Preview 2011 Monza, Italian GP

Monza is the third-largest city of Lombardy and the most important economic, industrial and administrative centre of the Brianza area, supporting a textile industry and a publishing trade. Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

Technical detailes
Monza consists of very long straights and tight chicanes, putting a premium on good braking stability and traction. Formula 1 engines are at full throttle about 77% of the lap, with engine failures common. Formula One cars are set up with mimimal wing angle, to ensure the lowest level of drag on the straights. There are only 3 proper corners at Monza, the two Lesmos and the Parabolica, so cars are set up with maximum performance on the straights.

Cars approach the first corner at 340 kilometres per hour in seventh gear and brake at about 120 metres before the first chicane - the Variante del Rettifilo, entering at 86 kilometres per hour in first gear, and exiting at 74 kilometres per hour in second gear. It is important to accelerate out of the first chicane as straight as possible and with mimimal wheelspin, as a lot of time will be lost through the Curva Grande down to the Variante della Roggia chicane in 7th gear, at 330 kilometres per hour. The braking point is just under the bridge. The kerbs are very vicious, and it is very easy for a car to spin. This chicane is probably the best overtaking chance on the lap, as it is the only one with the "slow corner, long straight, slow corner", one of the characteristics of the modern circuits.The Curva di Lesmo are two corners that are not as fast as they used to be, but are still challenging corners. The first is blind, entered at 264 kilometres per hour 5th gear, and dropping to 4th gear at 193 kilometres per hour and has a slight banking. The second is 5th gear entry at 260 kilometres per hour, apexing in 3rd gear at 178 kilometres per hour and very important and all the kerb is used. A mistake at one of these corners will either result in a spin into the gravel, or an overtaking move into the Variante Ascari chicane. The downhill straight down to the Variante Ascari chicane is very bumpy under the bridge. The Variante Ascari chicane is a very tricky sequence of corners, and is key to the lap time. The final challenge is the Curva Parabolica, approaching at 335 kilometres per hour in 7th gear, cars quickly dance around the corner, apexing in fourth gear at 215 kilometres per hour and exiting in 5th gear at 285 kilometres per hour accelerating onto the main start/finish straight.
Monza Circuit has 5.8 km, 53 laps with a race distance of 307 km; 4 highspeed straches, 2 slow turns, 2 ideal spots for overtaking and a top speed around 351 km/h. Best Preview by Mark Webber:

Wikipedia History
The Monza circuit has been the arena of many fatal accidents, especially in the early years of the Formula One world championship, and has claimed the lives of 52 drivers and 35 spectators.
The original circuit, as used from 1922 to 1933. The starting grid of the "1st Cup Fiera di Milano" race held in 1925. A race in 1925 with cars racing across the bridge. The Florio circuit, used from 1935 to 1937.

Both car and Grand Prix motorcycle racing were regular attractions at Monza, but as the speed of the machines were increasing, two chicanes - the Curva Grande at the end of the start/finish straight and the Ascari, were added in 1972 to reduce racing speeds. This resulted in a new circuit length of 5.755 kilometres. Grand Prix motorcycles continued to use the un-slowed road track until two serious accidents resulted in five deaths, including Renzo Pasolini and Jarno Saarinen, in 1973, and motorcycle racing did not return to Monza until 1981. These races involved drivers constantly slipstreaming competing cars, which produced several close finishes, such as in 1967, 1969, and 1971; the last year the Italian Grand Prix was run at Monza without chicanes.The 1972 chicanes were soon seen to be ineffective at slowing cars; the Vialone was remade in 1974, the other, Curve Grande in 1976 and a third also added in 1976 before the Lesmo, with extended run-off areas. The Grand Prix lap after these alterations was increased to 5.800 kilometres long.
With technology still increasing vehicle speeds, the track was modified again in 1979, with added kerbs, extended run-off areas, and tyre-barriers improved, to improve safety for drivers off the track. The infrastructure was also improved, with pits able to accommodate 46 cars, and an upgraded paddock and scrutineering facilities. These changes encouraged world championship motorcycling to return in 1981, but further safety work was undertaken through the 1980s. In the safety conscious years following the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994 (albeit at a different track), the three main long curves were "squeezed" in order to install larger gravel traps, shortening the lap to 5.770 kilometres
In 2007, the run off area at the second chicane was changed from gravel to asphalt. The length of the track in its current configuration is 5.793 kilometres.
Statistics
Rubens Barrichello recorded the fastest ever pole position lap at Monza in 2004 when he lapped in 1m20.089s and in pre-qualifying session for the same race, Juan Pablo Montoya lapped the track in 1m19.525sec which remains the fastest lap ever recorded in an F1 car.

Winners
1950 - FARINA SERAFINI (Alfa Romeo), 1951 ASCARI ALBERTO (Ferrari),1952 - ASCARI ALBERTO (Ferrari), 1953 - FANGIO (Maserati), 1954 - FANGIO (Mercedes Benz), 1955 - FANGIO (Mercedes Benz), 1956 - MOSS (Maserati), 1957 - MOSS (Vanwall), 1958 - BROOKS (Vanwall), 1959 - MOSS (Cooper CLIMAX), 1960 - HILL PHIL (Ferrari), 1961 - HILL PHIL (Ferrari), 1962 - HILL GRAHAM (BRM), 1963 - CLARK (Lotus CLIMAX), 1964 - Surtees (Ferrari), 1965 - Stewart (BRM) (BRM) (BRABHAM), 1966 - SCARFIOTTI (Ferrari), 1967 - SURTEES (Honda), 1968 - HULME (MCLAREN FORD), 1969 - STEWART (MATRA FORD), 1970 - REGAZZON (Ferrari), 1971 - GETHIN (BRM), 1972 - Fittipaldi (LOTUS FORD), 1973 - PETERSON (LOTUS FORD), 1974 - PETERSON (LOTUS FORD), 1975 - REGAZZONI (FERRARI), 1976 - PETERSON (MARCH FORD), 1977 - ANDRETTI MARIO (LOTUS FORD), 1978 - LAUDA (BRABHAM A. Romeo), 1979 - SCHECKTER (Ferrari), 1980 - Imola - PIQUET (BRABHAM), 1981 - Prost (Renault), 1982 - ARNOUX (Renault), 1983 - PIQUET (BRABHAM BMW), 1984 - LAUDA (McLaren Porsche), 1985 - PROST (McLaren Porsche), 1986 - PIQUET (Williams Honda), 1987 - PIQUET (Williams Honda), 1988 - BERGER (Ferrari), 1989 - PROST (McLaren Honda), 1990 - SENNA (McLaren Honda), 1991 - MANSELL (Williams Renault), 1992 - SENNA (McLaren Honda), 1993 - HILL DAMON (Williams Renault), 1994 - HILL DAMON (Williams Renault), 1995 - HERBERT (Benetton Renault), 1996 - SCHUMACHER (Ferrari), 1997 - COULTHARD (McLaren), 1998 - SCHUMACHER (Ferrari), 1999 - FRENTZEN (Jordan), 2000 - SCHUMACHER (Ferrari), 2001 - MONTOYA (Williams BMW), 2002 - BARRICHELLO (Ferrari), 2003 - SCHUMACHER (Ferrari), 2004 - BARRICHELLO (Ferrari), 2005 - MONTOYA (McLaren), 2006 - SCHUMACHER (Ferrari), 2007 - Alonso (McLaren), 2008 - Vettel (Toro Rosso), 2009 - Barrichello (Brawn), 2010 - Alonso (Ferrari)

Now lets see last year pole by Fernando Alonso

1:21.962