Italian GP 2009 - Monza

[Giblet]

6 / 7 top cars have Mercedes engines.

More than half of the top 10, I wonder who has the best motor these days?

[flynfrog]

what a last lap by Hamilton. Well done. Looks like we are going to have ourselves a great race.

[Roland Ehnström]

Kubica is out too with an engine problem too. Will he be taking a 10 place penalty this race? Ted says that was his 8th new engine the blew.

I believe he will go back to a previousely used engine for the race, so no penalty.

[bill shoe]

The FIA has "cleared up" the situation regarding chicane cutting. The solution appears to have unintentional consequences.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78541

You are never allowed to cut the chicane, except to avoid an accident. Except that you are allowed to cut the chicane on the first lap, apparently even when not avoiding an accident. Also, you can cut the chicane up to two times after the first lap with no penalty. The third time gets you a drive-thru.

This rule gives drivers an incentive to 1. Cut the chicane on the opening lap and on at least two other laps during the race, and 2. Cut it by large amounts since the rules now officially allow them to cut.

You are not allowed to "gain an advantage", but this phrase has only been applied to direct on-track action. If you are racing someone on the track and they pit two laps before you, then you want to be quick as possible during those two laps so you will be ahead after your stop. Therefore you massively cut the chicane on those two laps, pick up a few tenths each time, and come out ahead.

The whole trick with rules is to 1. put them clearly into writing with no interpretation required, and 2. don't create unintended consequences. This FIA clarification achieves 1 but not 2.

[ESPImperium]

Kubica is out too with an engine problem too. Will he be taking a 10 place penalty this race? Ted says that was his 8th new engine the blew.

I believe he will go back to a previousely used engine for the race, so no penalty.

To my engine data, he still has one fresh block, thats all. Same with the Technical report from Spa.

Im not really shure untill the weights come out in arround the next hour or so. Whitch ill have to have a look at my fuel burn ratio as well, as im shure its gonna be higher than 2.71kg per lap, probably revise it to arround 2.86 or 2.96 as im shiure the fuel consumption is much higher at Monza. Someone have any idea on the fuel burn ratio at Monza???

[Confused_Andy]

Liuzzi did a fantastic job, either he is a great driver or that Force India is a stonking car to drive, not only fast, but easy.

[ESPImperium]

One thing id do at Monza, is change the pit lane exit, make it exit at maybes Turn 2. Theres gonna be a accedent one day there; with couple of drivers approaching at arround 340kmph+, one is going for the overtake, meanwhile a driver exiting the pits at arround 150-200kmph. It will be fatal or near fatal.

I as i have said, the exit needs to be changed to the exit of turn 2, or made widerat that area, with a better feed in.

Another thing id do, altho its been done a few times before, a reprofiling of Turn 1, make it more inviting to try a banzai move, but one that means you can still recover to make the corner.

It may change the personality of the corner, posibly of the track, but if it makes more overtakes in a race, overall, id say it was a major plus for the track.

[The Local Ride]

01 McLaren Mercedes Lewis Hamilton 653.5
02 McLaren Mercedes Heikki Kovalainen 683.0
03 Ferrari Giancarlo Fisichella 690.0*
04 Ferrari Kimi Räikkönen 662.0
05 BMW Sauber Robert Kubica 697.5*
06 BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld 697.5*
07 Renault Fernando Alonso 677.5
08 Renault Romain Grosjean 699.8*
09 Toyota Jarno Trulli 703.0*
10 Toyota Timo Glock 709.8*
11 STR Ferrari Jaime Alguersuari 706.0*
12 STR Ferrari Sébastien Buemi 706.0*
14 RBR Renault Mark Webber 683.0
15 RBR Renault Sebastian Vettel 682.0
16 Williams Toyota Nico Rosberg 708.6*
17 Williams Toyota Kazuki Nakajima 706.2*
20 Force India Mercedes Adrian Sutil 655.0
21 Force India Mercedes Vitantonio Liuzzi 679.5
22 Brawn Mercedes Jenson Button 687.0
23 Brawn Mercedes Rubens Barrichello 688.5

[fenix4life]

Hmm looks like Heike has the cards in hand

[JamesS]

01 McLaren Mercedes Lewis Hamilton 653.5
02 McLaren Mercedes Heikki Kovalainen 683.0
03 Ferrari Giancarlo Fisichella 690.0*
04 Ferrari Kimi Räikkönen 662.0
05 BMW Sauber Robert Kubica 697.5*
06 BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld 697.5*
07 Renault Fernando Alonso 677.5
08 Renault Romain Grosjean 699.8*
09 Toyota Jarno Trulli 703.0*
10 Toyota Timo Glock 709.8*
11 STR Ferrari Jaime Alguersuari 706.0*
12 STR Ferrari Sébastien Buemi 706.0*
14 RBR Renault Mark Webber 683.0
15 RBR Renault Sebastian Vettel 682.0
16 Williams Toyota Nico Rosberg 708.6*
17 Williams Toyota Kazuki Nakajima 706.2*
20 Force India Mercedes Adrian Sutil 655.0
21 Force India Mercedes Vitantonio Liuzzi 679.5
22 Brawn Mercedes Jenson Button 687.0
23 Brawn Mercedes Rubens Barrichello 688.5

Could someone arrange based on starting order?

[The Local Ride]

1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 653.5
2. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 655.0
3. Raikkonen Ferrari 662.0
4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 683.0
5. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 688.5
6. Button Brawn-Mercedes 687.0
7. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 679.5
8. Alonso Renault 677.5
9. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 682.0
10. Webber Red Bull-Renault 683.0
11. Trulli Toyota 703.0*
12. Grosjean Renault 699.8*
13. Kubica BMW-Sauber 697.5*
14. Fisichella Ferrari 690.0*
15. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 697.5*
16. Glock Toyota 709.8*
17. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 706.2*
18. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 708.6*
19. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 706.0*
20. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 706.0*

[szlaszlo84]

Hmm looks like Heike has the cards in hand

I agree. I also think that the Brawns look pretty good as well. I'd say the winner will be Heiki, Barrichello or Button.

[Ray]

I expect a pretty big pile up at the first chicane. The kerbs are going to stop a safe exit for cars bunched up in there and someone will get off the ground I'm sure. But I hope I'm wrong and every get through and we have a great race.

I'm going to say either Kimi or one of the Brawns pull it off. If Lewis doesn't block well enough into the first corner.

[andartop]

Could someone please do the maths and suggest at which lap will the front runners pit?
If Kimi's strategy pays off he is looking quite good to overtake Lewis and/or Sutil during the pit stops and keep the Brawns behind with the magic button. Heikki and the Brawns look strong as well, here's hoping the Red Bulls will have amazing starts and go hunting!
Fisico is also looking good for some points, being the lightest outside the top 10 and with KERS he should be able to gain quite a few positions on the opening laps.. [-o<
I have a bad feeling though we'll have a major crash on the second chicane, taking a few cars out and bringing a SC in..

[sunny1304]

i am having a feeling that kimi will pass lewis tomorrow because kimi will have a better chance to maximize kers than hamilton as from 3rd place kimi have to run longer than lewis to the 1st corner as kimi is in 3rd and lewis is on pole.

i may b wrong .