Haas F1 Team Italian Grand-Prix preview 29.08.2017: F1 Set to Worship at Temple of Speed Molto Veloce Monza Meets New Formula One Era Autodromo Nazionale Monza Circuit Length: 5.793 km (3.6 miles

F1 Set to Worship at Temple of Speed
Molto Veloce Monza Meets New Formula One Era
 



 Autodromo Nazionale Monza
 Circuit Length: 5.793 km (3.6 miles)
Laps: 53
Race Distance: 306.72 km (190.587 miles)
Broadcast: NBCSN - 7 a.m. ET (Pre-Race Show) / 8 a.m. ET (Lights Out)


The fastest cars in the world are headed to one of the fastest racing circuits in the world. Autodromo Nazionale Monza, also known as the Temple of Speed, plays host to Round 13 of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix.
 


The 5.793-kilometer (3.6-mile), 11-turn circuit has hosted Formula One since 1950, with this year’s Italian Grand Prix serving as the venue’s 67th grand prix. The average winning speed in the first Italian Grand Prix was 176.55 kph (109.7 mph). Last year’s was 237.558 kph (147.612 mph). As Formula One technology has advanced, its display of speed has been most impressive at Monza.
 


The circuit’s long straights and flowing corners allow teams to bring a low-downforce package where their drivers are able to approach speeds of nearly 360 kph (224 mph) and average lap times of 259 kph (161 mph). In fact, the fastest lap ever recorded in Formula One took place at Monza.
 


Juan Pablo Montoya holds the record and the bragging rights at Monza, with his lap of 1:19.525 in his Williams BMW set during practice for the 2004 Italian Grand Prix delivering an average speed of 262.242 kph (162.950 mph).



This came during the height of the V10 engine era, where seven suppliers – Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda, Renault, BMW, Toyota and Ford-Cosworth – engaged in an arms race where peak power output was approximately 940 horsepower with RPMs in excess of 19,000.
 


Engines only had to last a single race in that time, whereas now teams are limited to using four engines a year. But the march of time and technology means that in 2017 the all-time fastest lap in Formula One history might be in jeopardy.
 


At every venue Formula One has visited in 2017, the track record has been broken. This past Saturday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps which hosted the Belgian Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen broke the all-time fastest lap at Spa by .587 of a second in final practice.



The previous mark of 1:44.503 was set by Jarno Trulli in his Toyota during the second round of qualifying for the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. But a few hours after Räikkönen’s fast lap, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton set a new benchmark en route to the pole, besting Räikkönen’s time by 1.363 seconds and crushing Trulli’s eight-year mark by 1.95 seconds.
 


Spa is a power track steeped in history, and as the series heads to the even faster Autodromo Nazionale Monza, another track record beckons.
 

Despite current-generation Formula One cars being outfitted with turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 engines, engineers have wrung considerable power from these tightly packaged powerplants. And thanks to a drastically different aerodynamic and tire package that dramatically increased downforce and corner speeds, lap times have dropped substantially, by as much as five seconds in some instances.
 


The rub, however, is that these new Formula One cars are not as fast in a straight line, as their increased downforce creates increased drag. It’s in the corners where these cars shine.
 


Monza has 11 turns, which means that despite its long straights, there is speed to be found. Can Montoya’s 13-year-old mark survive this inevitable evolution of Formula One? Time will literally tell.
 


As the sport has evolved greatly over its 67-year history, Haas F1 Team has evolved greatly in its barely two-year history.
 


After scoring 29 points in 2016, the American team has already surpassed that inaugural season tally 12 races into its sophomore campaign. Drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have combined for 35 points with still eight races remaining.
 


Haas F1 Team’s evolution has been aided by its partnerships with Ferrari and Dallara, where the two companies provide critical motorsports expertise in addition to some Italian lineage.
 


Maranello-based Ferrari delivers Haas F1 Team its power unit, gearbox and overall technical support, and famed racecar builder Dallara has Haas F1 Team’s design staff embedded in its Parma headquarters.
 


This unique relationship allowed Haas F1 Team to hit the ground running in 2016. The massive task of creating a Formula One team from scratch was made slightly less daunting by the more than 130 collective years of racing experience brought by Ferrari and Dallara. And when another new car needed to be built under a new set of rules for 2017 – all while Haas F1 Team was still competing in its first season – Ferrari and Dallara proved their worth again. 
 


Currently in a dogfight with its midfield competitors, Haas F1 Team’s Italian alliance is again on display. Haas F1 Team is seventh in the constructors standings, only one point ahead of eighth-place Renault, but just five points back of sixth-place Toro Rosso and 10 points arrears fifth-place Williams.
 


It’s an electric battle that now moves to the electric atmosphere of Monza, and it gives a charge to Haas F1 Team and its Italian partners.






 
GUENTER STEINER, Team Principal




What’s most important over these next eight races – maximizing Haas F1 Team’s place in the championship or working toward next year?


“We’re working toward next year while still focusing on this year to make as many points as possible. The main focus now back in the factory is next year, but at the racetrack we’re always trying to get the best out of this year’s car and try to get points.”
 



As the factory shifts focus to next year, do you expect performance to drop off this year or do you expect all the teams around you to be doing something similar to where performance mirrors what it’s been so far this year?


“I don’t think our performance will drop off. I think the performance of some of the other teams will go up because there is no reason why we should drop off. If the other teams get better, we stay the same and that’s how we fall behind. I think the bigger teams will perform well and while we’ll still put effort into this year, the amount of development work we’re doing for 2017 is getting smaller and smaller. Everybody is now trying to focus on 2018. I don’t know what other teams have in the pipeline that’s still to come for this year, but I think the focus for most everyone in the midfield is 2018.”
 



What are some of the more difficult aspects of next year’s car design?


“It’s hard every year to make a better car, but this year one of the design challenges will be the weight. Putting the halo on adds around 10 kilos (22 pounds). We are not underweight, and very few teams are underweight by 10 kilos this year, so to not increase the weight of the car will be very difficult



. Everyone is in the same boat, so you just have to do the best you can, just like every year. But there is no one specific challenge other than the increased weight because of the halo.”
 



How does Haas F1 Team improve both in the short term and the long term?


“In the short term, we just try to get our processes better and introduce upgrades quicker. Long term, we just try to do more technical work, more simulation work and come better prepared to the racetrack.




We’ve got more data now than we had last year, so we are able to make better predictions for the race. We’re using what we learned from last year and the first part of this year and applying it.”
 



The Italian Grand Prix is a quasi home race for Haas F1 Team as its technical partner, Ferrari, and its collaborator on chassis development, Dallara, are both based in Italy. Knowing the Haas VF-17’s Italian ties, how important is it to have a strong showing at Monza?


“With Dallara’s headquarters only an hour drive from Monza, I’m sure that a lot of their people will be there. It’s always good to be there because of the passion people have for the racecars. The history of Monza and the passion of the Tifosi give the Italian Grand Prix a great atmosphere, and with it being close to both of our technical partners, we want to do our best.”
 



How has the technical partnership with Ferrari been and how has it evolved as Haas F1 Team went from designing a car to building it first racecar to building the current-generation car which featured a drastically different rules package?


“Producing this year’s car was very similar to making our first car, because with the new regulations this year we again had that challenge of building a new car from scratch. The relationship with Ferrari is very good. We collaborate very well on all the non-listed parts and we do our own aero development. It’s a very healthy relationship which we are proud to have.”
 


How does Haas F1 Team differentiate itself from Ferrari?


“We buy the non-listed parts from Ferrari, which are allowed by FIA regulations. What we have to do to be a constructor in Formula One is build our own chassis and do our own aero development.



You have to manufacture all your own parts which go with the aero, like the front wing, rear wing, all the body work, radiators and chassis – we have to do all that ourselves from design to manufacture. All the parts like suspension, we buy from Ferrari to make it simple, but the rest we have to develop ourselves.”
 



Explain Dallara’s role with Haas F1 Team?


“Dallara is a contracted engineering company to us. They are the leader in racecar design and manufacturing for all the single-make series with F2, F3, GP3, Super Formula, Indy car – they do a lot of stuff and it would take too long to name them all. They’ve got an infrastructure in place with engineers and manufacturing capabilities.



We sub-contract a team of engineers from their pool of engineers to work for us. We buy a lot of our composite parts from them. Their designers design things, but it’s under the leadership of Haas F1 Team and our chief designer Rob Taylor and our aero group with Ben Agathangelou.”
 



Haas F1 Team has evolved greatly from its inaugural season last year. How has Dallara helped in that evolution?


“With the infrastructure Dallara has in place, they have a lot of very good quality people who are prepared to design and build racing cars. Everything is evolutionary and with evolution you want to do better than what you did before, and that is what we’re achieving here.



We’ve learned a lot and they’ve learned a lot. In Formula One, the learning process needs to be quick because in no time you can be nowhere.”
 



How crucial was Dallara and Ferrari in allowing Haas F1 Team to be competitive in not only its first year, but its second year when another new car needed to be built?


“Without them we wouldn’t be where we are. That’s the easiest way to put it. Ferrari’s been in Formula One for 50 years, so we get their expertise. Dallara’s been building racing cars a long time. They’re good engineers and racecar builders. It all helped us a lot. F1 is so complex, and without them we would’ve struggled quite a bit.”
 



Haas F1 Team’s setup is unique – headquarters in the United States, logistical base in England and car design in Italy. How have you been able to manage it and ensure that three facilities in three different time zones work together?


“Good people! You need to have people that you can trust, and that is the only way to do it. It does include a lot of traveling from my side, but we don’t know any different, which makes it a bit easier for us.



We just use technology to talk and it seems to be working. I suppose we could’ve done it differently, but I think that part of our success is that we have the right people in the right places. As of now, it seems to be working, even if it is a lot of work compared to everything being in one place. As long as it continues to work, we will continue to do it this way.”
 



Do you think other entities outside of Formula One are looking at Haas F1 Team’s model as a way to potentially break into the sport?


“I think others could use it if they find a partner which can help them. Maybe there are even better ways to do it. I never said we found the best way. We looked at all the other people that had failed, and to just do it the way they did – when three teams fail doing it the same way, we didn’t want to be the fourth team which doesn’t score points for two or three years.



 We adapted a different model. As much as we were critiqued for it in the beginning, it seems to be working better than the other ones.”
 



Could the accomplishments of Haas F1 Team be emulated by another new entity wanting to join Formula One, specifically, an F2 team wanting to make the jump to Formula One?


“I think an F2 team could use its people, but they would need to grow because the difference in size is tremendous. I’m not sure how many people now work in an F2 team, but I think it’s between 20 and 30. F1 organizations are huge.



In F2 they get their car supplied by Dallara. In F1 you have to do everything yourself. It is a different task. There are a lot of good people in F2 who could be integrated into a team, but with the structure of F2, I don’t think a team would be ready to do an F1 car.”
 


Autodromo Nazionale Monza


•    Total number of race laps: 53 


•    Complete race distance: 306.720 kilometers (190.587 miles)


•    Pit lane speed limit: 80 kph (50 mph)


•    This 5.793-kilometer (3.6-mile), 11-turn circuit has hosted Formula One since 1950, with last year’s Italian Grand Prix serving as the venue’s 66th grand prix.


•    Rubens Barrichello holds the race lap record at Monza (1:21.046), set in 2004 with Scuderia Ferrari.



•    Juan Pablo Montoya holds the qualifying lap record at Monza (1:20.264), set in 2004 with Williams during Q1. At 259.827 kph (161.449 mph), it is the fastest qualifying lap in Formula One history. But, a 1:19.525 lap set by Montoya in practice that year at Monza is widely regarded as the fastest Formula One lap of all time, as his average speed was 262.242 kph (162.950 mph).



•    Sixty-six of the 67 Italian Grands Prix have been held at Monza, with the lone outlier being Imola in 1980 when Monza underwent a refurbishment. Most races at Monza have run on a variation of the road course used today, but the 1955, 1956, 1960 and 1961 races were run on the combined circuit that linked the road course with the facility’s 4.250 kilometer (2.641-mile) high-speed oval. With massively high speeds and concern over driver and spectator safety, use of the oval was discontinued for competitive purposes following the 1961 Italian Grand Prix. The oval still exists, however, with rusting Armco barrier barely holding back nature’s grasp on the now dormant portion of the racetrack. The layout currently used by Formula One produces the year’s fastest laps, as the track’s design of long straights and high-speed corners makes Monza the ultimate high-speed circuit.



•    DYK? Peter Gethin’s victory over Ronnie Peterson in the 1971 Italian Grand Prix at Monza was .01 of a second, which contends as the narrowest winning margin in Formula One history with Rubens Barrichello’s .011 of a second margin of victory over Michael Schumacher in the 2002 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. The change from two to three decimal places in timing technology makes it impossible to know which win was closer.



•    During the course of the Italian Grand Prix, lows will range from 17-19 degrees Celsius (63-67 degrees Fahrenheit) to highs of 28-31 degrees Celsius (82-87 degrees Fahrenheit). Relative humidity ranges from 49 percent (comfortable) to 94 percent (very humid), with a dew point varying from 8 degrees Celsius/47 degrees Fahrenheit (dry) to 17 degrees Celsius/62 degrees Fahrenheit (mildly humid). The dew point is rarely below 2 degrees Celsius/36 degrees Fahrenheit (dry) or above 21 degrees Celsius/69 degrees Fahrenheit (muggy). Typical wind speeds vary from 0-11 kph/0-7 mph (calm to light breeze), rarely exceeding 21 kph/13 mph (moderate breeze).






 •    Pirelli is bringing three tire compounds to Monza:


o    P Zero White medium – less grip, less wear (used for long-race stints)


§    This is Pirelli’s most balanced tire, with an ideal compromise between performance and durability. It is extremely versatile, but it often comes into its own on circuits that tend toward high speeds, high temperatures and high-energy loadings. It is a low working-range compound.




o    P Zero Yellow soft – more grip, medium wear (used for shorter-race stints and for initial portion of qualifying)


§    This is one of the most frequently used tires in Pirelli’s range, as it strikes a balance between performance and durability, with the accent on performance. It is still geared toward speed rather than long distances, but it remains capable of providing teams with a competitive advantage at the beginning of the race when cars are carrying a full fuel load, and at the end of the race where the fuel load is much lighter and the race effectively becomes a sprint. It is a high working-range compound.




o    P Zero Red supersoft – highest amount of grip, highest amount of wear (used for qualifying and select race situations)



§    This is the second softest tire in Pirelli’s range, and it is ideal for tight and twisting circuits, especially in cold weather when maximum grip is needed. The supersofts warm up rapidly, which has made it a stalwart choice for qualifying. But with increased grip comes increased degradation. It is a low working-range compound.



•    The Italian Grand Prix marks the sixth time these three compounds have been packaged together. Teams most recently used this tire compilation in the Hungarian Grand Prix July 28-30 at the Hungaroring in Budapest. This same tire package was used for last year’s Italian Grand Prix.



•    The Yellow soft tire has been used in every grand prix this season. The Red supersoft tire has been used everywhere except the Spanish Grand Prix. The White medium tire has been used in the Australian Grand Prix, the Russian Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Canadian Grand Prix, the Austrian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix.



•    Two of the three available compounds must be used during the race. Teams are able to decide when they want to run which compound, adding an element of strategy to the race. A driver can also use all three sets of Pirelli tires in the race, if they so desire. (If there are wet track conditions, the Cinturato Blue full wet tire and the Cinturato Green intermediate tire will be made available.)




•    Pirelli provides each driver 13 sets of dry tires for the race weekend. Of those 13 sets, drivers and their teams can choose the specifications of 10 of those sets from the three compounds Pirelli selected. The remaining three sets are defined by Pirelli – two mandatory tire specifications for the race (one set of White mediums and one set of Yellow softs) and one mandatory specification for Q3 (one set of Red supersofts). Haas F1 Team’s drivers have selected the following amounts:



o    Grosjean: one set of White mediums, three sets of Yellow softs and nine sets of Red supersofts


o    Magnussen: one set of White mediums, three sets of Yellow softs and nine sets of Red supersofts


 
 
Mike Arning- photos Haas F1