Monza records are filled with stories of some of the most classic races in motorsport history, including the 1971 Italian Grand Prix, which saw the closest mass finish in F1 as race-winner Peter Gethin led Ronnie Peterson - and three others - over the line by 0.01secs. The gap between first and second would remain a record until
Ferrari's contrived USGP finish in 2002.. However, having witnessed some nail-biting battles already this season, GP2 arrives at Monza confident that the fast straights, tricky chicanes and challenging corners will provide the perfect platform for something to rival
F1's best.
With its long straights and notoriously demanding corners, Monza will allow the GP2 series to reach its highest recorded speeds of the year but, with a number of hard-braking zones dotted around the circuit, there will also be a good chance to make overtaking attempts during the two races.
“Monza is a very special track, with its own individual characteristics," confirmed series technical director Didier Perrin, "When we first started to think about the design of the GP2 car, we defined some aerodynamic characteristics looking specifically at Monza, especially the minimum wing configuration. Along with a longer sixth gear for the race, so we will reach well over 300kph on the straights - which is far above what F3000 was able to achieve.
“Setting up the cars will be very delicate, and there will probably be a big difference between the set-up for qualifying and the race. I really think that, at Monza, it’s important to be as fast as you can be in a straight line. Even if a car isn’t quick enough to overtake another, it’s important not to be overtaken yourself. And, in comparison to other tracks, there will be much more difference between quali and race set-up than we’ve seen all season. It will be very interesting to see how the teams react to this.”
