The 2009 Italian Grand Prix takes place on September 13th at the historic Monza Autodromo, just a few miles outside Milan. Ferrari arrive at Monza on a high, following Kimi Raikkonen's victory in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Italian Grand Prix History
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the oldest on the calendar, having first been staged in 1921. Almost exclusively held at Monza the event has produced great races, close finishes and tragedy. For a few years the circuit featured a steeply banked section of track. Although this stopped being used many years ago the decaying remains still stand.
The high speed Monza track was completed in time for the 1922 Italian Grand Prix. It quickly became known as a fast circuit where slipstreaming was essential. In 1933 tragedy struck when three drivers were killed on the same day, including the unforgettable Giuseppe Campari who was competing in his final Grand Prix before retiring.
After World War Two the Italian Grand Prix became part of the new Formula 1 World Championship. At Monza in 1961 Phil Hill clinched the title for Ferrari, but in terrible circumstances. His team-mate Count Wolfgang von Trips crashed early in the race, killing the German nobleman and several spectators.
Before chicanes were added to slow laps speeds Monza produced some extremely close finishes, notably in 1971. Peter Gethin won the only Grand Prix of his career, with the first five cars covered by little more than half a second.
Even with chicanes Monza remains an extremely quick circuit. Juan Pablo Montoya recorded the fastest Formula 1 lap of all time there in 2002, lapping the circuit at an average speed of 163 mph in his Williams.
2009 Italian GP Information and Weather Forecast
Race date: September 13th, 2009
Race distance: 53 laps
Circuit length: 3.600 miles (5.793 km)
Lap record: 1 minute, 20.264 seconds (Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams - 2002)
2009 Italian GP weather forecast: sunny on all three days
2009 Italian Grand Prix Form Guide
Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari will not be short of support at Monza, as the fanatical tifosi turn out in their thousands. Luca Badoer has lost his race seat with the scuderia after two disappointing performances. He will be replaced by countryman Giancarlo Fisichella. Meanwhile, Vitantonio Liuzzi replaces Fisichella at Force India. Ferrari do have KERS, which should be an advantage at Monza.
The sensation of the Belgian Grand Prix was Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella who qualified on pole and eventually finished second, just a few metres behind Raikkonen. The small team will be hoping to build on the performance to once again challenge the front runners in the Italian Grand Prix. Following Fisichella's move to Ferrari the team's hopes will mainly rest with Adrian Sutil.
Formula 1 World Championship leader Jenson Button didn't get past the first lap at Spa, crashing out along with felloe Brit Lewis Hamilton. Button's lead in the championship was trimmed to 16 points by his Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.
Both Red Bull drivers are still in title contention and should go well at Monza. Sebastian Vettel scored his maiden Grand Prix victory in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix while driving for Toro Rosso.
After receiving a late reprieve from the FIA allowing them to race at Spa Renault once again find themselves surrounded by controversy. Allegations have been made against the team, suggesting that Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately in last year's Singapore Grand Prix. The resulting safety car period benefited his team-mate Fernando Alonso who went on to win the race.
BMW Sauber showed greatly improved pace at Spa and will be aiming for a podium at Monza. Williams and Toyota should also be in contention for points. The 2009 Italian Grand Prix gets underway at 2pm CET (1pm GMT) on Sunday, September 13th.
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