Scuderia Ferrari will be playing on home turf for the sixty-fifth edition of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza this weekend. Just a few days after the Belgian race, Formula 1 is back on track for the 14th round of the championship, which is also the last European race before a final leg made up entirely of flyaway events.
“It’s a nice place to go,” says Kimi Raikkonen of the Monza track “a traditional circuit with a lot of history. It’s completely different from all the other circuits. It’s a home Grand Prix for us and this makes it a bit busier for us, but also for a lot of fans. Last year I could do well in qualifying, but not so good during the start of the race… However, I think the result was OK after what had happened. I’d love to win there and hopefully this year we can do better.”
“The mix between the extreme pressure that we feel trying to do our best in the race in Italy and the massive passion and support that all our fans usually give us when we are in Monza is very special” comments Diego Ioverno, Race Team Manager of Scuderia Ferrari.
"It’s impressive to see in the stands how many people wear something red. For us it’s also a place where we can join our supporters, as well as our sponsors and technical partners. So, all departments have to join in and everyone will be there helping. Technically, the circuit is unique, it’s the quickest of the Championship. There are impressive braking areas, but also reasonably quick corners. The braking areas are the ones where you can make the difference. So, power unit and brake system are normally the most stressed parts of the cars.”