Who needs to go 'all-in' to win at Monza? 2025 Italian GP Preview

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1:26I really expect this year for Rye to win one or two Grand Prix, so Monza would be the place to do it. Do you think the car has the raw pace to win this weekend? Ferrari every now and then has the pace to win, and Monza could be, because Monza is unique in many ways, so we won't know until we hit the track tomorrow. Oscar Piastri was the big winner last time out. His risk assessment will change a little bit. whereas Lando, I think, is going to be more all-in.

1:58Welcome, everyone, to Monza for F1 Nation's preview of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. I'm Tom Clarkson, and joining me in the paddock is Ferrari ambassador and test driver, Marc Genet. Marc, it's wonderful to have you on the show. There's something special about Monza, isn't there? Ciao, Tom. Yes, it's special. So first of all, it's the temple of speed. It is the temple of speed. If you drive, I just drove now the car doing some hot laps, and there's no other track as fast as Monza by far. And then there is the Tifosi. You saw what happened on Wednesday downtown in Milan, thousands and thousands of Tifosi, and it's going to be the same thing this weekend, which is sold out.

2:43So you only see this Tifosi and this speed, you only see that at Monza. and of course it was here where you got your best result in Formula One as well all those years ago back in 2003 so so you know your way around. Monza has been always one of my favorite tracks it's very simple track very few corners all the drivers know the corners by their name it's probably one of the only tracks I think that people don't talk about turn one turn two but talk about Prima Variante, Lesmo, you know Ascari, Parabolica yes I did a very good result here it's one of the highlight of my racing career and and I've always been good at Monza and Monza is a track that some drivers I don't think there's good or bad drivers in Monza but I was a little bit special in Monza yes can we break it down right um let's talk about the track first of all okay it's the lowest downforce setting of the year do teams still bring special you know Monza aero packages or is it just the standard aero setup but just at a very low angle they as far as i'm aware they bring a package that sometimes you only use at monza you may use at spa so sometimes at spa you see people like the low downforce of spa tends to be the the standard downforce of monza if that's the case that means you're bringing a downforce package just for two grand prix of for the whole season and it could happen that you only use it at the monza so it's it is unique um once because of that then that means of course that the drs is less powerful that means that the car is very light on the braking there's certain characteristics that this low downforce set up and make the the driving of the car but it just feels that you have so low drag and you only experience that in monza in fact monza normally normally you start with more downforce and then you go down because you have to get used to this low downforce so you you get used to the highest low downforce and then you go back to what the simulation says should be the optimum downforce because it's quite of a shock coming from Zandvoort in that case where you use maximum downforce to Monza.

4:44The first braking, you really feel less deceleration, the car is a bit more unstable, but then eventually you get used to it. And do you have to really use the kerbs in all of the chicanes to find lap time? Unfortunately, it's changed a little bit. In Prima Variante, for example, you don't use the kerbs as much anymore now. in the second one you used to abuse them so much now just a little so you still they have they have flattened the second part of a scurry like it has been that it has been the tendency of formula one they tend to smoothen them a little bit more you still use them but not as much as they used to be used in the past and from a strategic point of view i mean it's the most penalizing of the year to make a pit stop isn't it because the cars are coming past you so fast on the pit straight, it feels incredibly slow.

5:34Unless there's rain or an incident on track, are we all limited to a one-stop strategy? I hope we can see what happened last year, where it was one slash two pit stops, and Charles won with one, and then McCrary and they failed with two. So I think when we have Grand Prix this year, where it's a marginal call between two strategies, I think those are one of the best Grand Prix because some people try one and the other people try the other. But yeah, it's very, normally you go more than for one because overtaking here, funny enough, it's not that easy because of the power of the DRS is less because the drag is less.

6:16So when you open it, if DRS has a power of 12, 15 kph, here maybe it's 10, 8. So there's less of a speed advantage. and therefore you you tend to prioritize track position so you don't go for because if you go for two pit stops probably have to overtake people at some point and that's why last year we had nothing to lose because we couldn't beat really piastri and we tried one which a bit like what happened with the norris uh where was it that he hung in hungary sometimes you know you don't have the speed let's try if it doesn't work you're gonna go you convert it into two and then in And Monza, we saw, oh, maybe we are going to make it.

6:55Maybe we're going to make it. And then Charles managed to win the race. Ferrari has an incredible record here. It's won here 20 times, you know, more than any other team at any other racetrack. Does that carry over from one car to the next? Because you were quick here five years ago. Is that DNA in the car today? Yes. Engineers don't know why. We don't know why. But if you talk to the teams, we do, all the teams say, this is a track that tends to be good for us. And it tends to be good because there's some DNA characteristic in the car that if here you need a car that is good, traction is important here, curb riding is important here, efficiency is important here.

7:38Funny enough, these characteristics, you tend to carry them over from one year to another. And therefore, we knew that Sandvord was not going to be a good track for us because historically it has not been a good track for us. And it was not a good track for us. And Monza, we know it should be a much better track. Do you think this is your best chance of a win this year? No, no. We really had high hopes, for example, in Monaco. It was very close for us to win in Monaco. Now I don't remember which other ones. But in some, we really thought we were going to have a better chance. Unfortunately, McLaren are the car to beat everywhere.

8:12Everywhere. They are good in all conditions. But Monza is more on the good side of the tracks rather than the low ones. But I don't think as good as that we are favourites, not at all. We'll come on to McLaren in a minute. But I just wanted to ask you about Lewis Hamilton. He is incredibly good under braking. Does that mean he can come here with a little more confidence? Zanvoort, it was a shame because his pace was good all weekend. And you could see that from Lab 1. so wherever holiday he took it was a good one because his mindset i think is the good one the approach he had at zandvoort fp1 straight away we saw it lab one he had a lot of speed now i remember it's true the first time he drove the car he he did impress us with his brake shape we talk about brake shape normally drivers how many bars of pressure how much peak how do you carry speed into the corner.

9:07He's very special on that. But so is Charles, you know. So I don't think Monza, he's won here five times, but he's won in many tracks many, many times. So I don't think he's going to be anything better than Charles, for example. Both are very good at Monza. And Lewis is an emotional driver. He admits that himself, just with the Tifosi and the sort of the mad atmosphere you have here in the park. I think Lewis could react very well to that. Do you agree? Yeah, he's a bit of Italian on that respect. You would never think that an English is so emotional, which he is. And that's why sometimes on the radio, even already when he was at Mercedes, his radio messages are very emotional.

9:48And I think this emotions, passion that he has, Tifosi liked that a lot. And in fact, yesterday, Tifosi loved Charles, but Tifosi loved Lewis as well because he made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari. and because the way he is, I think the way he is, he really communicates very well with the values of the Tifosi. And he was talking about that earlier today. And what is it, 40 ,000 people in the centre of Milan, around the Duomo, all chanting his name, and Charles' name, but just Ferrari. I think he was quite blown away by it. Yes, I just haven't spoken. I'll speak to him later on because I'll see him after the briefing.

10:27But I just saw his press conference and you could tell that he was impressed. Because it's true that Imola, he was his first Grand Prix in red, although he's in blue because his clothing is in blue, but the car is in red. And I think they've done a great job with the Niki Lauda design. And, you know, Luis, I think he's very much attached to Niki Lauda. But I am sure he's never experienced something like that downtown, what he experienced in Milan on Wednesday. Now, if everyone listening wants more on the Ferrari drivers, My guest this week on F1 Beyond the Grid is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.

11:04He was really interesting on both of those guys, as well as the coverage of Ferrari in the Italian media this year and how he feels his time in charge of the team has gone so far. That's out now. So just search for F1 Beyond the Grid on your podcast app after this show. And you can also watch our chat on the F1 YouTube channel. This episode is sponsored by Indeed. Building a great team is never easy. If you're a small business, hoping the right people see your job posting isn't the best growth strategy. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs gets you quality candidates when you need them most.

11:47Because when you're hiring, you don't just want more applicants, you want the right applicants. Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95 % more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. That's because it helps you reach candidates that meet your specific criteria, such as skills, certifications, or location from the word go, boosting your job post in search results so you can reach the people that help your business thrive. So spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed-sponsored jobs.

12:26And listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.

13:01Now let's bring it on to McLaren, if we can. Oscar Piastri was the big winner last time out. Lando Norris with his car failure, the big loser. Piastri now 34 points ahead. what kind of a difference does that make for a driver coming into the next event it's big one is and and you do not expect anymore nowadays uh dnfs from mechanical failures this is something that in my era there were many but uh nowadays it's very rare so it was a shame to see that from lando i really hope that that's not something that will make a difference at the end of the championship having said that i assume i cannot i don't know how how oscar thinks but i assume his risk assessment will change a little bit.

13:47That's how I would do it. You can sometimes maybe compromise a little bit more a second place, whereas up to now was not the case. I don't know what his approach will be, but I assume that he's going to be more thinking about not getting a zero, a DNF. Whereas Lando, I assume he's going to be more risk propensity. I think he's going to go more all in. but that's what I would that's how I would approach whether I would be Oscar or Lando. Who does this track suit more do you think? Last year the fact that Oscar was on I didn't remember why Oscar was quicker than Lando but the fact that Oscar did well last year and Oscar last year was not as strong as he is this year so it shows probably that he's very good at Monza.

14:33Yeah and that amazing overtake going into the second chicane on Lando last year. That I looked and that was very impressive because nine out of ten times the car who attempts that at least won't make the second part of the chicane and there Oscar showed an amazing control with the brakes to be able to to carry the speed without going off track limit without locking the front tires that was very very impressive from Oscar last year. Mark you've been involved in in so many championship battles during your time at Ferrari, of course, with Michael Schumacher, but then, of course, then with Fernando and Sebastian and everything that's gone on.

15:14When you see an intra-team battle like the one we're seeing at McLaren, is it no longer about raw pace? Is it all about mentality as you get to the business end of a season? Probably, because I do think that Lando, he's so fast. He can be very, very fast. But for example, Zanvo. Zanvo, he was dominant every session. And he was beaten, yes, by 12 ,000, but when it most mattered. And that was the reason why then Oscar won the race, because if Lando would have started first, probably he would have won the race. So I think their pace is so similar. Probably Lando sometimes can show a little bit more speed, but it's more down to the mental side, I think, this championship.

15:58I really hope the DNF of Lando won't make the decision but without the dnf it has to be the difference has been very small in doing the things when you have to do them under pressure and in that respect looks like oscar has been managing a little bit better yes do you think it's easier or harder to be fighting your teammate for the title would it be easier if it was someone from a different team probably yes yeah yeah i think it's easier it's also true that the pressure is more on lando than on oscar because Lando has been here for a longer period of time. He was close also in a way last year or fighting for the championship at some point with Max.

16:36So the pressure is more on Lando than on Oscar. And then within the same team, the pressure is higher. I agree. And I have to say that or they are good boys, which I think they are. They are good. They are not so political and they are not so mean in a way. And then the team is also doing a good job managing them because we are, I think a lot of people in the paddock are expecting when it's going to be the next one, when there's going to be the big, big, big conflict between the two. And we really haven't seen them. The only one we saw was in Canada, but it was really more a mistake. So we are all expecting when is it going to be like Senna Prost thing, and we haven't seen it.

17:14That's the truth. I wonder whether Monza might encourage that because, you know, it's so easy to trip over another driver here at the Chicanes, isn't it, in particular? it is it is very easy but as I say we a lot of people are expecting when it's going to happen at some point and it has not happened but Monza is an easy place we have seen what happened also with Luis and Max we saw even the fight between Luis and Charles you know there's been some very hectic fights the fight between Carlos and Leclerc I remember one year fighting for the podium they were so close into the first chicane it is a track that does tend to get these very close battles yes right mark let's do our podium predictions how do you see it panning out who's going to be on that unique Monza podium that's just isn't it sticks out above the start finish trades yeah okay I'm a bit biased because I am for I work for Ferrari but I do think that Charles here has been very special I want to see him win I really hope I really expect this year to win one or two Grand Prix so Monza would be the place to do it and then do you think the car has the raw pace to win this weekend?

18:21Charles could have won Budapest. He really could have won that race. He had the pace even on race pace. So yes, every now and then we seem to have the pace to do it. And honestly, we don't even know until we... After the first few sessions, first laps, you more or less know. Like Zandvoort, we knew we were far off. So yes, I think Ferrari every now and then has the pace to win a Grand Prix. but the odd Grand Prix, let's say. And Monza could be because Monza is unique in many ways. So we won't know until we hit the track tomorrow. You'll know after FP1, right? Yeah, after FP1, you have a feeling if you are thereabout, that you know, yes.

19:03So will you give me a wink after FP1? Yeah, but having said that... If it's going well. Yeah, I do think Charles could be on the top of the podium because every now and then our car is quick enough. And then I see more Landor second Piastri third because Lando has to do it you know has to be in front of Oscar and what do you think of Mercedes this weekend with Kimi Antonelli coming to his second home race of the season yeah the Mercedes have had a bit some issues with tyre management when it's very hot it's going to be quite warm this weekend not super hot but it's going to be high 20s so managing the rear tyres in Monza tends to be a big thing and I from what I've seen this year they are not very strong on that respect.

19:48For Kimi, it's going to be an unforgettable Grand Prix, although I think for him already, Imola was very unique. Probably he did too much work. That's what they say he did. Whereas Monza, although it's also our home Grand Prix, Monza is a bit more the home of the Tifosi. So I think for Kimi, Bologna, he's from Bologna, so Imola is very close to Bologna. I think Imola was very unique for him. For Ferrari, both are important, but Monza is more of a Ferrari race. It's such a privilege to be here. It's going to be an amazing weekend. Mark, thank you so much for your time. great to preview the race with you thank you you can keep across all the action at the autodroma this weekend via f1.com the official f1 app and at f1 on social media and in selected countries you can watch all the racing on f1 tv thanks very much for listening we will of course be back on monday with our review of the italian grand prix but for now f1 nation is produced by formula one and audio boom studios

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