unit, the speed on the straight and stability in braking are essential. The cars will race with very low downforce configurations, and it will be particularly difficult to find the right balance of being fast on the long straights without overly penalizing the car on the chicanes and the fast corners.

It will also be interesting to see the energy management. Monza’s long straights are an important challenge for the new generation power units, and it will be crucial to find the right balance between recharging and use of electric power. Furthermore, the simulations indicate lap times significantly faster than last season, and this will add another interesting element.

From what we saw at Zandvoort, one of the main themes of the weekend will be Mercedes’ response to McLaren’s progress. Lando Norris comes to Monza on the back of two consecutive wins and the team from Woking has taken great steps forward in recent races, managing to transform technical developments into performance and results.

Mercedes is still an extremely competitive car, as it showed with second and third place finishes in Holland by Antonelli and Russell, but now it is called to respond. Major updates are expected here in Monza, and it will be interesting to assess their effectiveness on a track with characteristics that are completely different from those of Zandvoort.

For Andrea Kimi Antonelli this will inevitably be a special weekend. He comes to his home Grand Prix as the leader of the World Championship and in front of the Italian crowd, but he must deal with the grid penalty for the introduction of new components of the power unit.

This was a strategic decision by Mercedes. We are entering into the phase of the season in which even the management of the components and any penalties become essential, and Monza, thanks to the characteristics of the track and the greater possibility of overtaking, may be one of the best tracks for limiting the consequences.

It will therefore be important for Kimi to have a faultless weekend.  Up to now he has shown great skill in reading the races, managing the tyres and adapting to different situations. These very qualities will be essential on Sunday to make up ground and secure important points in the World Championship. Watch out for the first turn!

Ferrari arriva invece davanti al proprio pubblico con l’obiettivo di essere protagonista. Nelle ultime gare abbiamo visto segnali positivi, alternati però a fine settimana nei quali non è riuscita a raccogliere quanto avrebbe potuto. Monza rappresenterà quindi un altro banco di prova importante per capire il reale livello della vettura e la capacità della Scuderia di inserirsi nella lotta tra Mercedes e McLaren; a tal proposito sembra che anche loro portino sviluppi importanti in particolare legati alla power unit.

On the other hand, Ferrari comes to its home crowd with the aim of being a front runner. We saw positive signs in recent races, alternating however with weekends in which it did not achieve as much as it could have. So, Monza is another important testing ground for understanding the true potential of the car and the capacity of the Team to join the battle between Mercedes and McLaren: and in this regard, it seems that they too are bringing major developments, particularly regarding their power unit.

There is of course a lot of attention also on Red Bull. Max Verstappen’s Dutch Grand Prix ended practically immediately, but the four times world champion remains a driver who can make the difference even when the car does not seem at its best. Monza will also be an interesting testing ground to assess the performance of the Red Bull on the long straights.

On the tyre front, Pirelli has chosen C3, C4 and C5 as Hard, Medium and Soft respectively. All three compounds could be used during the race; a lot will depend on the temperatures of both the air and the asphalt.

On paper, the strategy should be aimed at only one stop, also considering the time travelling through Monza’s pit lane. However, a lot will depend on the management of overheating, especially the rear axle exhaust which is under great stress during acceleration.

And it is the management of the tyres that could be one of the most interesting technical aspects of the weekend. The strong accelerations coming out of the chicanes, together with the power available, will require particular attention, while stability in braking and traction will be essential to putting together a competitive lap.

We are now entering the phase of the season in which simply having the fastest car is not enough. Technical developments, reliability, the management of the components of the power units (here the accelerator will be wide open for 75% of the race) and resulting penalties will be decisive, as well as the strategies of course. Within the teams the pecking order will also begin to take shape increasingly clearly as the battle for the World Championship intensifies.

Also keep a keen eye on the young Italian drivers involved in the training categories. In Formula 2, Gabriele Mini comes to his home race in second place on the ladder and after a season that has seen him constantly among the front runners. It will be an important weekend for the race in the title, and I expect him to be in the top positions again. In Formula 3, there will be 3 Italians at the start: Brando Badoer, currently fifth in the championship, Matteo De Palo and Nicola Lacorte. It will be interesting to watch them in front of their home crowd during a weekend that has special significance for our entire movement.

Gian Carlo Minardi