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AT&T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview

2007 Italian GP
By Williams F1 Team September 8 2008
The European season draws to an end this weekend with the Italian GP at the famous Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. This circuit has a proud heritage, having hosted more F1 races than any other track, and on Sunday it will mark another piece of history with the Williams teams 500th Grand Prix start . With a successful recent test at Monza the team is hoping for an improved performance on the weekend.
 
 Italian Grand Prix: Monza
 
2008 Italian GP
 
Race Preview:
 
The European season draws to an end this weekend with a visit to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix on 14 September. The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza has a proud racing heritage, having hosted more Formula One races than any other track and all but one Italian Grand Prix since 1950.

Monza’s depth of history makes it a fitting venue for Williams to record its 500th Grand Prix start next Sunday. Williams Grand Prix Engineering was incorporated by Frank Williams and Patrick Head in 1978, but it was not until the Argentine Grand Prix in January 1979 that the new organisation fielded its first own-designed and built race car, the FW06 for Alan Jones. Monza will mark the team’s 500th race start in its thirtieth year of racing, during which time the team has recorded 250,00km of competitive racing, scored 113 GP wins and won 16 World Championships - nine constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles.

Nico Rosberg:
 Nico Rosberg "We had a good test in Monza two weeks ago, both in terms of evaluating new parts and defining set-up for the Grand Prix. I am looking forward to racing at the Autodromo, not only because it is the quickest circuit on the calendar, but also because it has so much history. Monza is really fun to drive because of the super fast start-finish straight, the tight braking events at the end of the lap and also the kerbs which you have to ride as much as you can. The faster corners are quite difficult to drive because we run such little downforce at Monza, but that doesn’t diminish the experience of driving at one of the best circuits we visit! To top the weekend off, the atmosphere, the people and the food in Italy are all great, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend!"

Kazuki Nakajima:
 Nakajima "I tested in Monza just before the race in Spa, but prior that, it was exactly a year since I had driven on the circuit. So the test was quite busy to me, I had to get used to the track as much as the car, because in the low downforce specification, it has very different characteristics. Anyway, the test reminded that Monza is very exciting, very fast and a very technical track. The tricky bit is the kerbing, you have to be brave and take a lot of kerb, but while this makes the track quite distinctive, I really feel Monza is a circuit that suits me."

Sam Michael Technical Director:
 Sam Michael"Monza has the highest top speeds of all the circuits we visit, with the cars topping 350kph on the main straight every lap. With only four actual corners and two chicanes, high power, low drag and kerb riding ability are all key to success on the Italian circuit. Kerb riding is a fundamental set-up requirement at Monza because the speed the car comes off the kerbs heavily influences the speed all the way down the following straight. The aerodynamic package for this track is always unique, and this year is no exception. The FW30 will have a modified bodywork and specially developed front and rear wings.

Everything has been thoroughly validated at the Monza test a fortnight ago. Race strategy will be one or two stop for all teams. The pit lane loss is quite high, simply because while a car is going slowly in the pitlane, a competitor out on track at racing speed is travelling faster in relative terms than might be the case at other tracks. Bridgestone will take the medium and hard tyre compounds as the tyre temperatures as the car comes off the high speed Parabolica can be extreme."

Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
Monza marks a real return to power track territory. The 5.793km circuit in the Old Royal Park is one of the few remaining high speed tracks on the calendar and so requires the lowest downforce arrangement seen all year. Monza’s chicanes and four key corners, however, also demand a balancing aerodynamic efficiency to ensure a smooth transition over the harsh kerbs.

A traditional power track, engines are put through their paces over the weekend as they consistently reach speeds of 340kph and endure a full throttle ratio of 73% per lap. With such high top speeds, and an average lap speed of 250kph, extensive loads are exerted on the brakes during each braking event. Turn one, for example, sees drivers brake so hard into the corner, they experience 5g. Accordingly, brake durability is crucial while a car’s stability under braking is also important at Monza where the track surface is notoriously bumpy. With an approximate 25 second penalty for each pit-stop, the Italian Grand Prix is invariably a one or perhaps two stop race. With several overtaking opportunities over the lap, the final European round will no doubt be an engaging one.
  
KEY RACE DATA:
RACE DISTANCE / LAPS: 7.004kms 44 laps = 308.052kms
RACE DISTANCE / LAPS 5.793kms 53 laps = 306.720kms
RACE START TIME Local: 14.00, BST: 13.00
2007 FASTEST LAP F Alonso, McLaren Mercedes: 1:22.871
2007 POLE SITTER F Alonso, McLaren Mercedes: 1:21.997
2007 RACE WINNER F Alonso, McLaren Mercedes
PIT-STOP SCHEDULE
1 stop: Laps 27 - 33
2 stops: Laps 17 – 22, 33 - 41
3 stops: Laps 11 – 16, 26 – 29, 42 - 46

WILLIAMS AT MONZA
Car     Wins  Poles   Fastest  2006 	     2007
Starts	      Laps    Laps  

29 	6     7       9        MW Q19 / R10  NR Q8 / R6
			       NR Q12 / DNF  AW Q13 / R13
AT&T WILLIAMS DRIVER PERFORMANCE STATISTICS 2008
     NICO ROSBERG               KAZUKI NAKAJIMA
GP   RESULT  FASTEST LAP    PTS RESULT  FASTEST LAP    PTS
AUS  Q7/R3   1:28.090, 5th  6   Q13/R6  1:29.639, 14th 3
MYS  Q16/R14 1:36.782, 13th 0   Q22/R17 1:37.711, 17th 0
BHR  Q8/ R8  1:34.072, 6th  1   Q16/R14 1:35.433, 17th 0
ESP  Q15/DNF 1:23.319, 13th 0   Q12/R7  1:23.549, 15th 2
TUR  Q11/R8  1:27.795, 9th  1   Q16/DNF n/a            0
MON  Q6/DNF  1:21.270, 15th 0   Q14/R7  1:19.910, 13th 2
CAN  Q5/R10  1:17.977, 5th  0   Q12/DNF 1:18.784, 14th 0
FRA  Q19/R16 1:18.311, 17th 0   Q15/R15 1:18.054, 15th 0
GBR  Q22/R9  1:34.797, 16th 0   Q15/R8  1:34.277, 14th 1
GER  Q13/R10 1:17.380, 15th 0   Q16/R15 1:17.691, 17th 0
HUN  Q14/R14 1:22.397, 12th 0   Q16/R13 1:23.307, 18th 0
EUR  Q9/R8   1:39.577, 10th 1   Q11/R15 1:39.803, 13th 0
BEL  Q15/R12 1:50.656, 15th 0   Q19/R14 1:50.970, 17th 0

WILLIAMS PERFORMANCE STATISTICS 1978 TO 2008

GPs 	Wins  Poles Fastest Podiums Laps    Laps  Points
Entered		    Laps	    Raced   Led
499 	113   125   129     295     51,042  7,470 2,568.5
 

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Re: AT& T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview
Posted by: gpl (IP Logged)
Date: 08/09/2008 15:28

We should do ok at this race top 8 anyway,

But for sure this FW30 is yet again a very poor race car, from williams, the worrying part about it is the people in charge of the design have no idea what is a good car or bad car anymore.
This car will not even turn in to corners at speed, all these clever people and they cannot even resolve this one crucial area of a F1 car.
They must get on top of this problem or next years car will be just as dissapointing as the last 5 years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:09:08:15:29:51 by gpl.

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Re: AT& T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview
Posted by: raiden (IP Logged)
Date: 08/09/2008 15:33

I cant understand when they say they will start from scratch and at the end they have the same @#$%& problem !

UNDERSTEER


http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/8010/ciknatsiarpq1.jpg

Williams The More You Hurt Me - The More You Addict Me
www.attwilliams.com

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Re: AT& T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview
Posted by: gpl (IP Logged)
Date: 08/09/2008 15:46

I wonder how they can design a good new car from scratch, when they can not even resolve this one crucial floor in the the design of the last 3 or 4 race cars they have put out.
and who has been overlooking this floor in the desigh all these years.
Spam.and his team.
Build a race winning F1 car , i would not let him near my lawnmower.

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Re: AT& T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview
Posted by: pgj (IP Logged)
Date: 08/09/2008 16:18

The problem that Patrick highlighted is just mind blowing. I cannot understand how any team wanting to build an open wheel race car anywhere in the world can overlook the effect that turning front wheels has on the aero package.

I hope they have some modifications for the car, in the Monza package that Sam talked about, that will get more performance out of the car.

Williams and proud of it.

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Re: AT& T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview
Posted by: Francesc (IP Logged)
Date: 08/09/2008 16:20

Top 8 is posible with Nico here, and it's surprising that Kazuki says that track suits his style, even with this, beat Nico will be hard for him, IMO Nico is one of the bests drivers on braking
And Sam makes me (Sm119)

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Re: AT& T Williams 2008 Italian GP Preview
Posted by: Damon'sFW18 (IP Logged)
Date: 08/09/2008 17:35

Sam is the new Bryan Robson, Captain Yawn. At least they didn't say "this track should suit our car" but Kazuki said it should suit him... hmmm...

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