F1 Italian GP 2024: Everything you need to know

Lando Norris won the last race by a margin of 22.896 seconds

After racing through the banked curves of Zandvoort, the drivers will now enter Monza (Italian GP) with just nine races left of the F1 2024 season. Drivers will be seen tackling the ‘Temple of Speed’, aka Autodromo Nazionale Monza, for the Italian Grand Prix 2024.

Like Zandvoort, Monza also once included steep banking. However, they were later removed from the high-speed circuit after the tragic 1961 Grand Prix. 

Currently, Autodromo Nazionale Monza is the fastest track on the F1 calendar. Being the home of the fastest-ever F1 race, Monza witnessed one of the most spectacular races in its history in 2003, where Michael Schumacher finished the race in 1 hour 14 minutes with an average speed of 247.585 kph.

Further in this article, we’ll discover more about the Italian GP and everything you need to know about the upcoming race.

Antonelli to replace George Russell for FP1 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his FP1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix, taking over George Russell’s car for Mercedes on Friday. This marks Antonelli’s first race weekend outing in F1, and it comes with the added challenge of balancing his Formula 2 commitments for PREMA, where he’s currently seventh in the standings. 

The 18-year-old Italian has already impressed Mercedes with his previous performances, and with a passionate home crowd at Monza, all eyes will be on him as he steps into the spotlight.

Williams bets on Colapinto: Replaces Sargeant Mid-Season

William’s weekend at Zandvoort started with really high hopes, but they ended up having a disappointing race, leaving without any points. After a promising upgrade, things went downhill when Logan Sargeant crashed in FP3, missing qualifying, and Alex Albon was disqualified over a small technical issue.

In response, Williams made a bold decision to replace Sargeant with 21-year-old Franco Colapinto for the rest of the season. Currently sixth in the Formula 2 standings, Colapinto will be the first Argentinian in nearly 25 years to race in Formula 1.

It will be interesting to see how this decision will impact William’s future.

A Tragic History of Italian GP

Many may remember that Monza once featured steep banking, but it was removed from the track’s layout after the tragic 1961 Grand Prix. During that race, Wolfgang von Trips’ collision with Jim Clark caused his car to go out of bounds, killing himself and 10 spectators on the spot, with several more dying later in the hospital.

 Although the Grand Prix races then shifted to the road course, fatalities continued at Monza, including Jochen Rindt, who died on impact during practice for the 1970 race. Rindt remains the only driver to be awarded the F1 World Championship posthumously.

What is the Circuit like?

The ‘Temple of Speed’ at Monza, where Juan Pablo Montoya set the fastest lap in the history of F1 with 260.6 km/h in the 2004 GP. Known as “La Pista Magica,” cars run with low-drag setups to be lighter and faster, but drivers need to balance this with enough downforce for braking, especially heading into Turn 1.

This section often sees incidents as cars go side-by-side into the chicane at the end of the DRS zone. Drivers ought to have the confidence to handle the high speeds and quick braking zones, including the famous Parabolica curve and Ascari chicane.

When is the race?

EVENT	DATE	TIME
		UK	USA	India	Australia	Canada
Free Practice 1	30 August, 2024	12:30 am BST	7:30 am ET	5:00 pm IST	9:30 pm AEST	4:30 am PT
Free Practice 2	30 August, 2024	4:00 pm BST	11:00 am ET	8:30 pm IST	1:00 am AEST	8:00 am PT
Free Practice 3	31 August, 2024	11:30 am BST	6:30 am ET	4:00 pm IST	8:30 pm AEST	3:30 am PT
Qualifying	31 August, 2024	3:00 pm BST	10:00 ET	7:30 pm IST	12:00 am AEST	7:00 am PT
Race	1 September, 2024	2:00 pm BST	9:00 am ET	6:30 pm IST	11:00 pm AEST	6:00 am PT

Weather Forecast

Friday

• Forecast: Sunny morning, partly cloudy by afternoon. Hottest day of the week with a light south wind.
• Temperature: 21-34°C
• Chances of Precipitation: 0%

Saturday

• Forecast: Cloudier than previous days with convective clouds throughout. Mostly dry, with just a slight chance of an afternoon shower.
• Temperature: 22-33°C
• Chances of Rain: <20%

Sunday

• Forecast: Partly cloudy, turning mostly cloudy by noon with a growing chance of afternoon showers. Light north wind.
• Temperature: 23-32°C
• Chances of Rain: 20%

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