Formula 1 has come back with a bang after the summer break with the two first races taking place with barely any time to spare. Once the race finished in Spa-Francorchamps, the team headed straight towards Monza for what will be the thirteenth event of the season: the Italian Grand Prix. A classic on the calendar which, without a doubt, will be even more special for the team and Pedro de la Rosa in particular as he will be racing in his 100th Formula 1 grand prix at the Italian event. Narain Karthikeyan, on his behalf, aims to have another good performance which translates into a positive result in the race.
The Autodromo di Monza was built in 1922 and is one of the few current circuits that celebrated a grand prix in the World Championship’s first season in 1950. Monza is a very low downforce circuit, the quickest in the championship and the one with the fewest corners in the season. Therefore a good maximum speed is very important to achieve a good result.
Pirelli has elected its hard and medium tyres for this Grand Prix.
Pedro de la Rosa: "Making it to 100 grands prix is something very special and I’m very motivated ahead of Italy, not only because of the 100 mark, but because I’m certain that we can be even more competitive. Monza is a similar circuit to Canada, where maximum speed and brake stability are important; and these are our strengths. I love consecutive races because I like continuity and, besides, Monza is one of my favourite circuits because it’s very different to the rest. So, because of all this, I’m really excited ahead of this grand prix”.
Narain Karthikeyan: "Monza is a circuit that I really like and an interesting track for us. We’re bringing a specific package for this event, with a low drag wing which we hope will help us to have a good performance. It’s a fantastic circuit where I love to race with legendary corners such as the Parabolica and the Curva di Lesmo. I hope not to run into bad luck at this grand prix and to be able to convert a good performance into a positive result”.
Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: "Once again we arrive at an emblematic circuit; a classic on the calendar. Monza is the quickest track in the championship and we come with good sensations since, given the nature of the F112, our car should adapt well to this circuit. Our maximum speed is good and so is our braking so I’m confident that we will be able to perform well. It will also be a special race because Pedro will be celebrating his 100th Formula 1 grand prix and we’re quite excited about that. Very few drivers are able to stay up there for that long and gain the respect of everyone in the way that Pedro has. He’s an admirable driver and person and we’re extremely proud for him to reach this mark with us”.