Italian Grand Prix: Pre-Stage Remarks

Pirelli

Mario Isolahead of Pirelli’s racing division: “As usual, the European Formula 1 season ends in Monza. For Pirelli, this is the home stage, as the company’s headquarters are located just a few kilometers from the legendary circuit.

Monza is synonymous with speed, which is eloquently reflected in the track’s unofficial name: “Temple of Speed”. The fastest race in Formula 1 history took place on this circuit – in 2003, Michael Schumacher drove the distance at an average speed of 247.585 km / h.

The teams tune the cars to the lowest possible level of downforce to ensure maximum speed by reducing drag. Stability under braking and efficient acceleration out of corners are key factors. The tires on this circuit are subject to high lateral loads, especially in corners such as Parabolica and Curva Grande.

In Monza, after Hungary, an alternative tire distribution option is used for the second time this season, whereby we carry two sets of slicks less than usual. This reduces CO2 emissions from production and transport, and gives teams and drivers more strategic options. For the same reason, we chose the three softest compositions for Monza: C3, C4 and C5. This combination will be used for the fifth time this season.”

Red Bull racing

Max Verstappen: “I look forward to returning to Italy to see all the passionate Italian fans. The country has a rich motorsport history, so it’s always great to race here.

Monza is a fast circuit where we accelerate to maximum speeds. In that it is very different from Zandvoort, where we just performed. It will be interesting to see what our shape will look like.

This weekend it is important to get as much speed as possible, but at the same time keep an eye on the wear of the rubber. The weather forecast promises dry weather – it would be nice to have a weekend without rain!

I have nine consecutive victories and hope to continue this successful streak. We will soon find out whether it works.”

Sergio Perez: “The race in Zandvoort was very disappointing for me, so in Monza I will do everything I can to get on the podium, which we deserved last week. Sometimes the weather and the situation on the track are in your favour, sometimes against it. Unfortunately I got a five second time penalty, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it. That’s racing: you don’t have everything under control.

This weekend in Italy I will try to keep everything under control and have a successful qualifying and race. Last Sunday the team did a lot for me and our response to the ever-changing events on the track showed that we work well together.

I feel comfortable in the car; he seems balanced and fast. We’ve built up some excellent technique and I want to show its true speed all weekend.”

Mercedes AMG Petronas

Toto Wolff: “The stage in Zandvoort disappointed us. We had the potential to achieve more, but we didn’t realize it. We made a mistake when switching to intermediate tires and from then on we were one step behind the rest. Then we tried to win back what could be won back.

Both riders were able to get ahead, but the stumbling block for George was a flat tire. Missed opportunities are very frustrating, but weekends like this only encourage us to return to the fight in even better shape.

We have drawn conclusions and will try to use them in the next race. Fortunately, the wait isn’t long. The characteristics of the track in Monza are completely opposite to those of Zandvoort, let’s see how we manage that. Obviously the atmosphere this weekend will be just as fantastic.”

Aston Martin

InterviewStory by: Felipe Drugovic

Ferrari

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McLaren

Lando Norris: “Italy, we are back! It was great to be on the grid at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend. And while we didn’t finish in the positions we wanted, we still have a competitive car that allowed us to earn points. I had time to discuss the last race with the engineers and now we are fully focused on Monza.

Our team has had good results in Monza in the past and for me this is a special track. The weather could make for an interesting weekend for everyone and we’re going to give it our all again.”

Oscar Pistri: “I’m really happy to be driving a Formula 1 car at Monza. It’s a fast and interesting circuit with some difficult sections. The team continues to improve the MCL60 – it’s nice to start the race weekend knowing that the car has great potential.

Last weekend we seemed competitive despite all the difficulties we faced. We will apply what we have learned and hopefully make the last European race of the season unforgettable.”

Andrew Stella, Team boss: “In the Netherlands, the team scored points with two cars, but the result could have been higher because we missed a few opportunities. Still, we are encouraged that we have reconfirmed that we have a competitive car.

The Italian Grand Prix will be held in Monza – the stage closes the European part of the season and the team has many fond memories of it. After the MCL60 updates, we have earned a lot of points and hope to continue this trend.

In addition, an alternative tire distribution will be used again in qualifying this weekend. As usual, we are determined and will continue to work to fight for points in the first positions.”

Alps

Interview: Pierre Gasly | Esteban Ocon

Williams

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Haas F1

Interview: Gunther Steiner | Nico Hulkenberg | Kevin Magnussen

Alfa Romeo

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, team representative: “Ahead of the home stage, the second in a series of two races in a row. The weekend in Zandvoort was difficult for our team, but we are working hard to be in good shape this weekend.

For us, the Italian Grand Prix is ​​a particularly important stage: it is the race closest to our base in Hinwil, and the home race for the Alfa Romeo brand, in honor of which we plan to organize several events. More than 150 of our colleagues from Hinwil will be in the stands, so this weekend we want to succeed.

Monza is one of the season’s most iconic places, where you can still hear the roar of the engines of the motorsport heroes who paved the way for us, and tifosi’s passion is contagious. This is a great event on the calendar and we look forward to starting the weekend.”

Valttery Bottas: “In Zandvoort we performed unsuccessfully, but that stage is over and we go to Monza to take a big step forward.

The Italian Grand Prix is ​​important for our team, this is our home race, many people from the base will come and support us, which will provide even more motivation. We will try to make this event special for them.

I’ve always loved performing at the Temple of Speed, and I’m looking forward to the next stage. Just like in Zandvoort, the fans in Monza put on a great show. I hope the Italian circuit is more suitable for our car and we can earn points.”

Guanyu Zhou: “This weekend in Italy ends the European part of the season. After the race in Zandvoort there was a feeling of understatement, because before the accident my race developed quite positively. But this weekend in Monza we have another chance.

The Italian Grand Prix is ​​unique. It’s like stepping into a motorsports museum and the tifosi are incredibly supportive. This weekend we will give everything to take a step forward and get back to the positions our team deserves.

AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda: “The weather in Zandvoort made life difficult for all teams, including us. When we talk about our performance, there were pluses and minuses: I’m happy with my pace, I was quite fast in practice and in the race, but on Sunday we made mistakes in choosing the tactics.

The decision to stay on the track for a long time on already worn soft tires did not work and in the end I could not achieve normal grip on the intermediate rubber. But now we have to turn that page, because the team is waiting for our home Grand Prix.

I like Monza, it’s really interesting to fly there. The track is very fast, everyone is tuning the cars to the lowest level of downforce, so braking for the chicanes is not easy, and the hardest thing to do is before the first corner.

Qualifying is always a different story as everyone wants to gain an advantage by taking advantage of the slipstream behind other cars. Our AT04 handles fast corners well, so the Italian circuit should suit us.

At Spa we already tried settings with a little pressure and then everything was fine with the balance of the car, although it is still difficult to say what speeds we will really be able to reach next weekend.

It is very important for our team, especially after the cancellation of the May round in Imola at the circuit closest to the AlphaTauri base. I know the team members are looking forward to Monza, especially the Italians, so obviously we hope to get a good result there.”

Liam Lawson: “It is good that before Monza I will have the opportunity to fully prepare for the weekend and to participate in all training sessions.

From Japan, where I had driven the weekend before, I only arrived in Zandvoort on Thursday evening. It is clear that you always want to prepare yourself as best as possible, but the probability that my services will be needed is extremely small, and I did not expect such a development of events at all, but this is exactly what happened.

The team supported me tremendously and did everything possible for my preparation, even though we were limited in time. Even during the race, Pierre Amlin, my engineer, did the right thing and provided me with all the information I needed. In fact, he guided me during the Grand Prix, which greatly simplified my task, although of course there are always points that can be improved.

During the race I had to fly in very different conditions, and then it was difficult, but I gained useful experience that will help me prepare for Monza.

Plus, I’ve already been working on the simulator this week, and while it wasn’t necessary to put a lot of effort into getting a more comfortable cockpit fit, there were a few things to look out for.

Monza requires minimal downforce and I have to get used to that. I haven’t been there in a Formula 1 car so it will be difficult for me, but I’ve driven this track many times and it’s not the hardest. In any case, there will be a lot to learn, a lot to improve in the work, and also to analyze all the information collected in Zandvoort to make the most of it.

I’m going to Monza with the Italian team and that alone makes the weekend special. Formula 1 is a completely different world, and at Zandvoort I couldn’t imagine feeling this huge difference between the state I showed up on the track on Friday and what it was like when I got there on Saturday. First of all, I am talking about the degree of attention to me.

Monza is the home race for AlphaTauri and I can imagine there will be even more attention there. But it’s incredibly great that I got the chance to drive in Formula 1, because as far back as I can remember I’ve dreamed of it, so I’ll try to do my very best.”