Williams ready for Monza challenge

F1 Grand Prix, GP Italy, Autodromo Nazionale di Monza

Monza marks a real return to power track territory. The 5.793km circuit in the Old Royal Park is one of the few remaining high speed tracks on the calendar and so requires the lowest downforce arrangement seen all year. Monza’s chicanes and four key corners, however, also demand a balancing aerodynamic efficiency to ensure a smooth transition over the harsh kerbs.

Talking technical

Car dynamics:
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at Monza is 800 which is the 2nd lowest for the Championship and is indicative of the presence of 3 chicanes out of only 7 turns. The end of straight (EOS) speed at Monza was 343kp/h in 2008. The Italian track ranks as having the highest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, Monza also has the highest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.

Pitlane & refuelling strategy:
The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Monza is approximately 25.0 seconds, which is the most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around Monza requires 2.18kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the least demanding in terms of fuel consumption.

Safety car:
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There have been 3 safety car deployments in the last 9 years at Monza, which means that there is a 33% chance that the circuit’s character will induce a safety car period.

Temperature, pressure & humidity:
As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. Monza is 160m above sea level and has the 5th lowest average pressure (997 mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a slight reduction in engine power.

What the drivers say

Watching the Oris-sponsored Army Air Corps helicopter display team at Silverstone:
Nico Rosberg/ “I did a feature with RTL in Belgium playing the part of a TV stuntman and did a reverse bungee as part of a fight sequence. I won’t do anything though, risk is something to be controlled and I am really impressed with the pilots flying the helicopters here at Silverstone today. I’d go for a ride, but flying upside down in a helicopter….that would take some nerve.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “I’d rather watch those guys from the ground, I reckon….”

Nico “Now that’s a real racing car. I pushed quite hard out there, struggled a little bit with the gear-shifting, but the way it feels to drive is great and something I would love to have raced. With a bit more safety and a bit more engine power, it would be amazing. It was quite emotional, it was the car after all that kicked off my Dad’s career, so it was a great opportunity to drive it.”

Nico “Yeah, I have quite few Italian friends and some of them are coming to the race. In terms of our prospects, of course the drag levels are similar to Spa and we had a tough time there, so there is a bit of a question mark, but I know they have been working hard at the factory - since the end of first practice in Belgium in fact!”

Nico “I think as a nation they were inspired by Enzo Ferrari. Every bar and restaurant has a TV showing the races and bizarrely I am better known in Italy than I am at home. It just is an enormous sport in Italy, everyone is very enthusiastic about racing.”

Kazuki “You can’t help but notice the passion, that’s what makes it different. It will be a really good weekend, it always is and I can safely say that I return home having been well fed!”

Nico “For sure, it is in the top five tracks in the world.”

Kazuki “It’s a track that stands out all on its own, exciting and challenging to drive, but remember that although it is low drag like Spa, the circuit has suited our car mechanically in the pas few years, so I am pretty hopeful we will go better than in Belgium.”