Props to the Merc F1 social media team for this one. 
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Saw that one last night lol.
Shoutouts to Greg for the fastest like in the universe
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That alfa looks sexyyyyyyyyy!
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Hamilton signs new two-year Mercedes deal to end speculation over his F1 future | Formula 1®
Lewis Hamilton has put pen to paper on a new Mercedes contract that will keep the seven-time world champion onboard through the 2025 season, with team mate George Russell also retained for the same period.
Hamilton, now 38, was in the final year of his existing Silver Arrows deal and had been in talks with team boss Toto Wolff for several months, with those discussions eventually resulting in fresh terms.
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2023 Italian Grand Prix 
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Monza | Italy | 3 September
2023 F1 Season - Race 15 (14/22)
They call it The Temple of Speed. Monza is synonymous with speed. It’s where the fastest race in the history of Formula 1 was held, with Michael Schumacher setting an unbeaten average race speed of 247.585 kph back in 2003. A year later Juan Pablo Montoya would set the record for the fastest single lap speed - a 260.6 kph effort during practice for the 2004 Grand Prix.
It’s Ferrari’s home race. It’s Alfa Romeo’s home race. Even Pirelli claim it as a home race. The thousands of Ferrari home fans - the Tifosi - always seem to help the prancing horse emblazoned red cars punch above their current performance levels.
The Italian Grand Prix is the fifth oldest national GP (after France, the United States, Spain, and Russia), having been held since 1921. In 2013 it became the most held Grand Prix (the 2023 race will be the 93rd).
It is one of only two Grands Prix (along with the British) which has been run as an event of the Formula One World Championship Grands Prix every season, continuously since the championship was introduced in 1950.
Every F1 Italian Grand Prix in the World Championship era except one has been held at Monza. The exception was in 1980 when it was held at Imola while Monza underwent a major upgrade, including building a new pit complex.
This year could see reigning champions Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing extend their consecutive race wins records. The stylish livery on the Ferrari (and on the Alfa Romeo - another Italian connection) together with the will power of the people could trigger an upset to that record breaking run (but doubtful). Another possibility, based on the pure straight line speed of the Williams and his recent run of good results, could see Alex Albon take a very deserved podium this weekend. Now that would make everyone happy.
Vital Statistics
- First Grand Prix – 1950
- Track Length – 5.793km
- Lap record – 1m 21.046s, Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 2004
- Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton (7)
- Most wins – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (5)
- Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 472 metres
- Overtakes completed in 2022 – 91
- Safety Car probability – 50%*
- Virtual Safety Car probability – 38%*
- Pit stop time loss – 23.46 seconds
Last Five Poles
- 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2018 – Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Last Five Winners
- 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2021 – Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
- 2020 – Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
- 2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Trivia
- The Italian Grand Prix has featured on the F1 calendar since the inaugural 1950 season, with Monza home to every race apart from 1980, when Imola played host
Never Tell Me The Odds
Current 188BET’s odds for Race Win:
- Max Verstappen @ 1.25
- Sergio Perez @ 9.50
- Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton @ 21.0
- Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri @ 34.0
- Carlos Sainz # 67.0
- Alex Albon @ 151
- Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly @ 301
- Liam Lawson, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu @ 601
(188BET’s odds are presented in decimal form: for every $1 wagered you would win the figure represented by the odds; so, if Verstappen is favourite at 1.25, you would win $1.25 for every $1 bet.)
The Schedule
Time is a fairly loose construct in the laid back Milanese atmosphere of Monza. When the Italians really, really, really do have to do anything to a schedule, they use decent times though. Friday’s two practice sessions go at 13:30 and 17:00. FP3 on Saturday is at 12:30 and Qualifying follows at 16:00. The main event on Sunday is lights out at 15:00.
The Race Strategy
Bernie Collins, former Aston Martin F1 strategist
Monza requires minimum drag and therefore minimum downforce, meaning we will see some of the highest straight-line speeds of the season. In the past, prior to resource restrictions or the cost cap, most teams would have a specific rear wing for the weekend.
Given the many long straights, teams will often push for a tow in qualifying, leading to all drivers trying to leave the pit lane late and then fighting for position at the start of the lap. Previously, we’ve seen drivers tow their team mates and complete different programmes across cars to progress.
The characteristics of the track, and its very power sensitive nature, has also prompted teams to unleash a new engine in previous years, with a whopping 75% of the lap at full throttle and output even more important.
After being trialed for the first time in Hungary, the Alternative Tyre Allocation will be in play again here, with each driver receiving just 11 sets of slick tyres (three hard, four medium and four soft) for the weekend.
In qualifying, and providing it isn’t wet, drivers can use only one type of compound per segment: the hard for Q1, the medium for Q2 and the soft for Q3. This year’s selection of the C3, C4 and C5 is one step softer than in 2022, which could promote more pit stops.
With the fourth longest pit loss of the season (23.5 seconds), Monza is typically a one-stop race, although last season an early Virtual Safety Car prompted Leclerc and Ferrari to convert to a two-stop.
The Circuit
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Rettifilo. Lesmo. Ascari. Parabolica. Names synonymous with Formula One motor racing for 100 years. A place where the beloved Ferrari team have secured 21 victories over the years. A circuit that was purpose built in 1922 to allow cars to reach their highest speeds.
When was the track built?
Constructed in just 110 days in 1922, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza was the world’s third purpose-built race track, coming after Brooklands in the UK and Indianapolis in the US. Like those two tracks, the original circuit featured a daunting series of banked curves, as well as much of the ‘outfield’ section that’s still in use today.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Monza opened its doors on September 3 1922, just a week before it hosted that year’s Italian Grand Prix. It was then part of the original Formula 1 calendar in 1950, and has held the Italian Grand Prix every year bar one since.
What’s the circuit like?
Rapido! Formula 1’s fastest ever lap was set at Monza – Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya’s 260.6km/h effort during practice for the 2004 Grand Prix – which should give you some idea of the nature of the track the locals call ‘La Pista Magica’. Cars are on full throttle for 80% of the lap, and hit their Vmax on the circuit’s 1.1km start/finish straight. From there, they roar off into the historic park section, where a series of big stops into tight chicanes give the brakes a good workout.
The Driver’s View
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver
Monza is one of a kind on the calendar, yet in many ways is the simplest track. It’s low downforce and all begins with braking into the chicane for Sector 1 and getting your car to stop as nicely as you can for Turn 1 – that’s the key.
In the middle sector, the Lesmos are actually more fun to drive than they look, with a slight camber. You can carry a bit of speed in, pick your line for a little brake and again through Lesmo 2 as well.
Gravel can greet you if you carry too much speed into Turn 8/9/10 at Ascari – the first part of the corner is the crucial area – but it’s quite bumpy as well. Then stay pinned through 9 and 10, if you get 8 right, which takes you to Parabolica or Curva Alboreto (renamed after the late Michele Alboreto).
Sadly, they took away the gravel that was the charm of this final corner, but it’s still a cool challenge – attack it, run right around the outside to carry speed, get on the throttle as soon as possible and charge onto the main straight.
It used to be perilous with the gravel on the outside, whereas now a little bit of the exhilaration is maybe taken away with the tarmac run-off, but it’s still possible to crash and Monza is still a fantastic high-speed circuit.
The Weather
The Italian GP is traditionally the last European race of the season and is held at the end of the northern hemisphere Summer season, goping into Autumn. The weather in northern Italy at this time of the year is typically warm, dry, and sunny. And the forecast for this weekend matches perfectly. If the dry forecast holds for the entire weekend, it will be the first completly dry race weekend since Miami, eight races ago. It’s been a wet year for F1.
Friday - FP1 and FP2
Mostly sunny and dry all day.
FP1: 24°C | FP2: 26°C
Max: 27°C | Min: 15°C
Chance of rain: 0%
Saturday – FP3 and Qualifying
Dry and mostly sunny conditions expected.
FP3: 25°C | Q: 27°C
Max: 28°C | Min: 16°C
Chance of rain: 0%
Sunday – Grand Prix
Mostly sunny and dry conditions but with light southerly winds in the afternoon.
GP: 29°C
Max: 29°C | Min: 17°C
Chance of rain: 0%
The Tyres
“As usual, the European Formula 1 season draws to a close in Monza: which is also Pirelli’s home event as our headquarters are just a few kilometres away from this iconic circuit. Monza is synonymous with speed, as its nickname of the ‘Temple of Speed’ capably demonstrates. To this day, it’s where the fastest race in the history of Formula 1 was held, with Michael Schumacher setting an unbeaten average race speed of 247.585 kph back in 2003.
As a result, teams use the lowest possible aerodynamic downforce levels to favour top speed by reducing drag. Stability under braking and traction coming out of the two chicanes are the two key factors that challenge tyres most on this track, as well as the lateral loads exerted in the fast corners such as Parabolica (named after Michele Alboreto) and Curva Grande.
After Hungary, Monza will be the second time that the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) is trialled, which uses two fewer sets of tyres than the standard format. This offers a benefit in terms of CO2 saved both during production and transport, as well as giving teams and drivers a wider range of strategic option. For this reason as well, we have chosen the trio of softest compounds for Monza – C3, C4, and C5 – which has already been nominated five times this season.”
~Mario Isola - Pirelli Motorsport Director~
- For the Italian Grand Prix, C3 will be used as P Zero White hard, C4 as P Zero Yellow medium and C5 as P Zero Red soft. These are the softest compounds in the Pirelli Formula 1 range, already nominated for five other race weekends so far this season.
- The Alternative Tyre Allocation will be tried again at Monza, after the first test in Hungary. Each driver will have just 11 sets of slick tyres (three Hard, four Medium and four Soft) at their disposal for the weekend. In qualifying, drivers can use only one type of compound per session (unless it’s wet): in Q1 the Hard, in Q2 the Medium, and in Q3 the Soft.
- Last year, there were no fewer than eight different strategies deployed by the top 10 finishers. Max Verstappen and George Russell (first and third respectively) opted for a single stop, while Charles Leclerc – who finished second – had already made two stops before a safety car towards the end of the race allowed all three drivers to stop again.
- The Italian Grand Prix is one of the races that has counted for every drivers’ championship since the very first competition in 1950. It has always been held in Monza with only one exception, when Imola hosted the race in 1980. Monza was inaugurated in 1922 and is one of the oldest tracks in the world still to be used, second only to Indianapolis. The team with the most victories at Monza is Ferrari (19 out of 72 total grands prix) while the drivers with the most wins are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, on five each.
- Monza has produced different winners over the last five years. Lewis Hamilton won in 2018, Charles Leclerc in 2019, Pierre Gasly in 2020, then Daniel Ricciardo in 2021, and Max Verstappen in 2022.
- Pirelli will remain in Monza after the Italian Grand Prix for a couple of days of testing with Alpine and Red Bull. The teams will take to the track on Tuesday and Wednesday after the race (5-6 September) to test prototype slick tyres.
The Digital Race Programme
Making a welcome return to our screens and mobile devices this weekend, is the Official F1 Digital Race Programme. Grab your digital copy here: Formula 1 Race Programme
Vediamo il cavallino rampante vincere a Monza questo fine settimana! Forza Scuderia!
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We’ll take that pole, thank you. I’m still doubtful about a win but p2 and 3 will make me happy. Don’t pull a Ferrari now guys 
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My smile is wide. And even just one on the podium will be better than I expected at the start of the week. Max will be a challenge to beat but it will be fantastic to watch. And those (and we!) long suffering Tifosi deserve a party in Monza after all the kak we’ve had to endure over the last 18 months. And the whole of that part of Italy needs a reason to celebrate after the floods and storms earlier this year.
And for those that are of the “of course they won’t penalise Ferrari at Monza” mindset… I was watching the tracker as they finished their laps to see who was still to complete laps and straight away noticed how slow Charles was going with a bunch of cars behind him and immediately thought he’s being doubly sure not to be charged with impeding anyone. It was obvious there was no way he’d make the required time.
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I’ll take that, didn’t make it super easy for the Red Bulls and a 3-4 to end off, although they made me very sweaty with their last few lap antics.
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My heart in that last lap with Charles pulling that Open Lobby lockup move into the first chicane!
One on the podium was what I was hoping for too. And Carlos was the stronger of the two this weekend all round, so he deserved that P3.
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I literally shouted at Charles through the TV 
Good weekend regardless for Ferrari. Now next race we will magically be 5th and 6th again lol
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Sainz will sleep well after all that defending.
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Frikken GP Fans with their clickbaity headlines!
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Jisis, they grind my gears
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Its why I blocked them 
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[Tobi Gruner] We expect the FIA to grant Andretti a F1 license. Then it’s up to F1. It won’t be easy to find good reasons to reject the entry & not violate EU laws. F1 won’t even be able to stop Andretti by keeping them out of the Concorde Agreement. (auto-motor-und-sport.de)
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“Incognito Mode” was right there!
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