After the wild ride that was the Dutch Grand Prix, the Formula One circus arrives at its next destination. The Temple of Speed - Monza.
Monza has been a staple of the World Championship's calendar since Formula One's official inception in 1950. However, the circuit officially opened its doors in 1922 and had held many years of Grand Prix racing before the idea of Formula One had been formed.
Monza has been the host of the Italian Grand Prix every single year excluding one. The 1980 Italian Grand Prix was held at Imola, the only year that Monza has been absent from the Formula One calendar. Monza was recently refurbished and upgraded with leaps forward in spectator and driver saftey. A new pitlane was also added - as were flattened kerbs that might change the approach to corners like Variante Ascari despite the layout staying the same.
Rubens Barrichello's unbelievable qualifying lap for the 2004 Italian Grand Prix
Monza's track layout, for cars that is, has not changed since the year 2000. The Temple of Speed replaced the dangerous double chicane known as Variante Rettifilo with the tight right-left combination of Prima Variante. This difficult first corner sequence has been the demise of many a sim racers Monza experience.
More recently, the track has been resurfaced and widened in certain spots. While the layout remains unchanged, the flattened kerbs, particularly in Variante Ascari, could change how drivers tackle the track, potentially increasing speeds.
The Williams team will most likely treat this weekend as a long series of testing sessions for Colapinto, whereas Alex Albon will be aiming for a points finish at the very minimum to make up for the fiasco of Zandvoort.
What does Sargeant do next? There is no space for him in Formula One next year so he could back to his home country and race IndyCar, or depart from racing for some time like his predecessor Nicholas Latifi - or maybe a door opens in WEC like it did for Mick Schumacher after his exit from Haas at the end of 2022.
The Aston Martin Safety car was in a bad way after the accident and was recovered via flatbed truck, covered by the black privacy sheet. Whilst a bit embarrassing, the most important thing is that nobody was hurt during the accident.
Who are you supporting in this weekend's Italian Grand Prix? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments below!
Monza has been a staple of the World Championship's calendar since Formula One's official inception in 1950. However, the circuit officially opened its doors in 1922 and had held many years of Grand Prix racing before the idea of Formula One had been formed.
Monza has been the host of the Italian Grand Prix every single year excluding one. The 1980 Italian Grand Prix was held at Imola, the only year that Monza has been absent from the Formula One calendar. Monza was recently refurbished and upgraded with leaps forward in spectator and driver saftey. A new pitlane was also added - as were flattened kerbs that might change the approach to corners like Variante Ascari despite the layout staying the same.
Monza's track layout, for cars that is, has not changed since the year 2000. The Temple of Speed replaced the dangerous double chicane known as Variante Rettifilo with the tight right-left combination of Prima Variante. This difficult first corner sequence has been the demise of many a sim racers Monza experience.
More recently, the track has been resurfaced and widened in certain spots. While the layout remains unchanged, the flattened kerbs, particularly in Variante Ascari, could change how drivers tackle the track, potentially increasing speeds.
Colapinto To Replace Logan Sargeant At Williams
Following a very disappointing Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Williams pulled the trigger on a semmingly inevitable mid-season driver swap. Logan Sargeant has departed the team with immediate effect and will be replaced with Williams Academy driver, Franco Colapinto.The Williams team will most likely treat this weekend as a long series of testing sessions for Colapinto, whereas Alex Albon will be aiming for a points finish at the very minimum to make up for the fiasco of Zandvoort.
What does Sargeant do next? There is no space for him in Formula One next year so he could back to his home country and race IndyCar, or depart from racing for some time like his predecessor Nicholas Latifi - or maybe a door opens in WEC like it did for Mick Schumacher after his exit from Haas at the end of 2022.
The First Crash Of The Weekend... On Thursday
An unexpected turn of events saw the first accident occur before a competitive wheel hit the tarmac. The safety car, driven by the experienced safety car pilot Bernd Mayländer, had a high speed crash the Parabolica, dislodging the barriers and delaying the on-track action before it had even begun.The Aston Martin Safety car was in a bad way after the accident and was recovered via flatbed truck, covered by the black privacy sheet. Whilst a bit embarrassing, the most important thing is that nobody was hurt during the accident.
Who are you supporting in this weekend's Italian Grand Prix? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments below!
![Luca [OT]](/data/avatars/s/3235/3235113.jpg?1697196734){kind=avatar}
