09.09.11

Stuart Codling's column

No other circuit on the Formula 1 calendar has an atmosphere to match Monza. To visit here is to breathe the essence of motor racing – you take a walk through the woods and can almost touch the ghosts of the past. In the entire history of the F1 World Championship, this place has missed just one Italian Grand Prix.

Speed rules at Monza. The chicanes that were added in 1972 and 1976 made it slightly safer, and slightly less flat out, but each driver still has their right foot planted on the throttle for three quarters of the lap. This circuit is a stern test of power and reliability.

Since Red Bull is known to have sacrificed top end speed in exchange for all-round downforce in its 2011 car, you could reasonably expect the championship-leading team not to do well here. And yet Sebastian Vettel won at Spa, a circuit where Red Bull was also not expected to shine…

Even so, Scuderia Ferrari and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes must expect to perform well here. Both teams have cars with strong straight-line speed and good reliability, and championship-winning drivers. If Fernando Alonso wishes to keep his dwindling championship aspirations alive, he has to win here – like he did last year.

Once again, the DRS rear wing is likely to play a key role in the outcome of the race. There are two separate DRS activation zones, one on the main straight and another at the back of the circuit leading up to the Ascari chicane. As we saw at Spa two weeks ago, in a high-speed situation DRS makes it much easier to take the slipstream of the car and front and get into a position to overtake. But we also saw how a recently passed driver can try to take his position back again, with unpredictable results – witness Lewis Hamilton’s clash with Kamui Kobayashi.

Also, since tyre wear is relatively low at Monza, the logical tyre strategy would be to take two long stints on the softer tyres and then pit late for a short run on the mandatory harder rubber. But, as at Spa, the ease of overtaking brought about by the DRS could make a three-stop race a possibility for those drivers who are gentlest on their tyres.