paul
Team Owner
Sunday, September 8th, 2002
"I really enjoy racing at Monza, because it´s so quick. Going past the pits we reach 350 kmh, before braking very hard for the first chicane and downshifting from seventh to first gear. You need to be careful not to lock the front wheels because that will make you run wide, but at the same time the weight transfer makes the back end very light, so it´s also easy to spin if you aren´t careful. The chicane is very tight, and the quick way through it is to wallop the car hard over the kerbs. It is, of course a good place to try to overtake a rival, but it can be very difficult to judge your speed and braking.
The second part of the chicane is very important because you need a clean exit to maximise speed through the very quick Curva Grande. You need a good line and good traction as you use maximum acceleration. The Curva Grande itself is easily flat, and you hit seventh gear on the exit.
Corners four and five are another chicane, not quite as tight as the first. You have to brake heavily again, and shift from seventh to second gear. Again, it´s a good place to try a passing move. As you go over the kerbs, you shift to third gear on the exit.
Corners six and seven are the two ninety degree right-hand Lesmos. The first one is approached in fifth gear, possibly sixth depending on how the car is set up, and taken in fourth. You reach sixth before going back down to fourth for the second Lesmo. Precision of line is important in both Lesmos, not just to make sure that you stay on the road, especially on the exit to the second, but to maximise your momentum and therefore speed on the straight that leads to the Ascari chicane.
This chicane comprises turns eight, nine and 10, and is a fast left, right, left section approached flat in seventh around 350 kmh. You have to brake heavily on the entry and go down to fourth or maybe third gear, and you need to treat each part of the corner as a separate entity. You can take fifth gear by the middle bit and it´s almost flat, accelerating all the time as you shift up to seventh on the exit to turn 10. Again this is a very important part of the circuit as it dictates your terminal speed down the long back straight that leads to turn 11, the 180 degree Parabolica right-hander that leads back to the pits.
You can reach nearly 360 kmh by the entry to Parabolica, which is another very important corner because of the long straight that follows. It´s also very quick. You brake very, very late and go down to fifth gear then try to pick up the throttle again as early as possible. It´s all about the speed you can carry through the long, long curve, and good balance is crucial. It´s a really nice corner.
That´s it, another lap completed, on a great circuit."
http://www.sauber-petronas.com/en/home.php
"I really enjoy racing at Monza, because it´s so quick. Going past the pits we reach 350 kmh, before braking very hard for the first chicane and downshifting from seventh to first gear. You need to be careful not to lock the front wheels because that will make you run wide, but at the same time the weight transfer makes the back end very light, so it´s also easy to spin if you aren´t careful. The chicane is very tight, and the quick way through it is to wallop the car hard over the kerbs. It is, of course a good place to try to overtake a rival, but it can be very difficult to judge your speed and braking.
The second part of the chicane is very important because you need a clean exit to maximise speed through the very quick Curva Grande. You need a good line and good traction as you use maximum acceleration. The Curva Grande itself is easily flat, and you hit seventh gear on the exit.
Corners four and five are another chicane, not quite as tight as the first. You have to brake heavily again, and shift from seventh to second gear. Again, it´s a good place to try a passing move. As you go over the kerbs, you shift to third gear on the exit.
Corners six and seven are the two ninety degree right-hand Lesmos. The first one is approached in fifth gear, possibly sixth depending on how the car is set up, and taken in fourth. You reach sixth before going back down to fourth for the second Lesmo. Precision of line is important in both Lesmos, not just to make sure that you stay on the road, especially on the exit to the second, but to maximise your momentum and therefore speed on the straight that leads to the Ascari chicane.
This chicane comprises turns eight, nine and 10, and is a fast left, right, left section approached flat in seventh around 350 kmh. You have to brake heavily on the entry and go down to fourth or maybe third gear, and you need to treat each part of the corner as a separate entity. You can take fifth gear by the middle bit and it´s almost flat, accelerating all the time as you shift up to seventh on the exit to turn 10. Again this is a very important part of the circuit as it dictates your terminal speed down the long back straight that leads to turn 11, the 180 degree Parabolica right-hander that leads back to the pits.
You can reach nearly 360 kmh by the entry to Parabolica, which is another very important corner because of the long straight that follows. It´s also very quick. You brake very, very late and go down to fifth gear then try to pick up the throttle again as early as possible. It´s all about the speed you can carry through the long, long curve, and good balance is crucial. It´s a really nice corner.
That´s it, another lap completed, on a great circuit."
http://www.sauber-petronas.com/en/home.php
