The most important technical innovation of this edition of the Italian Grand Prix will be the asphalt. The Autodromo has begun a process of renovation and modernization of its facilities to project it towards the future and the first phase has included the total resurfacing of the track as well as the revision of some underpasses (the one in Santa Maria delle Selve and two along the straight between the Ascari variant and the Parabolica) and the creation of a completely new one that connects the Vedano entrance with the Parabolica, thus separating the flow of pedestrians from that of vehicles. Furthermore, the water collection and drainage systems of the track have been redone.
At the beginning of August, at the end of the works that required the use of 240 workers and 92 vehicles, a team of Pirelli technicians carried out an inspection to collect data on the new asphalt, shared with the FIA and the teams in view of the last European event of the Formula 1 season. The asphalt, as usually happens when the mix has been laid recently, is smoother than the previous one and darker in color.
This last feature will have an impact on track temperatures, which, in sunny weather conditions, could be higher than in the past and even reach significant peaks, above 50 °C. In theory, the asphalt offers greater adhesive grip, which will have an impact on the performance of the tyres and their operating temperatures. It is very predictable that we will see a weekend with a very high evolution of the track, as the cars of the various categories participating in the event run.
Monza is the track where, usually, they race with the lowest possible aerodynamic configuration precisely to favor top speed by decreasing resistance to forward movement. Stability under braking and traction exiting the two chicanes are the factors that put the tires to the test the most, even if the lateral loads exerted in the fast corners, such as the Parabolica named after Michele Alboreto and the Grande, should not be underestimated. For this event, the choice of the three dry compounds has not changed compared to 2023: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft.
On a track where the time needed to change tyres is among the longest on the calendar, the one-stop strategy is on paper the fastest. It will be important to see in free practice what role the new asphalt will play on the tyres’ behaviour over the long distance, both in terms of performance and degradation. Last year, the race was very linear, with the two hardest compounds taking centre stage. Seventeen out of twenty drivers chose to start with the C4, with only three (Hamilton, Bottas and Magnussen) opting for the C3. Fourteen drivers made just one stop, six stopped twice but one of them, Piastri, was forced to do so due to damage to the front wing in a duel with Hamilton, while the other five (Gasly, Zhou, Lawson, Hulkenberg and Magnussen) tried this strategy because the tyres’ performance degradation was already too high in the first stint.
The Italian Grand Prix has always been present on the Formula 1 World Championship calendar since its inception, so this is its seventy-fifth edition. It has always been held at the Monza racetrack with the exception of one edition, in 1980, held at Imola. The drivers with the most wins (5) are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, followed by Nelson Piquet (4). In terms of pole positions, Hamilton is the record holder (7), followed by Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna (5 each). Hamilton and Schumacher also share the record for podium finishes (8), with Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso tied for third place with six podiums each. Among the teams, Ferrari is the one with the most wins: wins (19), pole positions (23) and podium finishes (17).
Furthermore, the Scuderia is not the only Italian team to have triumphed in its home race. The other team that races with the license issued by the Automobile Club d’Italia, Visa CashApp Racing Bulls, also based in Faenza since it was called Minardi, has in fact won the only two races in its history right at Monza: in 2008 with Sebastian Vettel, when it was called Toro Rosso, and in 2020 with Pierre Gasly, when the name was AlphaTauri.
Minimum pressures at the start (slick tyres)
Front: 25.5 psi
Rear: 23.5 psi
Maximum camber
Front:-3.00°
Rear: -2.00°
#Pirelli #Monzas #asphalt #impact #tyres
