Monza Preview: Hardly a walk in the park

It’s back-to-back action this weekend with the second of two quickfire Rounds at the tail end of this intriguing 2023 FIA Formula 2 campaign.
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, situated in the middle of Monza Park, is one of the most iconic racing venues in the world and has played host to a number of unforgettable races in the past. What does the Italian venue hold for the F2 grid this time around?
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Round 13 from Monza.
THE FORM BOOK
Incredibly, just one of the drivers who arrived in Zandvoort inside the top six in the Drivers’ Championship added any points to their tally across the weekend. Théo Pourchaire remains at the top of the standings on 168 points, 12 points clear of Frederik Vesti after both failed to finish the Feature Race last weekend.
Ayumu Iwasa had his own issues, hit with a carry-over grid penalty from Spa-Francorchamps and then making contact with Kush Maini in the Feature Race. The DAMS driver remains third in the Championship on 134 points.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Jack Doohan’s late-season charge was put on pause after an uncharacteristic error in hugely tricky conditions meant he too was out of the running in last Sunday’s Feature. The Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver will be hoping to recapture his pre-summer break momentum. He remains fourth on 130 points.
The only driver to score in the top five, Victor Martins added two points for ART Grand Prix after mid-race contact with PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman. A resultant time penalty dropped him to P9, but the scoring finish moves him onto 122 in P5. Bearman’s non-finish as a result of the contact and a P7 for Enzo Fittipaldi moves the Rodin Carlin driver above the Briton and into sixth on 104 points.
ART Grand Prix retains the lead in the Teams’ Standings ahead of PREMA Racing, still on 290 to the Italian team’s 258. Rodin Carlin were the biggest winners from Zandvoort though, adding a podium to their 2023 record courtesy of Zane Maloney to join the top two in the 200-point club. The British outfit remains third and are now 58 points back from PREMA.
WHERE TO WATCH THE SESSIONS
FROM THE GRID – Victor Martins, ART Grand Prix
“I enjoy driving at Monza for sure. First of all because I won the F3 Championship there and second, it’s the fastest track of the year. There’s a lot of overtaking opportunities. I didn’t drive Monza for two years before F3 last season, and it’s a nice track. There’s lots of high-speed corners and some chicanes like I enjoyed in karting. It’s definitely a track I enjoy.
“I think the two Lesmo right-hand corners are nice. Quite tight and you need to get it good to be quick. You need good entry speed to maximise the straight afterwards, that’s the section I like the most.
“The main straight is the best place to overtake going into Turn 1. The DRS on the straight is long and powerful, even though the downforce we’re using is quite low, we still have a lot of slipstream. Sometimes you’ll catch the driver ahead but then you’ll make the move at Turn 4 at the second chicane, so that’s also a good place.
“It’s easy on the tyres because it’s not so tough temperature-wise. There are long straights which cool down the tyres and there’s no deg, so it’s flat out to the end. I hope I can do a good performance again.”
TECHNICAL PREVIEW
The fastest track on the calendar, Monza represents a unique challenge for all of the teams and drivers. With so few corners to contend with and long blasts making up the majority of the lap, downforce requirements are put on the backburner, with top speed the priority. Two DRS zones around the lap make overtaking a fairly straightforward prospect, particularly down the main straight and into Turn 1. It’s the heaviest braking zone around the circuit and one of the biggest stopping points on the calendar. Braking demand is therefore high, and lock-ups are a fairly common occurrence at the first corner.
With 79% of the lap spent at full throttle, Monza is one of the tougher venues for fuel consumption. As a result of the layout being made up of long flat-out blasts, tyre wear isn’t too much of a concern though the strategy will be pivotal come Sunday’s Feature Race, with Safety Cars featuring in four of the past five F2 races at Monza. The chance of a race interruption is high along with an opportunity to save on fuel.
RACE STRATEGY
This weekend, drivers will have the purple-walled supersoft and yellow-walled medium Pirelli tyres available to them. Last year, the winning strategy came courtesy of Jehan Daruvala. He swapped softs for mediums on Lap 8 of 30 under Safety Car and went on to victory.
With such a powerful DRS effect around Monza, grid position is not as crucial as it was around Zandvoort and other circuits on the calendar. Enzo Fittipaldi was great proof of that last year, going from 15th on the grid to end up third by the chequered flag in the Feature Race. It also means that Qualifying will be tricky, with all of the drivers looking for ideal track position to make the most of the powerful tow effect.
Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director
“Monza is a home race for Pirelli. A combination of softer compounds than last year will be used at the Italian circuit. Teams will be able to fit P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Purple supersoft. Braking and traction are the forces the tyres will be subjected to on the two long straights and slow chicanes. Lateral forces, on the other hand, dominate in fast corners such as the Curva Grande and the Parabolica Alboreto, where the low-load set-up means that the tyres’ grip is predominantly mechanical.”
STAT PACK