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One of the permanent fixtures in the F1 calendar since 1950 – The Italian Grand Prix, is all set to take place this weekend. The 2011 Italian Grand Prix which will be held at Monza, Italy, will be the final race of the 2011 F1 season to be held in Europe. The Ferrari fans (Tifosi) will be there in large numbers as it is their home race. However, their team has given up any hope of revival this season.
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Ferrari are languishing at third position in the F1 constructors championship race with both their drivers – Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa having several disappointing outings this season. A win at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix may boost their morale for the rest of the F1 season. Their rivals Red Bull and McLaren are also looking forward to the 2011 Italian Grand Prix to solidify their positions in the championship standings. Here are the top 10 things that you should know about the 2011 Italian Grand Prix:
1. The Venue: Autodromo Nazionale di MONZA
The Autodromo di Monza will host the Italian Grand Prix for the 60th time in history, which makes it one of the oldest venues in F1. Nicknamed the Pista Magica in Italy, Monza is the quickest circuit in F1, with cars reaching a top speed of 215 mph on the long pit straight. The main straight at Monza is the third longest in Formula One, at 1120m, just behind the back straight at Shanghai International Circuit (1170m) and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina (1140m). The circuit’s high-speed nature means that 83 percent of the lap is spent at ‘full throttle’ – the most of any 2011 circuit. The corners such as Lesmos, Parabolica and Curva Grande remain challenging to the modern generation of cars and drivers. Traditionally cars with the best engine performance achieve the strongest results at Monza. So, a slugfest among the top 3 teams is on the cards this Sunday.
Weather prediction for Monza, Italy for Sunday
2. The Weather: Thundershowers expected
While the weather didn’t affect the proceedings on Friday and Saturday, it surely seems to have a say on Sunday. The practice and Qualifying took place in dry conditions which invariably favored the cars suited for dry conditions. Red Bull would be the primary loser if it rains during the race on Sunday. Though thundershowers have been forecast for Sunday, teams are most likely to use dry setup for the race. Wet driving experts like Button and Sutil are most likely to have a ball on a wet Sunday afternoon. In case it rains, the teams are allowed to use wet and intermediate tyres during the race. The rains are most likely to affect the pit stop strategies of the teams. The drivers starting at the front are not allowed to change tyres which were used for qualifying. Since most of the top 10 were using the soft tyres for qualifying, they are most likely to use the soft tyres during their first pit stop. They might prolong their stay until it rains and then change on to the intermediates or the wet set of tyres. Since there is no need for a mandatory usage of both soft and medium in wet races, drivers are most likely to go for the option(soft) tyres to get the speed advantage in the fastest circuit of the F1 calendar(period).
3. The Tyres: Prime and Option
Soft and Medium tyres will be used on Sunday
The 2011 Italian Grand Prix is not only the home race for Ferrari,but also the first race for Pirelli in their homeland after a long hiatus. The Italian tyre-maker has announced that the Prime and Option tyres will be used in the Italian Grand Prix weekend. However, since a wet race is expected, teams have brought in wet and intermediate tyres too. At Monza, the closely matched characteristics of the medium and soft tyre will give teams plenty of scope for varied strategy choices, as was the case when this compound combination was last used – at the closely fought German Grand Prix.
4. DRS Zones: Double Trouble
Map indicating the DRS zones in Monza
There would be two DRS zones in Sunday’s race. The first zone is in the pit straight just after the finish line. The second zone will be after turn 7 leading up to the curva vialone. Two DRS zones in a single race is sure to keep the stewards and the teams busy over the detection and the activation of the system .Drivers would have to utitlise the DRS to maximise overtaking opportunities. A lot of overtaking is expected in Sunday’s race, in these two zones.
5. Stewards: The men who matter
The FIA driver steward at this weekend’s Italian GP is Derek Daly, a former Williams driver and veteran of 49 Grand Prix starts. Another steward,Paul Gutjahr, has been a Formula One steward since 1995. The third steward is a woman Silvia Bellot. Silvia Bellot is a 25-year-old Spanish steward, who began marshalling in 2001, at the age of 16. As discussed earlier, the stewards will be having a tough time on Sunday with two DRS zones in the same lap.
6. McLaren’s Monza magic in Free Practice 1
McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button kicked off the Monza weekend in style by finished at the top in the first of the two practice sessions on Friday. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel wasn’t far behind as he came in at third at the end of the session. But it was the blistering pace of the McLaren drivers that caught everyone’s attention. Will they manage to recreate that magic on Sunday?
Free Practice 1: Results
| Driver Name | Nationality | Team | Best Lap Time |
| 1. Lewis Hamilton | Britain | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m 23.865s |
| 2. Jenson Button | Britain | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m 24.786s |
| 3. Sebastian Vettel | Germany | Red Bull-Renault | 1m 25.321s |
7. Vettel back on top in Free Practice 2
Vettel was back on top in the second practice, improving his time by 1.2 seconds from the first session. Lewis Hamilton lost a bit of ground and slipped to second. Toro Rosso drive Jaime Alguersuari was allegedly impeding Hamilton’s flying lap which was cited as the reason for the drop in lap times. Veteran driver Michael Schumacher came in at a surprise third position.
Free Practice 2: Results
| Driver Name | Nationality | Team | Best Lap Time |
1. Sebastian Vettel | Germany | Red Bull-Renault | 1m 24.010s |
2. Lewis Hamilton | Britain | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m 24.046s |
3. Michael Schumacher | Germany | Mercedes-Mercedes | 1m 24.347s |
8. Red Bull dominate Third Practice
It was total Red Bull domination in the third practice session on Saturday as Mark Webber came in the thick of things. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa too impressed one and all with his driving finesse at the home grand prix of his team. Vettel was at his usual best and reaped the reward.
Free Practice 3: Results
| Driver Name | Nationality | Team | Best Lap Time |
| 1. Sebastian Vettel | Germany | Red Bull-Renault | 1m 23.170s |
| 2. Mark Webber | Australia | Red Bull-Renault | 1m 23.534s |
| 3. Felipe Massa | Brazil | Ferrari-Ferrari | 1m 23.668s |
9. Vettel on pole, yet again!
For the 10th time this season, Sebastian Vettel will start the race from pole postion. Lewis Hamilton, who has been having a torrid time during the past few races, will start alongside Vettel in second. Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button will start from the second row on Sunday, with Fernando Alonso of Ferrari just alongside him in fourth. Here are the top ten drivers in Qualifying.
Qualifying Results:
| Driver Name | Nationality | Team | Qualifying Time |
| 1. Sebastian Vettel | Germany | Red Bull-Renault | 1m 22.275s |
| 2. Lewis Hamilton | Britain | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m 22.725s |
| 3. Jenson Button | Britain | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m 22.777s |
| 4. Fernando Alonso | Spain | Ferrari-Ferrari | 1m 22.841s |
| 5. Mark Webber | Australia | Red Bull-Renault | 1m 22.972s |
| 6. Felipe Massa | Brazil | Ferrari-Ferrari | 1m 23.188s |
| 7. Vitaly Petrov | Russia | Renault-Renault | 1m 23.530s |
| 8. Michael Schumacher | Germany | Mercedes-Mercedes | 1m 23.777s |
| 9. Nico Rosberg | Germany | Mercedes-Mercedes | 1m 24.477s |
| 10. Bruno Senna | Brazil | Renault-Renault | no time Q3 |
SportsKeeda.com |
10. Liuzzi’s moment of pride
Vitantonio Liuzzi's special helmet
Hispania Racing team driver Vitantonio Liuzzi will be a proud man come Sunday. The 2011 Italian Grand Prix will be the 75th race of his Formula career. The fact that it will be his home race makes it an even more special occasion. To commemorate Liuzzi’s achievement, HRT have presented him with a special helmet designed by ‘Lucky’ Gianluca Croci (ITA) (Kaos Design) which also features prominent Italians from the past: Leonardo da Vinci; Michelangelo Buonarroti; Galileo Galilei; Julius Caesar and Dante Alghieri. Liuzzi made his F1 debut in 2009 with the Force India F1 team. After 2 unsuccessful years in Force India, Liuzzi joined HRT for the 2011 season.
