Monza Circuit (Formula1.com)
With the FIA ‘vs.’ McLaren battle firmly up in the air and out of earshot for now why not look forward to the next race, one of the most famous circuits in F1 history, we head off to Monza, in Italy for Round 14.
Its Ferrari home turf but McLaren battle ground, and its fair to say that this is going to be a battle of epic proportions. All guns will be blazing from those trying to cement their place in history for what is currently shaping up to be one of the most intense finishes to any seasons ever, yes… Possibly even closer than 2007.
One thing we can be sure of is that no matter what is going on behind closed doors all drivers in all cars will be fully focussed on the job in hand and will be out to claim those valuable points.
Monza is the last European race of the season, after this we head out to the east of the world map to visit Singapore, Japan and China before our traditional season finale at Interlagos, Brazil. 5 races left and only the finest of margins separate our drivers. The table is as follows:
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Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) – 76
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Felipe Massa (Ferrari) – 74
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Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) – 58
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Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) – 57
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Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) – 49
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Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) – 43
Mathematically speaking any one of the top 6 can take the championship, sure it would take coincidences of unimaginable proportions for some, but it’s certainly possible, and on the other hand, realistically speaking I think it’s only going to be one of 4. Robert Kubica is still in the running and could be up there but something tells me that it’s a 3 horse race and 1 of those horses has forgotten which way he is running.
So down to 2, it’s Massa ‘vs.’ Hamilton… Red ‘vs.’ Silver… The holders ‘vs.’ the challengers… My nerves can’t take the pressure right now so I can’t even begin to imagine which way this one is going to go and whether or not it’s going to be decided on or off track?
Maybe some more clarity in the rules is needed to prevent races being decided by the big wigs with clip boards. After-all, ultimately we want to see these boys race? Let them race!
Monza Vital Stats
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Number of Laps – 53
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Circuit Length – 5.793km
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Race Distance – 306.720km
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Lap Record – 1:21:056 (R Barrichello, Ferrari, 2004)
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Corners – 11
Just checking the weather for the weekend it seems as though showers are a very real possibility and this will ultimately favour McLaren, in particular Lewis Hamilton who as we all know is a lover of wet conditions and this has been proven time and time again. So for sure he will be hoping for a nice dry qualifying session and then a nice wet race.
The Tifosi will be out in the droves to support their drivers and I will lay money that the boo’s will be directed solely at Mr Hamilton. Good luck if you win this one son, I would just stay in your car and keep on driving out of the place. Last year McLaren took the 1 / 2 with Fernando Alonso taking the top step, and Lewis Hamilton taking the second, is another Ferrari upset on the cards? I think it just might be.
