Spa's bizarre grid and action-packed race defied all pundits' predictions, and Monza's one-off nature could make this an equally bizarre weekend.
Undeterred, itv.com/f1 brings you up to speed with the form of all 20 drivers going into what is always one of the highlights of the Formula 1 season.
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) - McLaren
Championship position: 7th, 27 points
McLaren's mighty comeback came to an abrupt end at Spa, but there is every reason to believe that this was a blip. The majority of the time was lost in the fast corners of the middle of the track, and while that might make Suzuka next month a bit of a headache, the rest of the tracks on the calendar should be far better for the McLaren MP4-24 - especially KERS-friendly Monza this weekend.
Last five race results: R / 2nd / 1st / 18th / 16th
(most recent first)
2. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) - McLaren
Championship position: 10th, 17 points
Sixth place in the Belgian GP from 15th on the grid was a great effort for Kovalainen, but when teams are picking drivers for next year, it's the higher profile performances like wilting from the front row to fourth in Valencia that will stick in the mind. If the McLaren is the car to beat around Monza as many are predicting, then Kovalainen needs to make sure he is the driver who gets the most out of it.
Last five race results: 6th / 4th / 5th / 8th / R
3. Giancarlo Fisichella (I) - Ferrari
Championship position: 14th, 8 points
Fisichella's out of the blue second place at Spa was the shock of a already surprise-packed season. Clearly Force India had improved its package massively, but how much of it was down to Fisi raising his game after months of drifting in the hope of impressing Ferrari? Whatever, it worked, and he will certainly be giving his utmost to impress the Tifosi as he lines up in scarlet overalls for the first time. But don't underestimate how much he will have to adjust to after his sudden team switch.
Last five race results: 2nd / 12th / 14th / 11th / 10th
4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) - Ferrari
Championship position: 5th, 34 points
As he drifted so anonymously through so much of the gap between his Spain 2008 and Belgium 2009 victories, there were times when it was hard to imagine Raikkonen ever winning another GP. But with a little help from a KERS button, Kimi has tasted victory again, and with two podium finishes before that, is the man in form right now. When everything is to his liking, the Iceman is virtually unstoppable, and with Monza also set to suit Ferrari's package and Raikkonen potentially needing to impress new employers if Alonso is taking his seat, you wouldn't bet against the winning streak continuing.
Last five race results: 1st / 3rd / 2nd / R / 8th
5. Robert Kubica (POL) - BMW Sauber
Championship position: 15th, 8 points
Like Raikkonen, Kubica is mounting a bit of a resurgence at the moment, and came close to snatching a podium finish at Spa. Monza has often been a strong track for BMW too - indeed Kubica ran with the leaders and took third in only his third F1 start here two years ago. The superstar giantkiller of 2008 was in danger of becoming a forgotten man as BMW struggled earlier this year, but now Kubica is starting to remind everyone that he would be quite a catch for whoever snares him for 2010.
Last five race results: 4th / 8th / 13th / 14th / 13th
6. Nick Heidfeld (D) - BMW Sauber
Championship position: 13th, 10 points
Only Fisichella's amazing weekend prevented Heidfeld's third place on the grid and fifth in the race from being the sensation of Spa. He was frustrated to be elbowed out of podium contention on lap one in Belgium, and such missed opportunities could be costly as he seeks a 2010 drive. Heidfeld had the upper hand on Kubica as BMW struggled, but now it's gaining ground it's the Pole who is getting the results - and featuring much more strongly in silly season chatter than Heidfeld.
Last five race results: 5th / 11th / 11th / 10th / 15th
7. Fernando Alonso (E) - Renault
Championship position: 12th, 16 points
Amid the flying wheels, bans, rescinded bans and dark talk of conspiracies and race fixing that are turning Renault's summer into a nightmare, Alonso is still driving better than pretty much everyone else on the grid. He would have converted 13th on the Spa grid to a podium if his car had lasted. This weekend he has KERS to play with too, so could really shake things up. Will he shake up the driver market too by being announced as a Ferrari driver?
Last five race results:R / 6th / R / 7th / 14th
8. Romain Grosjean (F) - Renault
Championship position: 22nd, 0 points
Practice and Valencia qualifying proved that Grosjean is already closer to Alonso's pace than Piquet invariably was, and the French rookie insisted his poor Spa grid position was due to traffic, not a lack of speed. But the current worry has to be how incident prone Grosjean has been in the races. His hard-charging, all or nothing style lit up F3 and GP2, but F1 is an unforgiving place and he needs some consistent Sunday afternoons.
Last five race results:R / 15th / - / - / -
9. Jarno Trulli (I) - Toyota
Championship position: 8th, 22.5 points
After an abject Valencia weekend and amid growing hints that his days as a Toyota driver are numbered, Trulli needed a big weekend in Belgium. And having qualified second behind a lighter Force India, the race should have brought a vital win. Instead it all turned to dust in a La Source traffic jam - but Trulli is expecting similar pace and a chance of redemption on home ground this weekend.
Last five race results:R / 13th / 8th / 17th / 7th
10. Timo Glock (D) - Toyota
Championship position: 11th, 16 points
Topsy-turvy times at Toyota. Glock comprehensively outpaced Trulli in Valencia on a weekend when the car was nowhere near the points, then got thoroughly out-qualified by the Italian (who was carrying more fuel) when the car was quick at Spa. The 5s lost to a fuel rig glitch didn't entirely explain Glock's descent from an early fourth to an eventual 10th on race day either. Monza needs to be better.
Last five race results: 10th / 14th / 6th / 9th / 9th
11. Jaime Alguersuari (E) - Toro Rosso
Championship position: 22nd, 0 points
Clattering into Hamilton as the world champion avoided an accident ahead on lap one at Spa was the first real moment of rookie clumsiness of Alguersuari's F1 career, and he's allowed a few stumbles given his inexperience. A return to quietly gathering experience should be the goal for Monza.
Last five race results: R / 16th / 15th / - / -
12. Sebastien Buemi (CH) - Toro Rosso
Championship position: 16th, 3 points
A year ago Toro Rosso took pole and won at Monza with Sebastian Vettel. Even with another downpour, Sebastien Buemi won't be able to repeat that result this season. The amazing events of late 2008 now seem a very long time ago for this team, which is currently treading water - not what was expected given parent team Red Bull's achievements this year.
Last five race results:12th / R / 16th / 16th / 17th
14. Mark Webber (AUS) - Red Bull
Championship position: 4th, 51.5 points
The momentum Webber built up around his Nurburgring win suggested that he was the man mostly likely to chase down Button in the title race. That now looks less likely after two consecutive finishes outside the points. A drivethrough penalty spoilt his Spa weekend, but he shrugged off the same punishment in Germany and won. Red Bull no longer has the superiority it enjoyed a few weeks ago, and that makes Webber's title hopes look slim.
Last five race results: 9th / 9th / 3rd / 1st / 2nd
15. Sebastian Vettel (D) - Red Bull
Championship position: 3rd, 53 points
Getting back on the podium at Spa following a pair of retirements was vital for Vettel - but probably wasn't sufficient on a day when he needed to really, really capitalise on Button's disaster. It was a step in the right direction, though. Now he returns to the scene of his majestic first F1 win knowing he requires something similar to keep his title bid on course - but also aware that those KERS cars will be tough to contain at Monza.
Last five race results: 3rd / R / R / 2nd / 1st
16. Nico Rosberg (D) - Williams
Championship position: 6th, 30.5 points
Williams had its least competitive weekend of the season in Belgium, slightly to its surprise, yet Rosberg still managed to sneak into the top ten on the grid and to snatch a point for eighth. It was a quietly excellent performance - and a timely one given the big role he is playing in silly season speculation. Can he conjour up something similar if Monza proves to be a trial for Williams too?
Last five race results: 8th / 5th / 4th / 4th / 5th
17. Kazuki Nakajima (J) - Williams
Championship position: 19th, 0 points
Tough times for Nakajima. Williams and Toyota appear to be divorcing, which means Nakajima will be looking for a new drive (although rumours already link him to the factory Toyota squad). He is fortunate to have the safety net of Toyota's patronage, for having failed to score at all this year and beaten only Badoer in Belgium, his chances of a place on the 2010 grid would otherwise be very slender.
Last five race results: 13th / 18th / 9th / 12th / 11th
20. Adrian Sutil (D) - Force India
Championship position: 18th, 0 points
It must have been frustrating for Sutil to see Fisichella getting the podium glory and the plaudits in Belgium, for he has beaten the veteran Italian for much of their time together at Force India. But he failed to capitalise on the team's pace last time out, only qualifying 11th. That left him in the thick of the first corner trouble, although he produced some excellent passing moves as he tried to fight back after repairs.
Last five race results: 11th / 10th / R / 15th / 17th
21. Tonio Liuzzi (I) - Force India
Championship position: 24th, 0 points
Liuzzi is back, with a massive point to prove, on home ground, and in a car that was quick enough to win the last race. That should add up to a pretty exciting package around Monza. The Italian wants to show the world that he is still the driver who took the junior series by storm rather than the man who underwhelmed at Toro Rosso. If Force India still has its Spa pace, then this is a big opportunity for Liuzzi, as long as he isn't too rusty.
Last five race results: - / - / - / - / -
22. Jenson Button (GB) - Brawn GP
Championship position: 1st, 72 points
Button's losing streak is getting longer and longer, and Spa was the lowest point yet. Way off the pace in qualifying, his race barely got going before he tangled with Grosjean. None of this will matter all the time that his title rivals are still scrabbling for odd points, though. That early season dominance - and the massive points lead he accumulated in the process - is proving vital as Button's tribulations drag on.
Last five race results: R / 7th / 7th / 5th / 6th
23. Rubens Barrichello (BR) - Brawn GP
Championship position: 2nd, 56 points
When he qualified 10 places ahead of team-mate and title rival Button in Belgium, Barrichello surely hoped to close the championship gap by more than two points. That cost him momentum after the brilliant Valencia win, for his only chance of beating Button is to carve into that points lead every week rather than nibbling at it. A repeat of his 2004 Monza victory would help.
Last five race results: 7th / 1st / 10th / 6th / 3rd
ITV.com/F1's top tips for Monza
Winner: Hamilton
A KERS button will make a huge difference at Monza, especially in the race, and with the track featuring plenty of McLaren-friendly chicanes and few of the fast corners that hampered his car in Belgium, this should be a golden opportunity for the world champion.
Star performer: Alonso
The terrible results and ominous controversies are overshadowing Alonso's continued brilliance behind the wheel (13th to third at Spa before he had to retire), and now he has KERS to play with again as well.
Disappointment: Fisichella
Fisichella will probably do an excellent job this weekend - the trouble is that his Ferrari arrival has attracted so much attention that expectations might be unrealistically high. He will do great things for this team, but he needs time to settle in first, so don't expect miracles at Monza
No comments:
Post a Comment