Just on the outskirts of Milan lies the province of Monza and Brianza in Italy’s industrial powerhouse of Lombardy. Hidden amongst the trees lies 3.6 miles of asphalt paradise, named Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, anglicised as The Monza Circuit.
Leading the grid into this weekend is Max Verstappen, sitting 109 points clear at the top of the World Driver’s Championship table as he closes on a second world title, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez sitting tied in second.
Where: The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (The Monza Circuit), Monza, Lombardy, Italy.
When: Friday 9th September to Sunday 11th September.
Schedule:
Friday
-
11:30am: Car presentation
-
1pm: Free Practice 1
-
4pm: Free Practice 2
Saturday
-
12pm: Free Practice 3
-
3pm: Qualifying Session
Sunday
-
2pm: Race (53 laps or two hours)
All times shown are BST.
2021 Winner:
McLaren’s first win in nine years took place last year as Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris earned a famous 1-2 finish. The win was commemorated by McLaren CEO Zak Brown as he got a tattoo of the track on his left arm to celebrate his first win as boss.
Talking Points:
Heading into this year’s race, there’s plenty to keep an eye out for throughout the weekend. This is the second home race of the season for Ferrari Scuderia, who’ve recently been shooting themselves in the foot with poor strategy and execution, on and off the track. Charles Leclerc was victorious in his first Monza outing in Ferrari red, but crashed in 2020 as the team saw its worst performance at the ‘Temple of Speed’ in decades. Redemption could be on the cards, but their performance will need to be perfect.
Talks of a Mercedes-AMG revival will be tested this weekend, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell look to improve on their 2-4 finish in Zandvoort last weekend. Hamilton was furious with his team for not getting him in for a pit stop for fresh tyres towards the end of the race in North Holland, but the progress in a team that’s struggled for most of the year is there to see.
News of driver moves continue, as Red Bull look to confirm Colton Herta’s place in the AlphaTauri seat currently belonging to Pierre Gasly. A chain of events will unfold if Herta is granted an FIA Super License, which he is currently not eligible for, where Gasly will depart AlphaTauri for Alpine to replace Fernando Alonso. There will no doubt be an update regarding the Indycar star this weekend.
The rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen was back on the cards in Zandvoort last weekend and it couldn’t be at a better time. Last season saw the pair battling for the world championship at every corner, but Max Verstappen’s lunge on turn one after the Brit had the inside line saw the Dutchman bounce from a sausage kerb onto the halo of Hamilton, leaving both cars stranded in the gravel and their weekends ruined. More drama this weekend would make for great viewing, but hopefully there won’t be another dangerous collision.
The Track:
Monza is nicknamed the ‘Temple of Speed’ for a reason. Drivers will be at full throttle for over 80% of the lap, thanks to the track’s simple design dating back to the 1920s. It’s the oldest circuit in mainland Europe, and it hasn’t had much in terms of a facelift or alterations despite suffering casualties frequently in F1’s early days.
Despite its incredibly high speed nature, there is little room for error as the track lacks run-off areas if a driver needs to avoid an incident or enters a corner too quickly. Any lapse in concentration is punished and there will no doubt be an example this weekend.
The track is also known as an engine killer, thanks to the fact that it is mostly flat-out, meaning that the drivers will be pushing their car to speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour at least five times per lap. The final turn, named Curva Parabolica, is a high speed corner that saw the aforementioned crash from Charles Leclerc in 2020. It’s a unique corner in the sense that drivers that follow another car through it will be punished as the aerodynamic effects reduce downforce and make turning difficult.
Daniel Ricciardo’s victory last year was not the only time a surprise victor was crowned at Monza. The year prior saw AlphaTauri’s Gasly get his only career win to date, and back in 2008 saw Sebastian Vettel earn his stripes, winning in an inferior Toro Rosso to become the youngest ever F1 Grand Prix winner before Verstappen broke his record in 2016.
Max Verstappen: 2/5
Charles Leclerc: 11/2
Lewis Hamilton: 8/1
George Russell: 9/1
Sergio Perez: 12/1
Standings:
Drivers Championship (Top Ten)
1st: Max Verstappen - 310 points
T-2nd: Charles Leclerc - 201 points
T-2nd: Sergio Perez - 201 points
4th: George Russell - 188 points
5th: Carlos Sainz - 175 points
6th: Lewis Hamilton - 158 points
7th: Lando Norris - 82 points
8th: Esteban Ocon - 66 points
9th: Fernando Alonso - 59 points
10th: Valterri Bottas - 46 points
Constructor’s Championship (Top Five)
1st: Red Bull Racing - 511 points
2nd: Ferrari Scuderia - 376 points
3rd: Mercedes-AMG - 346 points
4th: Alpine - 125 points
5th: McLaren - 101 points
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
