VeloRUSH VeloPOINT Motorsports Magazine Fall 2013 | Page 14
important to consider that. Coming from a track like Spa, we need to adapt to Monza in terms of driving style, strategy and set-up. It will be a crucial weekend, because stability in slow corners is important and, unfortunately, this is where we’ve been struggling. We have to focus on that and try to improve. My favourite part of the track is the Variante Ascari, a left-right-left combination. It’s very quick, you have to get the right line, react quickly to the kerbs and the bumps, and it’s fun. Our pace is good, but now we need to complement that with the right decisions. I have great memories of Monza, as I won the Formula BMW and GP3 titles there. I remember very well my pole position lap there in GP3, this point made the difference and I went on to win the championship, so it was very special.” Tom McCullough, Sauber head of track engineering “Monza is a unique challenge for the drivers and engineers as the circuit efficiency requires our lowest drag configuration of the season. The track is well known for its long straights. The majority of the grip-limited time comes from medium-speed cornering and two lowerspeed chicanes. The track is pretty bumpy in some areas and you need to be able to use the kerbs, so the ride quality is also an important factor. The track tends to favour strategies with less stops because of the low fuel effect and the time you
lose in the pit lane. We have some further developments to be tested. Again, Pirelli has selected the medium and hard tyre compounds. Coming from Spa we are confident we can fight for points in this final European race.” Jenson Button, McLaren 2012 Qualifying - 2nd, 2012 Race - DNF “I’ve always loved Monza. I really enjoy circuits that have a bit of history to them, and Monza has that in abundance - it’s one of the greatest tracks on the calendar. The place is unique: ever since we lost the ‘old’ Hockenheim, this has been the only place on the calendar where you run a really super-low downforce configuration. And you can feel it - the car accelerates up to speed incredibly quickly, feels skittish and loose when you’re running flat-out, and can be tricky and unpredictable under braking. But that’s what makes the place a special kind of challenge, and I really enjoy that. When you have the car hooked up beneath you, you get into a special kind of rhythm around Monza: you’re going so fast that the whole lap just flows together. There’s nowhere quite like it. So it’s really appropriate that McLaren will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the paddock over the Monza weekend. Both names are synonymous with motorsport history - you couldn’t imagine Formula One without them so I’ll be hoping for a strong result to show the strength
and depth that we have as a team.” Sergio Perez, McLaren 2012 Qualifying - 13th, 2012 Race - 2nd “Monza is probably the most beautiful circuit in Formula One - it’s just so historic; from the moment you arrive, you can feel it’s just different from any other place we visit. In fac ??$?????????????????????????????=?????5????????????????????????????????M????????????$???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????q?????????????????????M???????????????????????????????????'?e??????????????????????????!???????? ?????????????e?????????????????????e??????????????????????????????????????????$????????e???????????????????????????????Q???e???????????????????????e??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????e?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e??????????????????M???????????'?e???????????????????????????????t?5?????]????????5?1??????????????????qQ?????e?%?????? ????A???????????????????????((??
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