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2005 ITALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX MONZA

2005 F1 GP:

R15 of 19, 2005 Italian GP, September 04, 2005, Monza

• BEFORE RACE:
• RAIKKONEN: "The situation in both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships is still open and nobody knows what's going to happen until the last race in October. The car has the pace to win, and I am not giving up the fight, so we shall see."
• M SCHUMACHER: 'I'm a realist and some races ago I pretty much knew that it's no longer possible to fight for the championship"
• Mario Theissen (BMW): RE MONZA: "The cars are flat out for 69% of the lap, the highest full-throttle ratio of any Formula One circuit."

• Monza, Milan, ITALY
• fast circuit; top speed over 360 kph
• 3 long straights including 1.2km main straight (longest in F1 circuit except Indianapolis); medium speed corners
• 53 lap race; 190 ml / 305.9 km total distance; 3.59 ml / 5.77 km per lap
• lap record: 1min 18.308sec N Mansell 1992
• 2004 RESULT:
• 1 Rubens Barrichello, FERRARI, 53 LAPS
• 2 Michael Schumacher, FERRARI +1.3s
• 3 Jenson Button, BAR +10.1s
• 4 Takuma Sato BAR +15.3
• 5 Juan Montoya , WILLIAMS +32
• 6 Coulthard McLAREN
• Italian GP Winners:
• 2004 winner: BARRICHELLO, FERRARI, B
• 2003 winner: M SCHUMACHER, FERRARI
• 2002 winner: BARRICHELLO, FERRARI, B
• 2001 winner: Montoya, Williams BMW Michelin
• 2000 winner: M Schumacher, Ferrari
• SPEED CONFIRMED AS RED BULL TEST DRIVER FOR 2006
  "Obviously, I'm extremely pleased that Red Bull Racing has decided to extend my contract. This season has been very good for me and to take this step forward with Red Bull Racing for next year and hopefully beyond is a great opportunity. My aim has always been to race in Formula 1, it's my dream and this makes it much more of a reality. I've still got a hell of a lot to learn, but with the team around me and with David Coulthard as one of my team-mates, I'm in the best place to be able to do that."

RACE RESULT

• 1 Juan Pablo Montoya (COL) McLaren-Mercedes
  "It is great to win here in Monza especially after such an exciting race. I had a good clean start getting off the line and down to the first corner without any problems. I pushed really hard in the opening stages to build a gap between me and Fernando Alonso but after a couple of laps I really started to suffer from understeer and the car became very difficult to drive. Towards the end I had a severe problem with my left rear tyre. This left me with very little grip in the closing stages, and I just couldn't go on pushing, but it was enough to get me to the line in first place. I want to thank all in the team for their fantastic support and I am looking forward to the next race at Spa."
  2 Fernando Alonso (SPA) Renault + 2.4
  "I am really happy with second place here this weekend. In these final races of the season, our strategy has been to make sure we get on the podium, so this is the perfect result for me. The fact that we both finished in front of Kimi (Raikkonen) makes it even better. The car was nearly perfect all through the race ; I had some oversteer on the first stint, but after that we didn't touch anything at all on the settings. The team was keeping me informed about the gap to Kimi all the way through the race, so I knew how his race was developing as well, and then they told me Juan (Montoya) had problems with his tyres. I really pushed hard in the final laps, and we turned the engine revs back up to try and catch him, but there were not enough laps left. But we did the job we needed to today, so I am very pleased."
  3 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Renault +17.9
  "This is a great day for me, to be on the podium at my home race in Monza, and to see the crowd cheering during the ceremony, was such a special feeling. The balance of the R25 was fantastic today, but the grip levels were quite bad and that meant it was a really hard race. But from eighth on the grid, I think we had a perfect strategy and it is great to finish on the podium after starting so far back. The race was what I expected really -- we knew that BAR and Ferrari would stop earlier than us on the first stint, and the only concern was with Trulli. Luckily, he stopped one lap earlier than me and in that space, I really pushed and got past him. I think that was the moment that got me third place this afternoon. It is a great result for the team as well to have both of us on the podium, and the next track should suit our car well -- plus Spa is a great circuit for me too. This afternoon showed we are still competitive, and attacking all the way to the last race."
  4 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes
  "This was a very disappointing day for me which could have ended much better. Due to an engine change I had to start from 11th, and then a tyre problem caused an additional stop which prevented me from benefiting from our one stop strategy. I had one spin when I hit the curbs in the last stage of the race, but that didn't influence the outcome too much. I pushed very hard throughout and the speed of the car, even with a heavy fuel load, was excellent. So it is a pity that the result does not reflect our performance. Even though my World Championship chances are not looking so good I will continue to fight."
  5 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota
  "Today was a fantastic race for me. I pushed right to the limit from the beginning to the end. The car balance wasn't too bad, but we struggled a bit with traction. I lost a couple of places early on when we weren't as quick down the straights as other lighter cars. But our car was as reliable as it has been all season. I didn't expect to be able to come home in 5th place so it was definitely a positive day. It's great for the team, too, and our total of seven points means we are now bearing down on Ferrari in the constructors' championship. We'll be really pushing to catch them."
  6 Ralf Schumacher (GER) Toyota
  7 Antonio Pizzonia (BRA) Williams-BMW
  8 Jenson Button (GB) BAR-Honda
  9 Felipe Massa (BRA) Sauber-Petronas
  10 Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari
  11 Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Sauber-Petronas
  12 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari
  13 Christian Klien (AUT) Red Bull-Cosworth
  14 Mark Webber (AUS) Williams-BMW
  15 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Cosworth
  16 Takuma Sato (JAP) BAR-Honda
  17 Tiago Monteiro (POR) Jordan-Toyota t
  18 Robert Doornbos (NED) Minardi-Cosworth
  19 Christijan Albers (NED) Minardi-Cosworth
  20 Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan-Toyota

McLAREN RACE REPORT:

• Team McLaren Mercedes driver Juan Pablo Montoya won today's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which he had started from pole position. It is the first victory for Team McLaren Mercedes at Monza since 1997, Juan Pablo's second win of this season and the sixth of his Formula One career. His team mate Kimi Raikkonen came home fourth in the 53-lap race. Both drivers pitted twice, however Kimi was on a one-stop-strategy and his second stop was caused by a problem with his left rear tyre and the team had to change it on lap 28 (5.0 seconds). Juan Pablo came in for fuel on laps 20 (8.2 seconds) and 40 (7.1 seconds), whilst Kimi's regular pit stop was on lap 25 (11.5 seconds). Kimi remains second and Juan Pablo fourth in the Drivers' World Championship with 76 and 50 points respectively. Team McLaren Mercedes are second in the constructors' ranking with 136 points.
• Ron Dennis (TEAM PRINCIPAL): "A stressfull race, Juan Pablo did a great job especially looking after the tyre in the final laps of the race. We knew it was not dangerous, and we had the race in control. It was disappointing as our strategists had calculated that Kimi, without his tyre problem, would have moved up to second place after Fernando Alonso's final pitstop."
• "All in all we had a great strategy, and Kimi drove an excellent race. The mathematics clearly demonstrate that we are still capable of winning both World Championships, but of course it is going to be somewhat challenging. As history shows, we love a challenge."

RENAULT RACE REPORT:

• The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team scored its second double podium finish of the 2005 season - and its first since the opening race of the season in Melbourne - at the Italian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso took a strong second place, pressuring Juan-Pablo Montoya's McLaren to the flag, while Giancarlo Fisichella climbed from eighth position to third, his second podium finish of the season and the first podium for an Italian driver at Monza since Michele Alboreto in 1988.
• Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: "The team had a great race this afternoon. Two drivers on the podium was what we wanted this weekend, and we achieved it. Monza is always a tough circuit for engines, but ours were perfect all the way through; the tyre performance from Michelin was very good; and we had the right strategy. I want to congratulate Giancarlo on a fantastic drive from eighth on the grid to finish on the podium at his home Grand Prix. Fernando did a superb job, and is in a stronger position for the championship now. There is a 27 point gap, but we are taking it week by week and not getting excited. Spa will be another important race in one week's time, so let's see what happens."

FERRARI RACE REPORT:

• Jean Todt: "Yet another painful day in what has been a difficult season for us. We fought really hard to try and finish in the points, but we did not manage it. This was another big disappointment with both cars making it to the finish but with no points to our name. We are very disappointed for our fans and our staff who were here in the grandstand at Monza."
• "The main problem afflicting us is, as everyone knows, a lack of grip and all we can do is continue to work with our partners at Bridgestone to fix it. Next weekend, in the Belgian Grand Prix, at Spa- Francorchamps, we can once again expect a difficult weekend. But hopefully we can show that this current situation can be turned around in the final three rounds of the championship."
• "Despite the fact that we are going through very difficult times, the team and the drivers have once again worked very hard. We have shown that we are really determined to get the most out of the package we have at our disposal."

TOYOTA RACE REPORT:

• It was a successful weekend's work for Panasonic Toyota Racing with strong points finishes for both Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher and a timely boost in the constructors' championship.
• Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal: "That was a very good race for us. We were the third quickest team behind McLaren and Renault and I don't think we could have done any better. We were very happy with our race strategy. We lost a couple of places early on because other cars were running lighter than us. But our strategy was proved to be right because we ended up ahead of them at the flag. The points mean we are opening a gap to the teams behind us but more importantly we are making ground on Ferrari. Now we are only eight points behind with four races left. We are closing on them and we will push hard to catch them and make it into the top three. We will also continue to work hard on the technical side to close the gap in pace to the top two."

QUALIFYING

• RAIKKONEN LOSES POLE FOR ENGINE FAILURE
• Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time during final qualifying session but will start 11th. He loses 10 places as penalty for engine failure (Saturday practice). Team mate Montoya was 2nd quickest so will start from pole followed by Alonso and Button.
• RAIKKONEN: "It's going to be difficult to try to win. That will all depend on what happens at the front of the race. It's not the perfect thing, but I cannot change it any more, so I will make the best of it. I know I'll sleep as good as ever. That won't change. If I can get through the first corner then I will be OK and after that I will push as hard and as fast as I can."
• MONTOYA: "We are clearly quicker than everybody else and if I can get a good run to the first corner then it should be good enough to win. It's obvious I want to try and help the team, and Kimi, but I doubt if I can help Kimi. I'm sure he will move up, so we will see."

GRID

• 1 *Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) McLaren-Mercedes
  "Unfortunately, I can not make the best use of my qualifying performance which would have been pole position. Having to start from 11th position I face a difficult race but it was the best I could achieve. However the speed of our car is so good, which means I still see a chance of moving up the field and you never know what happens."
  2 Juan Pablo Montoya (COL) McLaren-Mercedes 1m 21.054
  "A clean and fast lap and I am pretty happy with my performance. It is good to start from the front, and I now need a trouble free run to the first corner. To get through there without problems is crucial. Unfortunately Kimi has to start from 11th, but a lot is still possible. We will give it our all to win the race and close the gap in both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championship."
  3 Fernando Alonso (SPA) Renault 1m 21.319
  "It was a nice lap for me. We have had a few more problems with the car than we expected this weekend, after a good test, but we worked quite a lot this morning to prepare for the race and improve the handling. Even so, I had some doubts about our speed over one single lap, but I showed the speed was there this afternoon -- which makes me even more confident for tomorrow. Obviously, I have been helped by Kimi's problem but that doesn't change anything for us: we know we need to finish the race with no problems, and hopefully get on the podium. That's what I will be doing tomorrow afternoon."
  4 Jenson Button (UK) BAR-Honda 1m 21.369
  "I am pretty happy with that! After suffering with the set-up of the car a bit this morning, and having to slow up in the final free practice session because of the two yellow flags, I was a little disappointed before qualifying. Alonso and I were extremely close for 2nd, but 3rd here does have the advantage of being on the cleaner side of the track. It's nice to be near to the front on the grid again and hopefully we have a reasonably good strategy and pace so we can keep it there!"
  5 Takuma Sato (JAP) BAR-Honda 1m 21.477
  "I enjoyed the lap and I'm very happy to be starting 4th tomorrow. I was very pleased with the car balance this morning when we were very consistent through the longer runs during free practice. We have a strong package now after making some changes since yesterday and I hope tomorrow we can repeat the success that we had here last year. Traditionally we always have a good race in Monza so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
  6 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 1m 21.640
  7 Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari 1m 21.721
  "Considering I had to make my run early in the session, which is definitely a disadvantage, I am quite happy with my lap time, which owes a lot to the work we did here last week. Although we should not really use our performance in Turkey as a reference point, this is an improvement. We have worked well and, if you leave out one team, who are just too dominant, we are in the frame. Tomorrow, our realistic target is to fight for points. Although it would be wonderful to end up on the podium in front of all our home fans, I feel that is a bit too optimistic."
  8 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari 1m 21.962
  "I think that today's performance shows that we have done a good job of improving the car since yesterday. But I drove a good lap which started very well, until I had a bit too much graining on the front tyres, which caused the car to understeer and I lost time in the two Lesmo corners. Considering the problems we have encountered so far, I think I can be relatively pleased with today's result and I am happy with my last good qualifying lap for Ferrari at Monza."
  9 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Renault
  "I am very disappointed after that lap. I locked up under braking for the first chicane, and lost at least half a second in that corner and on the straight afterwards. Without that, I think I could have certainly been in the top five, so obviously I am quite a long way from the potential this afternoon."
  10 Ralf Schumacher (GER) Toyota
  11 David Coulthard (UK) Red Bull-Cosworth
  12 Jacques Villeneuve (CAN) Sauber-Petronas
  13 Christian Klien (AUT) Red Bull-Cosworth
  14 Mark Webber (AUS) Williams-BMW
  15 Felipe Massa (BRA) Sauber-Petronas
  16 **Antonio Pizzonia (BRA) Williams-BMW
  17 Tiago Monteiro (POR) Jordan-Toyota
  18 Robert Doornbos (NED) Minardi-Cosworth
  19 Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan-Toyota
  20 Christijan Albers (NED) Minardi-Cosworth
• *loses 10 places for engine failure penalty
• ** fill in for Nick Heidfeld who is ill

McLAREN (Ron Dennis): "Today's qualifying session has shown how strong our team is. Juan Pablo had a great, clean, well driven lap doing exactly what was necessary to put him on pole. Both drivers' strategies give them every opportunity to win but of course it is going to be somewhat easier for Juan Pablo. Kimi's lap was sensational, but due to the penalty after the fourth free practice session we had to change our strategy, making Kimi's performance more impressive. He is still in with a chance of winning if he can keep out of trouble in the run to the first chicane. With Juan Pablo on pole position we have a solid basis for fighting for the victory tomorrow."

FRI PRAC NO. 2, SEP 2, 2005

• 1 *Ricardo Zonta, Toyota
  "I wasn't quite happy with the car in the morning because it was difficult to get any grip. The track wasn't particularly dirty and it was similar to last week's test. But we improved the car a lot for the second practice. We found something good on the tyres, too. We know that this could be a difficult track for us, but we've made good progress today."
• 2 Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes
  "We were quick here today and are looking strong and consistent, so it is a positive start to the weekend. There is still a long way to go, and we have to remain reliable throughout the weekend to achieve the result that our times today promise."
• 3 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes
  "A productive first practice day, and we achieved fast and consistent times. We still can optimise our set up as it is always very crucial here to find the ideal balance on this low downforce circuit. We can build on our good testing results from last week and should be competitive throughout the rest of the weekend."
• 4 *Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren-Mercedes
  "Unfortunately my second session was cut short, with 12 minutes still to go, with a transmission fault before I had the opportunity to complete the entire programme. However this was not really a problem as we have a lot of information already from today and the test we conducted here last week. The car is quick, it is working very well at the top speeds and everything from the brakes to the Michelin tyres were working perfectly today."
• 5 Mark Webber, Williams-BMW
  "We had a pretty good day and we went through all of our programme. My car ran reliably and the mechanics and engineers did a good job in getting everything ready. We still have to work on our long distance pace because the balance still wasn't ideal this afternoon so we'll work on that in the practice sessions tomorrow. In the second session today we had the best track temperature to do the balance work for the race. We have a bit of work to do tonight but we are not looking too bad at all."
• 6 Nick Heidfeld, Williams-BMW
  "We can be quite happy with our positions today if we compare them to what we have achieved on Fridays in the last few races. Of course, it's only Friday but we hope Saturday and Sunday will be as good. In terms of our programme, we completed our usual work on the tyres and did some small changes on the set-up but obviously, like every other team, we got through the majority of our set-up work last week during the test here in Monza."
• 7 *Vitantonio Liuzzi, Red Bull-Cosworth
• 8 Jarno Trulli, Toyota
  "After the test here last week, we feel quite prepared for the weekend, so we were able to run slightly less than usual. The challenge at Monza is to find a compromise between straightline speed and grip. We didn't look particularly quick at the test so it could be a tough weekend but the car felt okay today so we'll do our best to score points."
• 9 Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault
• 10 Fernando Alonso, Renault
• 11 Klien 12 M Schumacher 13 Massa 14 R Schumacher 15 Villeneuve 16 Barrichello
• 17 Sato 18 Button 19 Coulthard 20 Monteiro 21 Karthikeyan 22 Doornbos 23 Albers 24 Toccacelo

FRI PRAC NO. 1, SEP 2, 2005

• 1 *Pedro de la Rosa
• 2 Mark Webber
• 3 Kimi Raikkonen
• 4 Juan Pablo Montoya
• 5 Nick Heidfeld
• 6 *Ricardo Zonta
• 7 Takuma Sato
• 8 Michael Schumacher
• 9 David Coulthard
• 10 Vitantonio Liuzzi 11 Barrichello 12 Monteiro 13 *Kiesa 14 Albers 15 Karthikeyan
• * RESERVE DRIVER

2005 RACE PREVIEW: TURKISH GP

BAR - BRIDGESTONE - FERRARI - JORDAN - McLAREN - RENAULT - SAUBER - TOYOTA - WILLIAMS

BAR-HONDA PREVIEW:

• Jenson Button: "We had a very good race in Monza last year when we finished on the podium and I am looking forward to racing there this week following our strong performance in Turkey. The fans are very passionate about the sport and the atmosphere is always great over the race weekend. We had a positive weekend in Turkey and I'm sure we can improve our pace and have a competitive weekend in Monza."
• Takuma Sato: "Monza is a very unique circuit and easily the fastest in the F1 calendar in terms of speed. The Italian Grand Prix weekend has traditionally seen lots of exciting racing so we can hope to see more of that. We've had a strong test during our two days at Monza this week so we are looking forward to challenging in the race next weekend."
• Gil de Ferran, Sporting director: "Following this week's quite intensive test at Monza, like most teams we are now looking forward to one of the more traditional races in the calendar. We are certainly hoping to build on the competitiveness that we showed during the last few races, however since Monza requires a completely different aerodynamic specification, in many ways one has to view this race quite separately from the others."

FERRARI PREVIEW:

• Michael Schumacher: "You have to see the ups and downs we've had this year. Obviously people have referred to their short-term memory, and even me. When I think back to Turkey I wasn't happy about it but if you look at the year all together, I'm third in the Drivers' Championship and we are third in the Constructors' Championship. We had been winning absolutely and we are not where we want to be, but we've had our ups and downs and with this and with a very clear situation, we understand we can improve. We don't know when we can improve but we will just keep on fighting. If you imagine how other guys have been in our position for years and they are still motivated. I'm looking forward to challenge the leaders. I have every reason to be motivated to challenge again ... I've been saying that until it's not mathematically impossible to win then I'll keep fighting but also I'm a realist and some races ago I pretty much knew that it's no longer possible to fight for the championship, and especially after Turkey. It was a surprise that we got this far before being counted out of the championship. Nobody expected this and next year we will fight very hard to make our way back again."
• Rubens Barrichello:

BRIDGESTONE PREVIEW:

• Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Motorsport: "Traditionally the Monza round is one of the most exciting and prestigious events of the year. It is also the home grand prix for two of our teams: Scuderia Ferrari and Minardi; and they will no doubt be supported by thousands of their fans. After a great deal of hard work with our teams at the Monza test last week, we hope they can give them something to cheer about."
• Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager: "Being the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar, the Monza GP is always a fast and furious race. The cars reach around 350km/h in four different places and in the approach to the first chicane, they are actually reaching close to 360km/h. As a result of these high speeds and low downforces, the tyres experience very high centrifugal forces, which can put stress on various parts of the tyre. Tyres for Monza, therefore, must be strong. The tyres are also rotating at such a high frequency that there is a lot of heat generated, particularly when braking hard from top speeds. Consequently, heat durability is a key issue in Monza while wear rates tend not to be so critical. Stability under braking is also key to a good lap time. And finally, Monza has no fewer than three chicanes which means that the performance of our tyres when changing direction will also be very important. All in all, it's another challenging circuit and one we have been working hard to prepare for after all three of our teams had a productive test in Monza last week."

JORDAN PREVIEW:

• Narain Karthikeyan: "The test with the EJ15B at Monza last week went reasonably well. I think we have closed the gap with the bigger teams and this is very encouraging. However, I cannot quantify it much more until we all sit together and discuss it. It is a pity I lost the toss and cannot drive the new car at Monza but I will try to do my best with what I have. I like Monza a lot and I hope to do well."
• Tiago Monteiro: "The Monza test last week went very well, even better than we expected. We spent three days testing the new car without any problems, which shows that it was very reliable at the moment and this is a very positive improvement. I am looking forward to racing it at Monza as I was lucky to win the toss. Monza is a very tricky and high speed track. It will be very important to have a good car balance in the braking zones because of the low downforce. It will not be the easiest track to race the new car but we will deal with this and I hope we will have a good race."

McLAREN-MERCEDES PREVIEW:

• Norbert Haug, (Mercedes-Benz Motorsport): "Monza is more demanding for the engines than any other Grand Prix circuit. This is due to the track's main features with its long straights, three tight chicanes and high speed corners. Monza is the fastest circuit on the calendar with average lap speeds exceeding 250 km/h and the top speeds on the front straight reaching more than 360 km/h. The drivers have to brake hard from these speeds causing high strain on the brakes. Although it has been remodelled a couple of times, Monza is a classic circuit with a great tradition. The only time we won here was in 1997 with David Coulthard. It would be nice to get another win this time. The team went through an intensive preparation programme testing at Monza last week. We have been fast and reliable there running more than 1200 kilometres with one engine in extreme conditions."
• RAIKKONEN: "It was a great race in Turkey and the new track meant we had entertaining racing. The car continued to feel really strong and quick, which is very encouraging on such a challenging circuit. However, Monza is considerably quicker. It is the fastest track with speeds averaging 250km/h, and we run with the lowest downforce set-up all season. There are a couple of sections where you need to drive fully flat out to be quick, the main one is Parabolica; you have to maintain your speed through here as it swings you round onto the main straight. The situation in both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships is still open and nobody knows what's going to happen until the last race in October. The car has the pace to win, and I am not giving up the fight, so we shall see."
• MONTOYA: "I always enjoy driving at Monza, it is a great track and I have good memories there as I won my first Formula One race at the circuit in 2001. There is always an enthusiastic atmosphere from the tifosi, I don't think they're cheering us on though! It is a tough track on the cars, with the bumps, chicanes and long, fast straights. We need to have high speed stability, braking stability and be able to ride the kerbs well, with a softer than normal mechanical set-up. However there are also four high speed corners, and we need to ensure we are fast through these. After Turkey, we are really close in the Constructors' battle and I am looking forward to getting some strong results over the final five races towards the title."

RENAULT RACE PREVIEW:

• ALONSO: "McLaren are very quick, there's no doubt, but Monza is a completely different circuit to any other, so we approach it feeling confident. We have had good straightline speed all year, and that is one of the things you need there. So it could be a good race for us."
• FISICHELLA: "You need a very specific set-up there. The team builds new parts only for this race, because it is very strange from an aero point of view with very low downforce, and you need good grip in the corners from the mechanical balance and the tyres. Also, the tyres can get cold on the straights which makes it hard to have good grip in the corners, but Michelin understand the challenge, and they have been fantastic so far this year."

SAUBER RACE PREVIEW:

• Jacques Villeneuve:
• Felipe Massa:

TOYOTA RACE PREVIEW:

• Dieter Gass (Chief Race Engineer):
• Jarno Trulli (Car 16): "It is always nice to return to Monza. I like the place, I like the atmosphere and I have usually had good results there. The main characteristic of Monza is the speed of the circuit. Good straight-line speed is essential so you run with very little wing. That means the car feels very light to drive and it can be nervous, so it is essential to drive smoothly. Because you run with such a low level of downforce, that has an effect under braking and acceleration, not just in the corners. There is a lot of hard braking and you have to brake earlier than you do anywhere else. The main factor that can affect tyres is blistering, so that's what we have to minimise, particularly coming out of the slow corners. You also need good traction, so the engine is important but it's also crucial to have a good aero package. I'm looking forward to the weekend and it will be great to go there with a car that can challenge for the points or even a podium."
• Ralf Schumacher (Car 17): "You can tell that Monza is somewhere special. I am not deeply into the sport's heritage like some people but the setting is great, and you just have to see the old banking to appreciate the history. That is pushed even further by the track's surroundings in the Royal Park and the nearby Villa Reale. The fans, of course, are unique, even if most of them are supporting the other red car! Monza is very fast with long straights interspersed by chicanes. You have to be very precise to gain as much momentum as possible, so I enjoy the challenge of moving from the fast to slow sections. You run the car in low downforce trim and so it can feel 'loose.' You try to counter that with the set-up because you want to have confidence under the heavy braking needed, especially for the first chicane. The car's behaviour on the kerbs is also important and the track is perhaps the most demanding of the season for engines. This year, with the two-race engines, it will be an even tougher challenge."

WILLIAMS-BMW RACE PREVIEW:

• Nick Heidfeld: "Monza is definitely one of the most unusual circuits on the calendar. It's a traditional track with a great heritage and has a unique design. We reach very high speeds at Monza, in fact they're the highest that we see all season at over 360km/h! You need a special set-up for Monza as well as a particular aerodynamic configuration. For this race, the teams develop specially designed aerodynamic packages. These need to work under low downforce conditions but also allow the car to handle properly in the high speed sections. You therefore need a car that has a good top speed for the high speed straights, one that has aerodynamic efficiency for the slow chicanes and, finally, a car that works well on the high kerbs. Just like Imola, Monza is always special because the Italian fans bring such a great atmosphere to the race."
• Mark Webber: "Monza is a circuit that stands alone in terms of set-up. It's a very, very high speed circuit where we are looking for a maximum speed all the time. I've finished in the points on this track in the last couple of years and I hope that we can do that again this time. We might not quite have the pace of McLaren and Renault, but I think we can get a reasonable result. If we can get some good, solid points it will be not a bad race for us. Ever since my first year in Formula One, when I drove for Minardi, I've spent a lot of time in Italy, not far from Imola, and I can say it's definitely among my favourite few countries. I love coming to Italy. The Italians love cycling and the food's excellent, it's just a fantastic country."
• Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1): "Monza stands out from other circuits due to the fact that it is dominated by long straights, a couple of chicanes and four important corners, top speeds will also be the highest that we've seen all year. Set-up demands very low drag, in order to achieve this, we use specific front and rear wings unique to Monza. It is important to have a good balance through the medium speed corners and for the car to handle well over the curbs. To address the tyre incidents that we experienced in Istanbul, we have worked through all the possible variables, such as pressure and camber, with Michelin. In the Williams R&D labs at Grove we also performed some loaded tyre tests to check what type of deflections the tyres would have seen during the lap. Finally, at the test in Monza last week, we went through various trims of the bodywork to ensure that there is no possibility for the tyre to touch anything on the car. We also worked through cooling levels, brake set-ups and tyre evaluations to select the optimum configuration for the FW27 in preparation for the race."
• Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "Monza is an outstanding circuit for engines and, as such, is always a very special Grand Prix for BMW. The cars are flat out for 69 percent of the lap, the highest full-throttle ratio of any Formula One circuit. Monza ranks among the top few circuits where engines have to operate on a sustained full throttle over various parts of the track. On the current F1 calendar, there are three similar full-throttle sections which demand everything of the engines. Topping the league is Spa (1,821 metres, if Eau Rouge is taken flat out). Almost on a par is Indianapolis (1,820 metres), followed by Monza (1,268 metres). When it comes to speed, Monza outstrips all other race tracks. In 2004, Juan Pablo Montoya set an F1 record in pre-qualifying when he recorded an average speed of 262.242 km/h. Antonio Pizzonia also claimed a Formula One record with a top speed of 369.9 km/h during the race. For the Italian Grand Prix, we will have new BMW P84/5 engines, as scheduled. In Turkey, we had a good chance of scoring points before we suffered a disappointing setback. Our goal, however, remains unchanged; we want to end the 2005 season with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team with some good results."

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