While some F1 drivers might enjoy a quick breather between difficult corners, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo says that Monza isn’t a good place to lose focus at.
At first, it might sound a bit counter-intuitive, especially since when F1 drivers take “breathers”, they don’t actually space out or think about other things. They simply use the time (generally given by very long straights) in order to plan their next move, change certain settings on the car and communicate with their race engineer.
Monza seems like an ideal track for that sort of thing, especially considering how much time you spend at full throttle in a straight line.
However, Ricciardo said that in spite of the track being less challenging than Spa, you definitely don’t want to lose focus when coming into “very heavy braking zones at very high speed and you can’t afford to lock-up or lose time by braking too early. You have to be very switched on.”
Long straights can indeed catch you off-guard, and if you stop paying proper attention just for a second, you can lose precious time by having to adjust the way you brake into the corner, as Ricciardo points out.
“Since they made the chicane kerbs too high to ride in an F1 car, braking has become the biggest thing at Monza. It’s very tricky to get that right. You’re coming down to the first chicane at your highest speed of the year and braking for what is almost the tightest corner in F1, with the least amount of downforce. The car starts to slide around and becomes quite tricky, so getting the braking right is key,” added the Aussie driver.
As for Red Bull, they seem happy to take their grid penalties at Monza (due to engine change), considering the fact that a power track isn’t exactly the best environment for Renault engines right now.
Story references: formula1
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