07.09.10

Stuart Codling

The championship is still wide open as we reach one of Formula 1’s most historic venues

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Given the raw speed of Sebastian Vettel and the technical superiority of the Red Bull car, the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship ought to have been decided several races ago. Instead there is still everything to play for at the Santander Italian Grand Prix.

Monza is a beautiful, unique circuit. Only once in 60 years has the Italian GP been held anywhere else (in 1980 the race shifted to Imola while Monza underwent safety improvements). The parkland setting has a history that goes back to the Napoleonic era, while the circuit itself is largely unchanged from its early days, apart from the chicanes that have been added to keep speeds under control.

Even so, Monza is all about speed. The cars blast through the park’s trees at an average of around 250km/h, and on the main straight they top out at 340km/h before the driver has to stand on the brakes for the slow chicane that follows.

The most competitive teams bring special aerodynamic packages for this race because there are very few corners that demand high levels of grip. The front and rear wings will be simpler in profile than those used at other tracks because more time can be found through high straight-line speeds. Engines get a workout, too: they will be at full throttle for 75 per cent of the lap.

Monza is where Sebastian Vettel took his first F1 victory back in 2008 with a flawless drive in the wet. In contrast, he has been scrappy this season and squandered opportunities to win or score points. He arrives in Italy 28 points behind his team-mate, Mark Webber, which will put the team in a difficult position: Vettel is very much the favoured son, but if he makes many more errors the team will have to concentrate its efforts on Webber.

Vettel is not the only driver who needs to do well at Monza to rekindle his championship hopes. Jenson Button has slipped away from contention in recent races, and failed to score in Belgium after Vettel hit him. The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 has the straight-line speed to win at Monza, but of the two McLaren drivers it is Lewis Hamilton who has the momentum now after his convincing victory at Spa.

Scuderia Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso also failed to score in Belgium, after being struck by Rubens Barrichello on the opening lap, and he desperately needs to win at Monza to keep his championship hopes alive. He would certainly be the most popular victor: a win for Scuderia Ferrari on home soil would thrill the many thousands of fans who flock to Monza every year hoping for a Ferrari win…

Stuart Codling

Journalist and broadcaster Stuart Codling has worked in motorsport for over a decade, and is a former deputy editor of F1 Racing, the world’s biggest-selling Formula 1&trade magazine.

He has ridden pillion with World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson, gone snowboarding with FIA President Max Mosley, and been shouted at by sometime Jaguar driver Eddie Irvine.

He contributes to F1 Racing, AUTOSPORT, Autocar and the Red Bulletin, and is the author of the book Art of the Formula One Race Car.