F1 | Isola on the Italian GP: “Traction is important in Monza”

For the home GP - on one of the fastest circuits of the season - Pirelli has opted for the most used nomination this season by choosing the central compounds of the range: C2 will be the P Zero White hard, C3 will be the P Zero Yellow medium and the C4 will be the P Zero Red soft. In the last two years the same compounds have been nominated in Monza because they represent a good solution to respond to the various challenges that this grand prix poses.

Monza is the second stage this year to host the new sprint qualifying format, which debuted at the British GP in July. As a result, the normal tire allocation will be different: instead of the usual 13 sets, this weekend there will be 12. In particular, there will be two sets of P Zero White hard, four sets of P Zero Yellow medium and six sets of P Zero Red soft. In addition, each team will have up to six sets of Cinturato Green intermediate and three sets of Cinturato Blue full wet available in case of wet conditions.

Only soft compound tires may be used during qualifying on Friday. In sprint qualifying, however, each driver will be able to choose freely between the compounds without having to make pit stops. At the end, they will have to return the set of tires with which they completed the greatest number of laps. The tire regulations for Sunday's Grand Prix remain unchanged, with the exception of the free choice of the compound with which to start.

Characteristics of the Monza circuit

Monza is known for its flat straights preceded by sudden braking, but it also has some slower and more technical sections. Long straights also have the effect of cooling the tires, which can affect the precision of turn-in into subsequent corners. But this, of course, also depends on the weather, which can be variable at this time of year. At Monza the teams use a low downforce set-up to minimize aerodynamic drag and therefore maximize straight-line speed.

This places more emphasis on mechanical grip than aerodynamic grip. The long straights also make it advantageous to try to exploit the slipstream of the car in front, something several drivers tried to do during qualifying last year. Last year, the Italian Grand Prix was delayed by a red flag, which upended the planned tire strategy by transforming the final stage into a 26-lap sprint race run on new tires (in which the top six chose the medium ).

The previous year, however, with the same nomination, the winner's strategy was to go from soft to hard, even if the other two drivers on the podium went from soft to medium.

Mario Isola, head of F1 and Car Racing at Pirelli

“We have seen in the past that different strategies are possible at Monza, and with sprint qualifying representing another important variable of the weekend, teams need to completely rethink their strategy for the weekend. It is a rear-limited circuit which focuses on traction, so the main challenge is to prevent the rear tires from slipping and overheating too much, given that with a low downforce set-up the single-seaters are less "glued" to the asphalt. The weather will also play a role, as this aspect is amplified by high temperatures."