D'Ambrosio's brief return, FP1 @ Monza. He's since served as the first modern era driver to lap the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Showing posts with label Monza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monza. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2012
Winding down . .
D'Ambrosio's brief return, FP1 @ Monza. He's since served as the first modern era driver to lap the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Friday, September 28, 2012
A clear picture . . .
The clock is spinning way too fast. F1 2012 has now truly entered the home stretch and although much remains to be decided, I can't help but wonder where the latter part of the European season went, even when it evaporated right before my eyes.
I also can't help but ponder 2012's new found schizo personality . . we've lost the crap shoot of the first seven or eight rounds to find ourselves back where we started: Red Bull, McLaren, wondering if Ferrari can rise in answer. Clearly everyone has finally figured out Pirelli's tricks and have returned to the annual ritual of out tweaking each other to Brazil.
Spa proved to not be much of a race this year. Sure, I was excited to be there . . . no complaints, how can there be? . . . but even without the first corner calamity I doubt anyone had anything for McLaren. Sans Hamilton's departure, we probably would have seen a McLaren 1-2 finish. Thankfully everyone emerged from the first corner with all of their "attachments" in tact, living to fight another day.
I'd high hopes for Kimi as he always drives so well in Belgium, but he simply did not have the car for the job. The Lotus-Renault has no doubt proven competitive and did initially look strong . . . but Saturday was odd and it was as if the other teams, between a single FP3 session and quali, found a pace that they could not. Although Räikkönen survived the first corner melee, Button simply drove away from him in the race.
Given Kimi's command of the circuit, that was really saying something.
Alonso could've wound up on the podium, and perhaps even mounted a challenge to Button, but my instincts counter that the McLaren pace could not have been matched.
This was not the case in Monza where for all intents Fernando should have won from pole. He was clearly quickest in FP3, Q1, and Q2. Then came Q3. Many suggest that the broken rear sway bar was merely a cover story . . . perhaps so . . . but from my vantage at the Prima Variante, the cause was not as clear as the immediacy in which that pole was lost. The Ferrari struggled through the left hand exit of the chicane onto the opposite curbing. The resulting lack of launch into the Curva Grande spelled disaster, and I wonder whether Fernando immediately backed off, knowing his day was done.
Alonso recovered on Sunday, driving a magnificent race to claim what initially looked to be a 2nd place finish. That was until Sergio Perez served up another stunning example of how to preserve one's tires to their fullest advantage and stole the 2nd step from Fernando in what Niki Lauda later described as the drive of the race.
Fernando still managed to leave Monza increasing his lead in the driver's title, but Singapore has since rendered that buffer merely a brief respite from his competitors who are getting quicker.
So despite all of Alonso's tenacity, despite his busting Ferrari's collective tails to haul the F2012 from obscurity, his real work begins now.
There isn't a circuit remaining on the calendar where Alonso and Ferrari can rest. Suzuka will prove favorable to Red Bull and McLaren, and they will be more likely suited to the heavy dose of Tilke circuits which carry us to Interlagos.
I've heard that provided Alonso can stay on the podium he'll preserve his lead and take the title, but my math does not support that theory. Ferrari are faced with a battle they know all too well . . . a car that does not maximize tire performance. It will be upon Ferrari's ability to respond where Alonso's much deserved third driving title will hinge.
Alonso's driven beyond the F2012 all season. He's already merited the title in a fashion few world champions before him have. However, his skill alone probably can't answer the rising challenge ahead.
I also can't help but ponder 2012's new found schizo personality . . we've lost the crap shoot of the first seven or eight rounds to find ourselves back where we started: Red Bull, McLaren, wondering if Ferrari can rise in answer. Clearly everyone has finally figured out Pirelli's tricks and have returned to the annual ritual of out tweaking each other to Brazil.
Spa proved to not be much of a race this year. Sure, I was excited to be there . . . no complaints, how can there be? . . . but even without the first corner calamity I doubt anyone had anything for McLaren. Sans Hamilton's departure, we probably would have seen a McLaren 1-2 finish. Thankfully everyone emerged from the first corner with all of their "attachments" in tact, living to fight another day.
I'd high hopes for Kimi as he always drives so well in Belgium, but he simply did not have the car for the job. The Lotus-Renault has no doubt proven competitive and did initially look strong . . . but Saturday was odd and it was as if the other teams, between a single FP3 session and quali, found a pace that they could not. Although Räikkönen survived the first corner melee, Button simply drove away from him in the race.
Given Kimi's command of the circuit, that was really saying something.
Alonso could've wound up on the podium, and perhaps even mounted a challenge to Button, but my instincts counter that the McLaren pace could not have been matched.
This was not the case in Monza where for all intents Fernando should have won from pole. He was clearly quickest in FP3, Q1, and Q2. Then came Q3. Many suggest that the broken rear sway bar was merely a cover story . . . perhaps so . . . but from my vantage at the Prima Variante, the cause was not as clear as the immediacy in which that pole was lost. The Ferrari struggled through the left hand exit of the chicane onto the opposite curbing. The resulting lack of launch into the Curva Grande spelled disaster, and I wonder whether Fernando immediately backed off, knowing his day was done.
Alonso recovered on Sunday, driving a magnificent race to claim what initially looked to be a 2nd place finish. That was until Sergio Perez served up another stunning example of how to preserve one's tires to their fullest advantage and stole the 2nd step from Fernando in what Niki Lauda later described as the drive of the race.
Fernando still managed to leave Monza increasing his lead in the driver's title, but Singapore has since rendered that buffer merely a brief respite from his competitors who are getting quicker.
So despite all of Alonso's tenacity, despite his busting Ferrari's collective tails to haul the F2012 from obscurity, his real work begins now.
There isn't a circuit remaining on the calendar where Alonso and Ferrari can rest. Suzuka will prove favorable to Red Bull and McLaren, and they will be more likely suited to the heavy dose of Tilke circuits which carry us to Interlagos.
I've heard that provided Alonso can stay on the podium he'll preserve his lead and take the title, but my math does not support that theory. Ferrari are faced with a battle they know all too well . . . a car that does not maximize tire performance. It will be upon Ferrari's ability to respond where Alonso's much deserved third driving title will hinge.
Alonso's driven beyond the F2012 all season. He's already merited the title in a fashion few world champions before him have. However, his skill alone probably can't answer the rising challenge ahead.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Looking Back: Monza '06
Watching the Italian Grand Prix this morning had me thinking back to my first Grand Prix at Monza - 2006. We stayed in a little town called Cinesello Balsamo, which is just a train stop away from Monza. This is the trip I think of as our “planes, trains and automobiles” trip, though in reality it was more like trains, busses, cabs, shuttles and a whole lot of walking, and when I say a whole lot of walking, I’m not exaggerating even a little bit.
Our first Grand Prix ever was in 2004 at Imola, also in beautiful countryside much like Monza, only in Imola our lovely host drove us from our apartment right up to the race track. Staying in Cinesello Balsamo, we thought, how much trouble could one extra train stop be? Well, for starters, a bus ride was required from our hotel to the train station, and then from the train station in Monza either bus or race shuttle to the track entrance – and when I say entrance, that’s a loose term. The bus dropped us off at the far edge of the Parco di Monza – what seemed about a 3-mile walk to the actual entrance to the track. But I digress, we were excited to be there, no matter how much walking was required, I was just glad I had brought good shoes.
The good thing about the walk into the track was that all along the way were lots of places to get cappuccino, espresso, panini and brioche. The park is also quite beautiful and as we walked around, checking out the track and getting the lay of the land, I’ll never forget how astonishing it is to see the old banked track in person. The steepness is like nothing I’ve ever seen and can only be fully appreciated in person, particularly after the race when the fans are allowed to climb up and over it to get out onto the track.
Aside from the walking, the other thing that stands out is how good the food was at the circuit – pomodoro e mozerella and prosciutto e formaggio panini – the latter being my favorite. Even after the race weekend was long over and we were on our way to Tuscany, I still thought about how wonderful those simple sandwiches were - on bread that is nothing like anything you can find in a US grocery store.
On Thursday, after the pit walk, as the crowd was shooed towards the exit at the end of the day, we followed signs to a place that will, for us, always be a part of our Monza experience – The Pit Stop. A little bar tucked away off the beaten path, far enough off, in fact, that we thought somehow the signs were wrong. Just as we were wondering if we’d made a wrong turn, we saw the small patio with six tables. Inside was a bar with a few more tables, and not crowded like you would think, a friendly, welcoming place to rest our feet and have a beer.
When we were unable to successfully get a cab from The Pit Stop back to our hotel, we took the bus to the Monza centro storico where we made two great discoveries. The first being a wine shop that sold some fantastic wine from Italian F1 driver Jarno Trulli, the second Prater Pizzeria where we had a great dinner, but I think the dinner the following night at Ristorante Costa was our favorite.
On Friday, after making our way back to Cinesello Balsamo from a long day at the autodromo, the concierge at our hotel recommended Ristorante Costa to us for dinner. Not wanting to do any more walking, we asked if he could call us a cab. To him, my request made no sense, as he assured me this restaurant was only 50 meters from our hotel, just a few short blocks. He even wrote the brief instructions on the back of the hotel business card – make a left at the light, walk 50 m to the square where the restaurant is.
This is where we learned how true our Italian instructor’s joke about the Italian term “due piedi” is. The term literally means “two steps” and as she explained to us, when you ask for directions in Italy, you are often told the destination is only “due piedi” when in reality, it’s quite a hike. After twenty minutes of walking, we were just about to give up when we saw the restaurant on the far corner of a square. Glad we didn’t give up. We got a great meal, even with my super limited Italian – fortunately my Italian vocabulary is strongest when it comes to food. In addition to the great food and a particularly good tiramisu, they also had a man on a tiny stage playing keyboards who was very entertaining. When we first arrived, we was playing The Beatles and James Taylor. Later he was joined by a woman who sang Italian songs.
On Saturday we decided to forget the bus to the train to the shuttle to the edge of the park ritual, and hired a cab to take us right to the entrance of the circuit for qualifying. This was a good call, not just for saving our feet, but also because that’s how we met our great friend Jon who, along with his traveling companion, was also looking for a more direct route to the track and was more than happy to share a cab with us.
At the end of the end of the day, we returned to what would become our favorite post race hang out, The Pit Stop. Too tired and hungry to imagine making a trek anywhere else, we ordered a meat plate where I was first introduced to the mysterious cold cut called “speck.” Delicious, but I had a hard time figuring out exactly what it was. It was only later that I learned that it is cured ham – similar to prosciutto. We also ordered some pasta, nothing fancy, but both the torchetti pesto and the tagliatelle Bolognese were surprisingly good for what was basically bar food.
Race day was the perfect combination of everything I think the Monza experience should be – the weather was beautiful, Ferrari won (this particular race it was Schumacher – his last win at Monza, at least up to now) and after the race was over, we celebrated with a bottle of Jarno Trulli’s wine with our friends on the patio at The Pit Stop. Wish I was there right now.
Traci Carroll
Our first Grand Prix ever was in 2004 at Imola, also in beautiful countryside much like Monza, only in Imola our lovely host drove us from our apartment right up to the race track. Staying in Cinesello Balsamo, we thought, how much trouble could one extra train stop be? Well, for starters, a bus ride was required from our hotel to the train station, and then from the train station in Monza either bus or race shuttle to the track entrance – and when I say entrance, that’s a loose term. The bus dropped us off at the far edge of the Parco di Monza – what seemed about a 3-mile walk to the actual entrance to the track. But I digress, we were excited to be there, no matter how much walking was required, I was just glad I had brought good shoes.
The good thing about the walk into the track was that all along the way were lots of places to get cappuccino, espresso, panini and brioche. The park is also quite beautiful and as we walked around, checking out the track and getting the lay of the land, I’ll never forget how astonishing it is to see the old banked track in person. The steepness is like nothing I’ve ever seen and can only be fully appreciated in person, particularly after the race when the fans are allowed to climb up and over it to get out onto the track.
Aside from the walking, the other thing that stands out is how good the food was at the circuit – pomodoro e mozerella and prosciutto e formaggio panini – the latter being my favorite. Even after the race weekend was long over and we were on our way to Tuscany, I still thought about how wonderful those simple sandwiches were - on bread that is nothing like anything you can find in a US grocery store.
On Thursday, after the pit walk, as the crowd was shooed towards the exit at the end of the day, we followed signs to a place that will, for us, always be a part of our Monza experience – The Pit Stop. A little bar tucked away off the beaten path, far enough off, in fact, that we thought somehow the signs were wrong. Just as we were wondering if we’d made a wrong turn, we saw the small patio with six tables. Inside was a bar with a few more tables, and not crowded like you would think, a friendly, welcoming place to rest our feet and have a beer.
When we were unable to successfully get a cab from The Pit Stop back to our hotel, we took the bus to the Monza centro storico where we made two great discoveries. The first being a wine shop that sold some fantastic wine from Italian F1 driver Jarno Trulli, the second Prater Pizzeria where we had a great dinner, but I think the dinner the following night at Ristorante Costa was our favorite.
On Friday, after making our way back to Cinesello Balsamo from a long day at the autodromo, the concierge at our hotel recommended Ristorante Costa to us for dinner. Not wanting to do any more walking, we asked if he could call us a cab. To him, my request made no sense, as he assured me this restaurant was only 50 meters from our hotel, just a few short blocks. He even wrote the brief instructions on the back of the hotel business card – make a left at the light, walk 50 m to the square where the restaurant is.
This is where we learned how true our Italian instructor’s joke about the Italian term “due piedi” is. The term literally means “two steps” and as she explained to us, when you ask for directions in Italy, you are often told the destination is only “due piedi” when in reality, it’s quite a hike. After twenty minutes of walking, we were just about to give up when we saw the restaurant on the far corner of a square. Glad we didn’t give up. We got a great meal, even with my super limited Italian – fortunately my Italian vocabulary is strongest when it comes to food. In addition to the great food and a particularly good tiramisu, they also had a man on a tiny stage playing keyboards who was very entertaining. When we first arrived, we was playing The Beatles and James Taylor. Later he was joined by a woman who sang Italian songs.
On Saturday we decided to forget the bus to the train to the shuttle to the edge of the park ritual, and hired a cab to take us right to the entrance of the circuit for qualifying. This was a good call, not just for saving our feet, but also because that’s how we met our great friend Jon who, along with his traveling companion, was also looking for a more direct route to the track and was more than happy to share a cab with us.
At the end of the end of the day, we returned to what would become our favorite post race hang out, The Pit Stop. Too tired and hungry to imagine making a trek anywhere else, we ordered a meat plate where I was first introduced to the mysterious cold cut called “speck.” Delicious, but I had a hard time figuring out exactly what it was. It was only later that I learned that it is cured ham – similar to prosciutto. We also ordered some pasta, nothing fancy, but both the torchetti pesto and the tagliatelle Bolognese were surprisingly good for what was basically bar food.
Race day was the perfect combination of everything I think the Monza experience should be – the weather was beautiful, Ferrari won (this particular race it was Schumacher – his last win at Monza, at least up to now) and after the race was over, we celebrated with a bottle of Jarno Trulli’s wine with our friends on the patio at The Pit Stop. Wish I was there right now.
Traci Carroll
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Not just racing . . .
Continuing with my efforts to encourage the contributions of others, here's a great post from Traci as we prepare to attend the Grand Prix of Canada:
F1 - Not just racing, but a cultural event
Some people are drawn to F1 by the cars. I was drawn to F1 by the locales. Before discovering F1, my perception was that all racing was basically the same. I soon realized how wrong my assumption was - F1 cars are the fastest, the drivers are the best, and the diverse international locations provide a uniquely appealing backdrop for this exciting sport.
As I began to follow F1 and its yearly trek to circuits from the Middle-Eastern kingdom of Bahrain to quaint and charming European towns such as Spa and Imola, I discovered that F1 is not merely racing at its finest, it's a cultural event. Each circuit has its own individual personality and offerings. In Monza, each morning I looked forward to getting a cappuccino or espresso and a brioche alla crema at one of the many vendors lining the way into the circuit. For lunch, nothing could beat a delicious pomodoro e mozerella or prosciutto e mozerella panino and a walk through the beautiful park between events.
At Spa I looked forward to amazing grilled sausages cooked right before our eyes, accompanied by grilled peppers or onions or both! Later, a sweet smell drifting across the circuit led me to Belgian waffles made to order at little stands around the track. No matter where I am, in the evenings, I always enjoy trying the local cuisine and mingling with other international race enthusiasts. I can't forget one night in Imola, eating simple but delicious pizza at a small restaurant near the circuit, where next to us sat a whole table of German race fans singing German songs, and drinking Italian beer.
I have made some wonderful friends along the way, and this weekend, look forward to a new city, a new circuit and new friends. See you soon Montreal.
Traci Carroll
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