Grand Prix 2014 Italian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Ciao e benvenuto l'introduzione per il Gran Premio italiano di Monza 2014.

Silverstone, Interlagos, Monza. These illustrious names are the circuits where the sounds of the engines are drowned out by the noise of the fans. Few motorsport arenas can boast of an atmosphere to rival the ancient coliseum of Rome and Monza has always been a pilgrimage for the legion of rosso clad Tifosi.

Monza is synonymous with Ferrari yet this year the prancing horse seems to be more of a lumbering donkey. What effect will this have on the Tifosi and their embrace of the F1 circus this September?

The answer is probably no effect at all.

The reason for this is the love for motorsport shown by the Italian fans ever since the tracks creation in 1922. The sea of red running down to the Parabolica and back along the main straight indicate the devotion of Ferrari fans of all nationalities who are united under a single banner.

Few circuits have been captured on film as much as Monza, many of the sports iconic images and videos were taken at this magnificent race course and you can chart the history of the sport along the twists and turns of the tarmac. It’s also a record breaker, in 1971 the top five drivers finished within 0.61 seconds. A feat only made possible by the lack of chicanes during that era. Phenomenal speeds for the period were also set in those most dangerous of years.

Monza has always produced a mixture of triumph and tragedy, Fangio, Stewart, Lauda, Andretti & Scheckter all secured drivers championships at this circuit while Ascari, von Trip, Rindt & Peterson all lost their lives here.

Only 3 drivers have won at Monza and won the championship in the last 20 years, Senna, Schumacher & Vettel. With Rosberg on top in the championship, will winning this race mean he adds his name to the list or will the Monza jinx strike again.

As for this years race, it would have been hard to see past a Mercedes powered victory due to the long straights but after Ricciardo finished on top in Spa does engine power still have the advantage over aerodynamics?

Whatever happens in the championship we are in for an exciting weekend of racing!
 
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For some reason Vettel maxed out at only 339.9 Kph. He had several opportunities to use DRS so this is a bit peculiar.

Having watched the full onboard coverage today, I can confirm that Ricciardo was often hitting the rev limiter at 340 Kph as well, but on a number of occasions he appeared to be using some sort of 'overtake' mode where he approached 360 Kph.
 
You've just reminded me of something and I've just gone to look at my recording of the race to double check.
The speed trap graphic was shown on lap 44 and showed the top ten drivers. Ricciardo was indeed in top place with 362.1 km/h.
Hamilton was 3rd with 358.6 km/h but Rosberg is not in the list. The slowest car on the top ten list was Hulkenburg with 342.8 km/h. Why such a large difference between Hamilton & Rosberg? Was the speed trap graphic just for the current lap or all laps up 'til then?
 
Rosberg never really had to pass anyone. He probably used DRS on a couple backmarkers, but I'm certain that most teams are using 'Overtake Modes' to achieve their ultimate top speeds.

Nico was the second slowest car for the entire GP at 331 Kph, ahead of just Sutil's Sauber.
 
Rosberg topped the speed trap in Qualifying at 353.9 Kmh. Why he never approached that speed in the race I do not know.

May be Rosberg very carefully was looking for a point to secure was overtaken by Hamilton? :-)

But it was not first time in this season when Rosberg cuts corner.
And ....Rosberg hadn't been able to use DRS in the race.
 
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