Fraser MasefieldLess than a week since Formula One cars were racing around one of the world’s most iconic circuits in Spa-Francorchamps, teams have arrived in another of the great venues in Monza, also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’.
For the BWT Racing Point team, partnered by Acronis, big things were expected in Belgium after an encouraging season to date. And although both cars again ended up in the points yet again, they may have expected to be closer to the front.
Now, with those lessons learned, the hopes remain high for a bigger improvement on another circuit where the onus is on horsepower and a sound low-downforce aero package.
“It’s such a high-speed track, which makes it a great challenge,” commented Lance Stroll, who has a good record around Monza. “Starting on the front row in 2017 was one of the best days of my career and I’m really looking forward to getting back there. I don’t think there’s any secret to my performances there – it’s just been a case of maximising the weekends.
“It’s been a good start so far and I think we’ve had a strong start to the year as a team too. We’ve been consistently scoring points and I’m enjoying this car. We’ve had some challenging races too – such as last week in Spa, but we’re learning the lessons and working hard to keep improving the car. There is still a long way to go this season – ten more races – and I’m excited for a lot of the tracks coming up.”
Teammate Sergio Perez also seems to enjoy the challenge of driving around Monza, the Mexican charging from the back of the field to P7 last year.
“It was definitely a good race! It was also a tricky one and we honestly weren’t expecting great things – but the team did a fantastic job and we had a really strong result,” added Stroll. “I had a great start too, which helped us make the most of the situation and we collected good points. Hopefully we can collect more this weekend.”
Due to the nature of Monza, with long straights and few corners, it puts a huge demand on the brakes of a Formula One car, as with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Again, tyre choice and tactics will be crucial for the team to secure another positive result.
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Craig Scarborough
Motorsport Technology