Lance: "I have some fantastic Monza memories - I started on the front row in 2017 and took my first podium for Team Silverstone in 2020. It is breathtakingly fast, beautiful and challenging - I love it. We performed well at Spa and Baku - two similar, low-downforce circuits - but, as we have seen, it is always tough to get among the point-scoring cars. So, if we can qualify well, then we should be in the mix for some points."

Sebastian: "I will feel all the emotions when I arrive at Monza - the track where I took my very first F1 win - for one final time. I have always loved the unique feel of the circuit and the challenge it provides, as well as the energy from the fans. I will feel every moment of that intensity this time. The influence and characteristics of this year’s ground effect cars should be interesting - I hope that we see more action at what is typically a tough track for overtaking."

Insight and Speed with Cognizant

Overtaking: Despite the long straights, Monza is a fairly difficult circuit for passing. Due to cars running low-drag wings, DRS is less effective here - only 54% of overtakes are completed with it. The opening chicane is the preferred place to make a move - nearly two-thirds of overtakes are made there.

Race disruptions: Monza tends to throw Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars into the mix, assisted by a higher-than-average retirement rate. If the timing of a disruption works in a driver’s favour, it can benefit them massively. The opening lap is particularly perilous due to the tight nature of some corners.

Strategy: Traditionally, this has been a one-stop race. The pit loss time is quite high due to the long main straight, tyre wear is not particularly high, and the overtaking difficulty makes it very tricky to charge through the order. Pirelli is bringing its C2, C3 and C4 compounds for the seventh time this season.

Unlocking the Lap

A lap opens with a long run down to the first corners - a very tight right-left chicane that is one of the slowest sections on the whole calendar.

With low-downforce packages on the cars, it can be easy to misjudge the braking point. The exit is also key, with a long flat-out blast through the Curve Grande following.

The Variante Ascari is the third, and perhaps the most challenging, of the track's chicanes. Deceptively quick, carrying too much speed or hitting the kerbs can really upset the stability of the car, sending it into a spin.

Again, the exit is crucial here with another long straight following this corner.

Parabolica - now renamed Curva Alboreto after the late Italian racer - concludes the lap. It is a long right-hander that opens up on exit.

The apex can be difficult to perfect, particularly while following another car, and it is also easy to exceed track limits. It's a key corner.