Toto Talks Italy
It was a disappointing weekend in Zandvoort. We didn’t perform to the level we expected. Lewis drove a strong race to recover to the points, but qualifying out of position limited the returns. George meanwhile suffered with high degradation and therefore didn’t have the pace to fight with for the top-six. The team is already working hard analysing all the data to understand what caused this. Whilst it’s a quick turnaround, we have the opportunity to bounce back straight away in Monza. I am confident we can do so. It is a very different circuit to Zandvoort, and likely even quicker this year with some of the changes they have made. We will also need to understand the impact of the track resurfacing that has been carried out. Monza is always a fascinating challenge for both teams and drivers, and one we are looking forward to.
The atmosphere is always special as the Italian fans are passionate about their racing. That will be even more so in FP1 as Kimi Antonelli steps into George’s car for a rookie session. Kimi has been part of our junior programme since he was 12 so this is an exciting moment for both him and the team. I am sure he will enjoy the experience of driving in front of his home crowd, and in turn I am sure they will be excited to see a new Italian talent on track. We look forward to seeing Kimi in the W15 on Friday morning and contributing to the team’s start to the weekend.
Fact File: Italian Grand Prix
Monza is nicknamed the ‘Temple of Speed’ and for good reason. Recorded top speeds through the speed traps during the Grand Prix typically top 350 km/h.
Due to the long straights and large portion of lap spent in eighth gear, the Monza lap is one of the lowest for gear changes on the calendar, with just 38.
The high-speed nature of Monza means the Italian Grand Prix is often one of the shortest races of the year. If run uninterrupted, it usually takes around one hour and 15 minutes from lights out to the chequered flag.
The circuit contains just 11 corners, four to the left and seven to the right. That is the second fewest of the year, behind only Austria which has 10.
Extensive work has taken place at Monza ahead of this year’s race, with significant upgrades to circuit infrastructure.
The entire circuit has also been resurfaced and new kerbs installed which may give drivers a chance to carry a little more speed into certain corners.
The 476m run from pole position to the first braking point at Monza is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar. Only Mexico, Great Britain, and Spain are longer.
Monza has the highest percentage time (76%) and distance (84%) per lap spent at full throttle of any circuit on the F1 2024 calendar.
Only Las Vegas and Mexico have a higher maximum top speed reached per lap than Monza.
Lewis Hamilton has five wins at Monza, and in 2017 he broke Michael Schumacher’s F1 record of 68 career pole positions at the track.
Mercedes has seven wins at Monza in F1. Four with Lewis, two with Juan Manual Fangio, and one with Nico Rosberg.
FP1 in Italy will see junior driver Kimi Antonelli take part in his first F1 practice session. The Italian will drive George’s car, for the team’s first of two mandatory FP1 sessions where a rookie driver must be used.
