Italian GP: Free Practice 3 - Re-Cap & Times

ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #3

    It was another Mercedes 1-2 in the final practice session of the Italian GP weekend. Hamilton finished in 1st with a 1:22.008, just ahead of Rosberg who finished 2nd. Vettel, Raikkonen and Bottas completed the top 5.

    Romain Grosjean had a spin in the beginning of the session and ended up in the gravel, which issued yellow flags and the virtual safety car. While Grosjean was uninjured, his session was over early. His team-mate, Gutierrez finished in 10th with a 1:24.036. Grosjean now faces a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for a gearbox change.

    Both Williams drivers finished within the top 10 with Bottas in 5th and Massa in 6th. Massa will be looking to make the best out of these last races before he retires at the end of the season.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:22.008 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Nico Rosberg - 1:22.401 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:22.946 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:23.149 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:23.500 / Williams-Mercedes

6. Felipe Massa - 1:23.647 / Williams-Mercedes

7. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:23.709 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

8. Max Verstappen - 1:23.740 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER 

9. Sergio Perez - 1:23.917 / Force India-Mercedes

10. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:24.036 / Haas-Ferrari

11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:24.041 / Force India-Mercedes

12. Jenson Button - 1:24.104 / McLaren-Honda

13. Carlos Sainz - 1:24.240 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

14. Romain Grosjean - 1:24.463 / Haas-Ferrari

15. Jolyon Palmer - 1:24.533 / Renault-Renault

16. Marcus Ericsson - 1:24.542 / Sauber-Ferrari

17. Fernando Alonso - 1:24.658 / McLaren-Honda

18. Felipe Nasr - 1:24.715 / Sauber-Ferrari

19. Kevin Magnussen - 1:24.793 / Renault-Renault 

20. Daniil Kvyat - 1:24.845 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

21. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:24.893 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Esteban Ocon - 1:24.938 / Manor-Mercedes

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Felipe Massa Retires From F1

FELIPE MASSA RETIRES FROM FORMULA 1 

    Brazilian driver Felipe Massa has announced he will be retiring at the end of this season.

    In an echo of his ex-team mate, Michael Schumacher, Massa announced his retirement ahead of the Monza grand prix.

    It was widely expected this would be Massa’s last year in the series, with multiple drivers linked to his Williams seat.

    In a statement, Massa thanked his family, manager, and “all the people who have supported me throughout my career.”

    The 35 year old will end his 14 year career at his 250th grand prix in Abu Dhabi.

    Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams said. “It has been a pleasure to work with Felipe these past three seasons and we will be sad to see him leave. Felipe came to us at a time of huge change and his blend of experience, talent and enthusiasm have been an important factor in the turn around of the team… I know this has not been an easy decision for him, but we all respect his decision to bring his Formula One career to its conclusion at the end of this season.”

    Massa made his Formula One debut in 2002, driving for Sauber, before moving to Ferrari in 2006. The Brazilian almost took the world championship in 2008, before a life-threatening injury ruled him out of the 2009 season. Massa moved to Williams in 2014,  where he will now end his career.

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Italian GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Times

ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #2

    Mercedes was back at the top for session 2, but this time it was Lewis Hamilton who had the fastest time. Hamilton clocked a 1:22.801, while Rosberg finished 2nd with a 1:22.994.

    More mechanical issues for Massa, along with a clutch problem for Alonso. Both drivers missed parts of the session. Esteban Ocon was also suffering more car troubles when his Manor stopped on track. Despite this, Ocon still finished 18th, ahead of both Renault drivers, Kvyat and Nasr.

    Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren had their drivers finish inside the top 10. Ferrari were close behind Mercedes and Vettel finished the session in 3rd with a 1:23.254. Bottas and Grosjean also set times within the top 10 and could be looking towards Q3 entry.

    Nico Hulkenberg returned to his car after making way for Celis Jr. in FP1. Hulkenberg reported issues with the balance of the car and finished the session in 12, just ahead of team-mate, Perez.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:22.801 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Nico Rosberg - 1:22.994 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:23.254 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:23.427 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Max Verstappen - 1:23.732 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:24.003 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

7. Fernando Alonso - 1:24.259 / McLaren-Honda

8. Valtteri Bottas - 1:24.299 / Williams-Mercedes

9. Romain Grosjean - 1:24.516 / Haas-Ferrari 

10. Jenson Button - 1:24.549 / McLaren-Honda

11. Felipe Massa - 1:24.556 / Williams-Mercedes

12. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:24.587 / Force India-Mercedes

13. Sergio Perez - 1:24.653 / Force India-Mercedes

14. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:24.674 / Haas-Ferrari

15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:24.981 / Sauber-Ferrari

16. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:25.083 / Manor-Mercedes

17. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.240 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

18. Esteban Ocon - 1:25.275 / Manor-Mercedes

19. Kevin Magnussen - 1:25.555 / Renault-Renault

20. Daniil Kvyat - 1:25.614 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

21. Felipe Nasr - 1:25.643 / Sauber-Ferrari

22. Jolyon Palmer - 1:25.833 / Renault-Renault

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Italian GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Times

ITALIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #1

    A very shocking start to the Italian GP weekend as Felipe Massa announces he will retire at the end of the 2016 season. Massa, who currently drives for Williams, will race in F1 for the last time at the end of November when the season concludes in Abu Dhabi.

    Massa suffered mechanical issues in this session, putting him off to a not-so-great start at Monza. Esteban Ocon also suffered from car troubles but both drivers were able to take part in the session and set times. 

    Mercedes topped the session with Nico Rosberg topping the time sheet with a 1:22.959. Team mate, Hamilton was right behind in 2nd. Raikkonen, Vettel and Perez completed the top 5.

    Alfonso Celis Jr. got to head back out in the other Force India, while Hulkenberg sat this session out. Celis finished the session in 12th with a 1:25.367. 

    Kevin Magnussen made his return behind the wheel of his Renault, after his shocking crash at Spa last week. The crash left him with only a cut/bruised ankle and luckily no other injuries. It was unclear however, if the Dane would pass the FIA medical exam ahead of this weekend. Magnussen indeed did pass and will be racing this weekend.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:22.959 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:23.162 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:24.047 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:24.307 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Sergio Perez - 1:24.650 / Force India-Mercedes

6. Romain Grosjean - 1:24.763 / Haas-Ferrari

7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:24.785 / Williams-Mercedes

8. Max Verstappen - 1:24.982 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

9. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:25.113 / Haas-Ferrari

10. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:25.120 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

11. Jenson Button - 1:25.351 / McLaren-Honda

12. Alfonso Celis Jr.* - 1:25.367 / Force India-Mercedes

13. Fernando Alonso - 1:25.507 / McLaren-Honda

14. Felipe Massa - 1:25.840 / Williams-Mercedes

15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:25.853 / Sauber-Ferrari

16. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.973 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

17. Daniil Kvyat - 1:26.074 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

18. Esteban Ocon - 1:26.391 / Manor-Mercedes

19. Felipe Nasr - 1:26.439 / Sauber-Ferrari

20. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:26.762 / Manor-Mercedes

21. Jolyon Palmer - 1:26.811 / Renault-Renault

22. Kevin Magnussen - 1:26.956 / Renault-Renault

* - Driving in this session only

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “You never know how well a car is going to be suited to a track until you actually drive for the first time on Friday, but this is a high-speed track and the theory is that we can do well again here. That’s my goal, anyway. I’m pretty happy with what I’ve achieved so far in my first 13 races. 13! Ah yes, that explains Spa! Just joking; I’m not really superstitious. The upside of that weekend was starting the race from the midfield, so that’s our biggest target achieved right there! And, we could have been even higher, as we saw with P9 in Q1. It was a ‘team’ target to close the gap to the midfield, but my own target, as a driver, to get us there. So I’m pretty happy with that. I’m also excited by the possibilities for the rest of the season if we can continue like this. Ours are small but very important steps. We’re ahead of Sauber and really pushing Renault, so my next target is to keep things that way and make the gap to the midfield even smaller. Of course, I’d like to see us get another point or two very soon. That would be nice.”

Esteban Ocon - “It’s such an amazing circuit, with so much history. I raced here in GP3 last year, so that’s good preparation, although the feeling with an F1 car is quite different and going out for the first time will be pretty special. What was so great about the race in Spa was that I had so many situations to deal with; it was an eventful race! I feel like I can roll all of that experience and learning into a much stronger weekend. I love the fast circuits, and I hope I can do well here.”

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA 1 TEAM

Kevin Magnussen - "I'm feeling okay. It was a big crash (at Spa) and I was sore but fortunately had nothing worse than a bruised ankle. I've had some more checks in Denmark and am working with my physio to keep fit. I feel I'm ready to race in Monza. The FIA will of course have the final word but I really want to and I'm confident that by then it will be fine.

I think that the fact it has so much history makes it a special event. The track is unique as well, with very long straights and slow corners. It does have some high speed corners that are a challenge too, so it's just really cool. Added to that you have one of the best atmospheres of the season. In all honesty it's not been the best track for me but it has been ok. I have had podiums in nearly everything I've driven but never won there, so clearly we need to fix that!"

Jolyon Palmer - "It's a very special track, and one I absolutely love. There is so much history there; so many races have been held at Monza and lots of great drivers have won, particularly back in the old days when you needed to be quick and incredibly brave. Then there is the passion of the crowd – you can hear the fans when you drive round. The track itself is very old school and it's fun to drive. We take off a lot of down force so parts are flat out and there can be a lot of overtaking. It's good fun.

I won and took pole in GP2 plus I've won twice in F2, so it's been a good one for me. I really enjoy racing at Monza and I think it's actually one of my best tracks. I did FP1 last year as well so I've driven it in an F1 car, which is good experience, so I'm really looking forward to getting there and out in the car.

We go to Monza knowing it will be tough as it does not suit the characteristics of the car too much. However we also thought Spa was going to be tough and it was better than expected, particularly in qualifying. We need to approach it fresh, confident that at each race we are moving forward and in the fight now and see how we do."

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Mercedes

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS FORMULA 1 TEAM

Lewis Hamilton - "Spa was about as good as damage limitation can get, I think! It was a fantastic result for me and for the team. The guys deserved it so much after all that hard work, so I was massively pleased for them and proud of what we achieved together. Now we go to Monza - a track I know well from so many racing categories throughout my career and one it's impossible not to love. The speed, the history, the atmosphere... it's just so iconic in every way. Standing on that amazing podium, looking out over a sea of fans on the straight, has to be up there as one of the most incredible experiences a sportsman can have. I had a perfect weekend on track there last year. If I can repeat that it would be amazing but we'll see how we look when we get there. It's game on for me now with the penalties out of the way and fresh engines ready to use. I can't wait to get back out there."

Nico Rosberg - "It's great to add a classic circuit like Spa to the list of wins. It wasn't a straightforward weekend for us - but everybody did a fantastic job and the car kept improving with every session, so hopefully that puts us on a good curve as we head to another legendary track in Monza. This is a race I really enjoy and one I'd really love to master. The Tifosi create such an incredible atmosphere every single time, no matter who wins the race. Last year obviously didn't end so well for me there, so I'm hoping for a bit more luck and a little less fire this time... I'm really enjoying the battle out there right now. We've got several cars in the mix now which is exciting for us and also the fans. For me, I'm taking every race like a cup final. It's great to know you have the team and the car to just go out there and lay it on the line. I can't wait to make our Silver Arrow fly at Monza."

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It’s the characteristics of the track (that allow you to reach such high speeds), primarily a long straight line with a chicane followed by another long straight line. Everyone goes for low down force levels. That’s where we go fast in a straight line. It’s a great track - a temple of speed.

(Overtaking is) not as straightforward as a drag race. You still lose down force when you follow another car out of the low-speed corners. It’s one of those races where you can have a lot of overtaking, a lot of action. It’s always interesting to see how it plays out with the big slipstreams.”

I’m very much looking forward to racing there again. The atmosphere is crazy in Monza. The Tifosi, the fans - they’re just great. The track is in the middle of a park. It’s like nowhere else. There are so many people coming and watching, cheering for the drivers and, of course, for Ferrari. The atmosphere is electric. I love it.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “(Monza’s) interesting because you have a lot of high-speed sections, mainly straight-line sections with very low down force, and this is directly affecting the braking of the slow-speed corners. When you have a long period of time when you’re braking, obviously the down force is important, but the fact that you get very low down force on this track, you need to cope with the car in different ways and you need to adapt the setup for that.

(The overtaking opportunities are) basically, everywhere. You have Turn 1 and you have Turn 4, as well as before the Parabolica. It’s a track that provides a lot of overtaking. It’s one of the classics. The people, the atmosphere, the Italians, Ferrari fans, and we’re using Ferrari engines, so it’s great to come there and enjoy nice support from the Italians, especially for me being part of Ferrari last year directly as a third driver put me very close to Italy.

I won a few championships there - two championships actually, Formula BMW and GP3. I remember exactly how it was. It was actually with a qualifying lap because it was enough to get one point from getting the pole position and that was enough for me to win the championship, so it was a very special moment. It comes always from Monza - a special place for me to get there and get that feeling. My favourite part of Monza is probably the Ascari corner. It’s a triple chicane, very fast turning in, very late braking. It’s actually one of my favourite corners of the calendar.”

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO F1 TEAM

Carlos Sainz - “Monza is another home Grand Prix for me, as it's the land of my Italian team, Toro Rosso. It's a very special track and full of Tifosi.

As you go down into Turn 1 you can see, hear and smell them - they are all doing barbecues in this area of the track and are all so passionate! Getting to the first chicane is one of the best feelings, arriving at nearly 350km/h, surrounded by these incredible fans.. It's fantastic! Obviously, it's a very tough couple of corners, always tight during the first lap of the race and there are very frequently a few tangles there.

You then reach another 330km/h top speed section, before entering another chicane, Turns 4 and 5. Here it's very important to jump over the kerbs. We then go into what is one of my favourite parts of this circuit, the two Lesmo's. These corners have a lot of banking, so it allows you to carry a lot of speed into them. I have to say that lap by lap you go quicker each time through these corners just because of gaining more and more confidence.

Just before arriving to Turn 8 you reach another high speed of around 340km/h, and this just shows that it's a really fast track, it's incredible. Another of my favourite chicanes is Turns 8, 9 and 10, taken in fourth gear and much faster than what it could seem. It's important to ride the kerbs here as well.

After this there's a very long and fast straight, before arriving to Turn 11, a corner that has lost a lot of its beauty - the run off area used to be gravel and it was so much nicer back then! Now its tarmac and everyone can go fast through the Parabolica. It's a shame that they decided to do this.”

Daniil Kvyat - “Monza is an interesting and fast track. The braking into the first chicane is one of the longest and heaviest of the championship. (The top speed here is) between 350 and 360km/h, it depends where the wind is blowing. And my favourite part of the track is.. Wherever I'm faster than him (Sainz)! I have to say it's a circuit that brings back very good memories, as I won quite often in Monza in junior categories. I enjoy the track, it's a cool one, and it's always nice to go back. But I also have a negative memory, as I had a brake disk failure into Turn 1 in 2014… It's a shame, because we were having a really good race!”

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “As we saw in Azerbaijan, the developments that have been made to these turbo cars mean they’re now incredibly fast, and we’re going to see some serious speeds along the straights at Monza. This is always such a quick race - it’s over in a flash - and while it’s not always the most enjoyable to race with such low grip, the feeling of speed is phenomenal.

Obviously, I have plenty of happy memories of racing in Italy, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been the subject of both the Tifosi’s approval - and also their disapproval! But they are some of the greatest fans in the world, and their passion is what makes coming to Monza each year such a legendary experience. In many ways, Monza traditionally brings the curtain down on one part of the season, and the beginning of another - so it’s always an exciting place.”

Jenson Button - “What is there left to say about Monza? It’s a unique, incredible racetrack - I love that its history surrounds the place - you just can’t ignore it. I also love that unique blend of Italian passion - and chaos - that engulfs the weekend. It also signals the end of the European season - which seems to have disappeared in a flash - so it’s a time of year when you really start to narrow your focus before the final fly-aways.

I love the notion of coming to a racetrack that’s distinctly different from the others. We saw that in Spa last weekend - it’s no secret that, along with places like Monaco, Singapore and Suzuka, it’s also one of the circuits that the fans most love - and Monza is no exception. People often think that Monza is all about the straights, with tight, small corners - but that’s not really true: corners like the Lesmos, the Ascari chicane and Parabolica are big, fast corners that require precision and commitment. It’s a great track.

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