By Will Gray, England
Atlas F1 Technical Writer

Following a dramatic Belgian Grand Prix at the challenging Spa, the Formula One circus arrives in Monza for the fastest race of the calendar. Atlas F1's Technical Writer Will Gray previews the event

For the second race in a row, the teams head to a power circuit for a race which will be all about top speed and little else. Monza is a power circuit, one of the fastest on the Grand Prix calendar, and it presents a simple brief to all competitors on the grid - maximise speed at all costs.

The main emphasis this weekend will be on aerodynamics, and many of the teams will have developed their own special packages to reduce their car-slowing drag by reducing their downforce, although there is much more to a low-downforce car configuration that just lopping off some of the front and rear wing.

The whole package must be honed to minimise the drag. Yes, the teams will have developed different front wing main planes and flaps for a low-downforce track and they are sure to reduce the amount of wing sections in the rear wing (some even chose to run without a top section in their rear wing at this circuit some years ago) but there are plenty of other areas where they will concentrate on minimising drag.

It is not inconceivable that the more affluent teams could introduce specific low-downforce floors for the Monza event, as the underfloor and diffuser (under the rear wing at the back of the car) are the most efficient methods of obtaining downforce.

It seems that Ferrari have a knack of creating significant amounts of downforce through their floor alone as they tend to do very little in the way of add-on parts for the high downforce circuits. That suggests the team could alter their floor to reduce the overall downforce whilst still retaining enough flexibility through the rear wing to allow for set-up alterations.

Another major area of interest in drag reduction is the cooling. Teams are sure to develop special cooling systems which will reduce the airflow through the sidepods, an area which is a major factor in the drag equation. When air flows into the sidepods, it encounters a major blockage in the shape of the oil and water radiators, and that creates a significant amount of drag.

Essential to keep the engine running to the correct temperatures, the radiators always require airflow to do their job. But at a high-speed circuit such as Monza, the amount of time spent at 160 plus miles-an-hour means that the radiators need a smaller volume of air to flow through the sidepods to produce the required amount of cooling.

At the rear of the sidepods, teams have what they call 'side-outs' which are exits for the air flowing through the sidepods. Some are just holes, some complicated chimneys on top of the sidepods, but all of these have a variable exit area, which the teams can alter as they wish.

It is interesting to notice the area of the side-outs, particularly at the extreme high and low speed circuits, because it can say a lot about the cooling requirements of the engine and the inherent compromises required in the aerodynamics package.

Minor things, such as brake cooling ducts and the flick-ups at the rear of the sidepods may also see some changes as the teams strive to drop the drag. The brake ducts are certain to reduce in size to minimise the airflow through them in a similar manner to the cooling ducts.

However, the teams must also ensure that the car remains stable with all these changes, as Monza does actually have corners as well as straights. Still, four of these are also taken at high speed, and that will mean the tyre manufacturers will offer teams harder compounds for this weekend's race.

But along with those high speed corners come three slower speed chicanes. Because of these, the set-up of the cars will have to be compromised between high-speed stability and the ability to ride the kerbs well as the teams have to ensure the handling of the car is good enough to avoid losing all-important fractions of a second through those slower sections.

But it is these sections, and the demand for rapid braking from the high speed straights coming into them, which make Monza a spectacular track and one on which overtaking is easier than normal - as long as the car has a good engine and a minimal downforce package.

That does allow some degree of relief for poor qualifiers, and the grid position at Monza is not as important as it can be at other tracks. It will also play a significant part in the race strategy planning, with lower qualifiers sure to go for more stops and gamble on the good chances of overtaking with a lighter car.

So, with all this borne in mind, the Italian race may be on Ferrari's home ground but once again the high speed straights will suit a good engine package and that is where Williams may come into their own, with Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya looking good tips for success. Both are fast and confident in the car, and both know exactly what they have to do to beat Ferrari on home ground. And Monza is about speed and confidence.