Looking back to the previous race, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff knew in recent years that Spa-Francorchamps hasn’t been victorious for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. The recent one-two changed that round and the team are going into Monza hoping to copy that result.
“Spa had not been our strongest track in recent years, so it felt very good to turn that around this year and leave Belgium with a 1-2. A few weeks ago, I was trackside in Silverstone to watch our cars go through Maggotts and Becketts; last weekend in Spa, I was watching the onboard of it going through Malmedy and Pouhon.
“Seeing the W11 driven in anger, attacking the circuit with everything it’s got, is truly impressive and shows how colossal effort from everyone in Brackley and Brixworth has created a mighty machine.”
At a track where it is important to have straight-line, Wolff understands how fast Monza is and how important it is to have a good qualifying session.
“The second and third races of this triple-header take us to Italy, with stops in Monza and Mugello. The famous ‘Temple of Speed’ is a real low-drag, low-downforce circuit where straight-line speed is crucial for a good result. The race was often won from pole in the past, which makes qualifying particularly important in Italy.”
Going into the Italian Grand Prix, there is no more ‘party mode’ meaning teams cannot use extra power for qualifying to get the best out of the cars. All teams will now have to run the same Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) mode in qualifying and the race. Wolff is ‘intrigued’ into how it affects the race.
“Both the power sensitivity and the importance of qualifying make Monza a perfect track to test the impact of a new Technical Directive which comes into effect at the Italian Grand Prix. TD/037-20 limits the usage of engine modes, requiring teams to run the same ICE mode in qualifying and the race.
“It will be intriguing to see how it affects the absolute and relative competitive order on Saturday and Sunday; we’re excited to take on the challenge and turn it to our advantage.”
