The teams head to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the twelfth round of the 2015 Formula One season. This could be the final Italian Grand Prix in Formula One, as a deal for future seasons has yet to be negotiated. Losing this historic circuit would be a tragedy to the sport, as it has been the scene for many iconic moments.
The circuit is all about speed. This is the fastest track on the calendar and the place where the fastest speed ever recorded in a Formula One car was set with Jacques Villeneuve in his 2005 Sauber. Famous for its long, high speed straights that are followed by tight chicanes, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza is brutal on the brakes. Therefore, having a car that will brake well and won’t lose the rear traction under braking is most important. The power unit is also extremely important at this circuit, given that the majority of the lap is spent on full throttle. The engine must be both reliable and fast in order to do well in Monza.
This weekend, Max Verstappen finds himself in trouble following his short qualifying run. On his out lap, the engine cover of his Toro Rosso detached and exploded into debris. Verstappen told journalists that the team failed to properly secure the engine cover and that they had known this before sending him out on the track. The team is under investigation by the FIA and this is being taken very seriously due to the reports of debris in Spa by Pirelli and the accident of Justin Wilson, which was caused by debris. Verstappen did not set any times in qualifying, so it will be at the stewards’ discretion as to whether or not he will be allowed to join the grid for the race.
At a circuit where speed is so important, it’s pretty obvious which team will have the advantage: Mercedes. The team has been looking into Nico Rosberg’s engine performance issues that dropped him out of the top three in qualifying. Lewis Hamilton wasn’t hindered by any performance issues, as he has been able to top the charts in every single session this weekend. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be able to do the same for the race.
Ferrari has been the closest to Mercedes, in terms of engine performance. Sebastian Vettel has been right behind the Mercedes’ pace. He will be starting from the second row of the grid, after being out-qualified by his teammate, Kimi Räikkönen. Vettel has performed far better than the ‘Iceman’ in all of the free practice sessions and should have no problem doing so in the race to secure the second step of the podium. Räikkönen only set times worthy of a sixth or seventh position in all of the free practice sessions and was only able to set a time that was slightly faster than his teammate’s in qualifying. He just has shown the pace required to take the podium in Italy. Rosberg should be able to overtake the Finn if his engine issues are solved.
Many would think that one of the Williams cars would take the final stop in the top five prediction table, but I’d prefer to take a little bit of a different route. Both of the Force India cars were able to perform fairly well at the start of the weekend, lapping within the top five in the first two free practice sessions. They dropped a bit in the Saturday sessions. Sergio Pérez was able to set times that were quite close to those of the Williams cars. Williams had a lower running in the first two sessions of the weekend. I think that Sergio Pérez will be able to overtake both Williams cars for fifth position.
Anything can happen during the 53 laps at Monza. We should definitely expect the unexpected. Best of luck to all of the teams in the race.
