Italian GP preview - facts and figures.

Round fourteen of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place next weekend at Monza in Italy. Here you can find out some relevant facts and figures...

1. Location:

Monza has a population of 120,000 and is part of the province of Milan.

The Autodromo is situated in the Royal Park of Monza, which is enclosed by high walls.

2. History:

No other track has hosted more Grands Prix than Monza.

2003 will be the 53rd Formula One event to take place here.

Only one other Italian Grand Prix has been held at a different venue when Imola staged the race in 1980.

3. Track length:

A lap distance at Monza is 5.793 kilometres. The race comprises of 53 laps equating to a race distance of 306.720 km.

The 14th round of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship starts at 14.00 hrs local time on the 14th September 2003.

4. Last year:

Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello won in 2002, with team-mate Michael Schumacher second and Jaguar's Eddie Irvine third. Renault duo Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button finished fourth and fifth respectively, while Olivier Panis took the final points scoring position in sixth.

Juan Pablo Montoya took pole for Williams-BMW [1m 20.264s] and in the process set two new records. En route to his seventh pole position of the season, JPM achieved an average speed of 259.827 kph, breaking the seventeen year record set by Keke Rosberg in 1985 at Silverstone in a WilliamsF1 FW10. The BMW V10-cylinder secured a second benchmark when it exceeded 19,000 revolutions per minute for the first time.

The fastest race lap was set by Barrichello, in 1m 23.657s.