Italian Grand Prix: Comments before the stage

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Pirelli: “The Italian Grand Prix is ​​a great event for our company, the opportunity to celebrate the 150th anniversary at home. We have a huge motorsport celebration ahead of us, which we are justifiably proud of, supplying 18-inch tires for the fastest and most efficient cars in Formula 1 history.

The Monza circuit is known for its high speeds and fast corners where optimal balance is essential. The 2022 tires will reduce heat build-up at the rear of the cars on the track, where drivers tune their cars for minimal downforce and often use the slipstream to gain an advantage.

In this year’s Monza round there will be no sprint race – during the weekend the teams will collect less information than last year, so the strategy may be different.”

Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen: “I’m looking forward to the podium in Monza. This year our car is fast on the straights and I think that trend will continue this weekend. The course has a rich history and a great atmosphere. You just have to watch Italian fans support Ferrari to understand their passion for racing.

I have always enjoyed performing at Monza. I think we will be competitive – I hope for a good result.”

Sergio Perez: “We did a lot of analysis after last weekend’s race to get back on track in better shape at Monza. I’ve had some issues with the settings, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out and improve it with the team.

After Zandvoort, where we had great support, we go to the Italian fans, who are known for their support of Ferrari. This weekend I want to regain second place in the individual competition and strengthen the lead of the team in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Ferrari

Interview: Mattia Binotto

Mercedes AMG Petronas

Toto Wolff: “Our car was not the fastest at the Dutch Grand Prix, but the team did a fantastic job, enabling us to compete for the win in the race. Now we need to make sure we land in such positions on a regular basis.

In Zandvoort we took some risks, but we didn’t succeed. We come to the races to fight for the win, and we will never hesitate to make bold decisions. We’ve earned points and closed the gap to second in the Constructors’ Championship – it’s nice to be back in the fray. Thanks to the hard work of every employee, we are approaching the first win of the season.

Emotions ran high on social networks after the race, but in Formula 1, there is no place for hate speech and insults against our team and our rivals. We fight hard on the track, but we always treat our opponents with respect.

In Monza an exciting series of three stages in a row comes to an end. We arrive at a circuit with a rich history and see the red sea of ​​tifosi.

The Zandvoort track was suitable for our car, but in Monza the team will have a more difficult weekend, given its characteristics. However, we are optimistic and believe that we will now look better on low downforce tracks, as we learned a lot in Spa. The team will do its best to fight for the podium.”

McLaren

Lando Norris: “Italian Grand Prix weekends are always exciting. My two previous visits to Monza have been very positive and last year’s race is one of my fondest memories. Most likely we will have a difficult weekend this year, but we will have the opportunity to earn points and influence the situation in the Constructors’ Championship.

Monza is being called the “Temple of Speed” and I can’t wait to get out on the track and see how fast our car will be. We still have one leg to go in Europe and we want to give everything.”

Daniel Riccardo: “Monza will always have a special place in my heart. This time the winning double seems out of reach, but I hope we can give the fans some Italian magic. I love the track, the fans and the incredible cuisine – the key combination for a successful weekend.

Stage in Zandvoort turned out to be difficult for me, but I’m not giving up. I will continue to attack and try to finish the season with a high result. We have carefully studied the data collected and identified what we can add to the coming weekend to get back to the points.

It looks like we have another tough weekend ahead given the nature of the track so there is a lot of work to do but I have full confidence in the team and we are ready for the last race of the built series. “

Andreas Seidli, Team Principal: “It’s great to be back in Monza and meet fantastic fans after a fantastic double win last year. Everything is different this year – we have a new car with different features.

The track consists of straight lines and only a few corners, so we’re going to have a difficult weekend, but let’s see how the overtaking situation with the new cars will be. In addition, there is a chance of bad weather, so you should take every opportunity to maximize the result. As usual we will do our best and attack with all our strength.

The race at Monza is the last in the built series and the team is fully focused on the coming weekend, but we are already looking forward to a short break before the next stage. Special thanks to the staff who work on the base during a series of construction phases. We sue”.

alpine

Interview: Otmar Safnauer | Fernando Alonso | Esteban Ocon

Alfa Romeo

Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: “This week we head to Monza for the final lap of a three-race series in a row. After two busy weeks, we expected more from Spa and Zandvoort, but we go to Italy with confidence and desire to please our fans and staff who will be in the stands.

The Italian track is different from Zandvoort, which we were behind, but this weekend should be more competitive. Racing at Monza has been interesting in recent years. Hopefully this weekend we will see an exciting fight on the 100th anniversary of the circuit.”

Valtteri Bottas: “After two failed weekends, I’m looking forward to the next race, especially as it will be held on the home track for our title sponsor.

Monza is one of the most iconic and unique runs. I have been on the podium at Monza four times in the past and was impressed by the incredible atmosphere. I hope we can take a step forward from the last races and finish the European part of the season at a high level.”

Guanyu Zhou: “In anticipation of the final leg of a series of three races in a row, the last European Grand Prix before the exits of the last part of the season.

The season seems to fly by in the blink of an eye. In the last two races we were not able to perform at the desired level, but the stage in Monza is another chance to regroup and work on what we missed last week.

This is an important stage for our team, and for me Monza is of particular importance – in the youth series I played in Italian teams, and when I came on the podium in Formula 2 last year, I felt the passion and incredible energy of the fans.

Hare F1

Interview: Gunther Steiner | Kevin Magnussen | Mick Schumacher

AlphaTauri

Pierre Gasly: “The weekend in Zandvoort turned out to be difficult. We made some progress in qualifying, but in the race I didn’t have the pace to fight my opponents, especially considering I lost positions at the start and ended up in traffic. However, we have learned useful lessons and I am preparing well for our home race, the last European race of the season.

Monza is close to my home so throughout my career this stage has been special to me. Plus, this is a home race for the team, so we just have an incredible atmosphere.

We will come to the track with the right attitude and fight for points. It doesn’t matter if we have problems with the car or not, we will have opportunities, so it’s important to make the best of it. If we do our job well, we get results. It is important to stay positive and look ahead.

Since the beginning of the year we have seen that on some tracks new cars make overtaking easier, and on others they make it more difficult. In general, overtaking has become easier and I see no reason why it will be any different in Monza. We will be able to chase rivals more tightly, but this will reduce the effectiveness of the slipstream. It will be interesting to see how it works out in practice. I won the race at Monza, starting tenth – it shows that in Formula 1 anything is possible!

Yuki Tsunoda: “The team did well and we improved in qualifying at Zandvoort, but in the race there was a problem with the differential and I had to stop. I have put that behind me in the past and fully focused on the Monza race – a special stage for our team.

I couldn’t start last year. So I didn’t drive the Monza Grand Prix in Formula 1, but I really want to speak at our second home circuit after Imola. The whole team is highly motivated.

I don’t know if the track will suit our car or not, but as usual we will continue to work to get the most out of the car. Slipstream is an important factor on the fast Italian circuit, but with new cars the effect will be less than in the past. However, the fact that you can follow rivals closely into the corners means that overtaking is still possible, but there is a risk of getting stuck behind other cars with an active DRS wing.

I think everyone will tear their teammates apart during qualifying. At this stage I have to sit out a fine, but I like the track, so let’s see how it goes.”

Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel: “All kinds of emotions are waiting for me during the weekend in Monza. I come to the track for the last time, where I got my first Formula 1 victory.

I’ve always loved the unique feel of this song, the complexity and features, the incredible energy of the fans. I’m going to enjoy every second of this weekend.

I wonder how the 2022 ground effect cars will behave. Hopefully we will see more competition on track, where it is usually difficult to overtake.”

Lance Walk: “I have fantastic memories of Monza – in 2017 I started here from the front row, in 2020 I climbed on the podium for the first time.

I love this fast, beautiful and difficult track. We did well at Spa and Baku, similar tracks with low downforce, but it won’t be easy to earn points. But if we qualify well, we have to compete for points.”

Williams

Alex Albon: “After two successful weeks in which the team has been able to make progress by gradually refining the car, I am looking forward to the stage in Monza. This track has similar characteristics to the track in Spa, we will use the experience from that weekend and keep working.

Nicholas Latific: “I’m always really looking forward to coming back to Monza, to the historic fast track, where the battle is always exciting.

With the new generation of cars we get the lowest level of downforce in recent years, which will allow even more speed on the straight line – this year such settings suit our car. I hope this weekend will be the same and we will get good results.”