Monza 2014: What could the outcome be?

F1 Manager comes with an additional prize, worth 100 euro, for each stage at Monza. The prize will consist of IT products and will be awarded to the winner of the 1st place in the stage ranking of the contest Play F1 Manager.

On the Monza circuit drivers will run 53 laps, each having 5793m, with a total race distance of 306,72 km .

Full throttle: on 77% of the circuit length.

Gear changes per lap: 46 .

Fuel used per lap: 2.6 kg.

Downforce level: low

Time lost in the pits for a tyre change: 24 seconds.

Lap record: 1’21.046 Rubens Barichello 2004.

Fastest lap: 1’19.525 Juan Pablo Montoya 2004.

Maximum speed : 347 km / h Bruno Senna 2011.

The most qualifications in pole position at the front of the starting grid: 5 Juan Manuel Fangio.

Most wins: 5 Michael Schumacher.

Available tyres: medium and hard.

History

The circuit of Monza is a historical one. There have been so far no fewer than 62 Formula 1 Grands Prix. From 1950 to 2011 it missed only the 1980 Italian Grand Prix held at Imola. The circuit was built in 1922 and currently has a capacity of 113,680 people. 19 people involved in motorsport died on this circuit, the most famous being Alberto Ascari. He lost his life in 1955 on the Curva del Vialone (a corner that was replaced with a chicane that now is called Variante Ascari) while he was driving a Ferrari 750 racing car, just four days after he had the horrible accident at Monaco

The faster a circuit is, generally the more stressful it is for the tyres because of the heat build-up that all these forces entail. The cars run a very low downforce set-up for Monza to maximise their top speed on the straights. This has a distinct effect on the tyres, as less downforce means that the cars tend to slide more and run a greater risk of wheels locking up in the braking areas, which are a key element of Monza. These lock-ups can lead to flat spots, although the design of our tyre structure and compounds this year means that flat spots are a much less common occurrence than they used to be.”

At Monza there is one rule only: finding the best way to deal with top speeds that are closer to 400 than 300 kph. In order to find the highest maximum speed on the long straights, ultra low downforce is needed. So the main job for the driver is looking after the rear tyres. In order to do that, you need a set-up that delivers good traction on the exit of the chicanes. Otherwise you get a lot of wear on the rear tyres and braking distances get a lot longer, which is a disaster for the lap time. That’s not all though. At those speeds you actually get the ‘lift’ phenomenon: you feel that the car is about to lift off from the track. It’s something that you only find in Monza; sometimes it even feels quite hard to keep the car in a straight line on the straights.

What could the outcome be?

Of course we count on the Mercedes in this circuit, too, although – and that’s an odd thing – in Belgium they were the fastest in the sector two, a turn sector and a slower one. On the other two sectors of the circuit – which are known as speed sectors – the racing cars Mercedes, Williams, Red Bull and even Ferrari had similar time. That is due to the settings chosen by the Mercedes and not to a lack of strength or speed of the racing car.

We see the same order as in Belgium. The difference is that we expect Williams to drive faster than the Red Bull.

As for the intra-team battle, it is time for Hamilton to beat Rosberg, for Massa to beat Bottas, for Vettel to beat Ricciardo, for Raikkonen to beat Alonso … not yet.

F1 Manager predictions for Monza Grand Prix:

Top 5 drivers in the qualifying (not quite in the mentioned order): Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa, Alonso, Bottas.

Top 5 drivers for race (not quite in the mentioned order): Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa, Alonso, Vettel.

All those who predict correctly the top five positions in the race standings will receive a Play F1 Manager t-shirt.
 

Un comentariu

  1. Post By GoldStandard

    Hmmmm….. you’ve gotta have guts, going for Massa.
    Every time I’m thinking…. is the run of bad luck going to end?

    Similarly Kimi….. but he seems to be getting the hang of his car (at last)
    Also let’s not forget Ricciardo…. 3 wins under his belt!

    So my prediction is: Massa will suffer some kind of problem (again) 🙂

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