Everything you need to know about this weekend's race!
Wednesday 9 September 2015 13:18, UK
For the 65th time in F1, motorsport's ‘Temple of Speed’ welcomes the world's leading speedsters for an Italian Grand Prix which, despite its uncertain future, remains a cornerstone of the season.
The historic Monza track, made up of high-speed straights and chicanes in the heart of the Royal Park, is the fastest on the calendar with cars touching speeds of up to 360 kph.
And ahead of another crucial race in the 2015 title battle as the European season draws to a close, here is everything you need to know about the race weekend ahead…
Track: Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Permanent circuit.
Race start time: 1pm UK time Sunday (2pm local).
Laps: 53.
Track length: 5.793 km.
Tyre allocation: Medium (white) and soft (yellow).
DRS zones: Two with separate detection points – pit straight and between Lesmo Two and Variante Ascari.
Driver steward: Danny Sullivan.
Lap record: Rubens Barrichello – 1:21.046 (Ferrari; 2004).
2014 pole: Lewis Hamilton – 1:24.109 (Mercedes).
Thursday September 3
2pm – Drivers' Press Conference – Live!
Marcus Ericsson (Sauber), Felipe Massa (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull), Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
8:45pm – Paddock Uncut.
9pm – Classic F1 – Italy 2008
Friday September 4
8:45am – Italian GP Practice One – Live!
11am – GP2 Practice – Live!
12:45pm – Italian GP Practice Two – Live!
2:50pm – GP2 Qualifying – Live!
4pm – Team Principals' Press Conference.
Maurizio Arrivabene (Ferrari), Eric Boullier (McLaren), Matthew Carter (Lotus), Robert Fernley (Force India), Paul Hembery (Pirelli), Christian Horner (Red Bull)
5pm – The F1 Show – Live!
Saturday September 5
8:45am – GP3 Qualifying – Live!
9:45am – Italian GP Practice Three – Live!
12pm – Italian GP Qualifying – Live!
2:35pm - GP2 Feature Race – Live!
4:15pm - GP3 Race One – Live!
6.55pm – Ted's Qualifying Notebook.
Sunday September 6
8:20am – GP3 Race Two – Live!
9:30am – GP2 Sprint Race – Live!
11:30am – The 2015 Italian GP – Track Parade – Live!
12pm – The 2015 Italian GP – Pit Lane – Live!
12:30pm – The 2015 Italian GP – Race – Live!
3:30pm – The 2015 Italian GP – Paddock Live!
6:15pm – Italian GP highlights.
7:15pm – Ted's Race Notebook.
Lewis Hamilton claimed his second-ever Italian GP victory last year after pressuring team-mate Nico Rosberg into an error at the first chicane, a win which set up the Briton’s run to the world title.
Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have now claimed two wins and two poles apiece in the last four years, with Monza also the scene of the German’s maiden F1 success with Toro Rosso in 2008. Now driving for Italy’s ‘home’ team, Vettel will be aiming to emulate predecessors Fernando Alonso (2010) and Michael Schumacher (1996) in winning on his Ferrari Monza debut.
Unsurprisingly, the Italian marque have won more times at the famous venue than any other in F1 – 18 – although Alonso’s 2010 victory is their only success in the last eight attempts.
2014 result: 1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes); 3. Felipe Massa (Williams); 4. Valtteri Bottas (Williams); 5. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull); 6. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 7. Sergio Perez (Force India); 8. Jenson Button (McLaren); 9. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari); 10. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren).
Last five winners in Italy: 2014: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2012: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren); 2011: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2010: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
In an unexpectedly aggressive move, Pirelli has decided to bring the soft and medium tyres to the Monza race weekend, rather than the medium and hard combination which had been selected since 2012.
Monza, the fastest circuit on the calendar, is historically a one-stop race but Pirelli believe the soft/medium combination will "open up interesting possibilities for race strategy".
After increasing his title lead to a season-high 28 points with victory at Spa, Lewis Hamilton is once again the favourite for the race win. Chances of a home Ferrari success? You can get 16/1 on Sebastian Vettel with Sky Bet. Check out the latest full range of race and title odds here.
