Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren
2008 Qualifying - 2nd, 2008 Race - 2nd
“I’ve scored points in the last four races and can see no reason why we shouldn’t be contenders for more points at Monza next weekend. I love the place: I’ve won there in GP2, finished in the points in both my Formula One outings and I think our car will be reasonably well suited to the circuit. Like every team, we’ll be running a special low-downforce aero package in Italy - but we’ll also have the benefit of using KERS along the straights, which should give us a greater advantage over a single lap, especially in qualifying, where it will be extremely valuable. It should be fun!”
Jarno Trulli, Toyota
2008 Qualifying - 7th, 2008 Race - 13th
“It is always a great occasion for me to be racing in front of the Italian fans and I really love the atmosphere at Monza. Of course, this is a home race for me so I have a lot of supporters in the grandstands and I really enjoy competing in front of such passionate fans. It would mean a lot to me to achieve a strong result in this race and I will be doing everything I can to do that. It was very encouraging in Belgium to start on the front row and hopefully this is a sign that we are now able to get the full potential out of the car in qualifying. I was unlucky in the race but I enjoyed the chance to fight at the front and I hope to be able to do that again in Italy. Our car looked quite strong at Spa and there will be a few changes for this weekend too; I am sure the competition will be very tight but we have the chance to get back in the points. Monza would be the perfect place to return to form so I am ready for the challenge.”
Fernando Alonso, Renault
2008 Qualifying - 8th, 2008 Race - 4th
“We have a competitive car but we haven’t been able to show the true potential so far. We saw how quick the car was at the Nurburgring, Budapest and Valencia, but for various reasons we haven’t scored the points that we should have. However, I always look forward, try to stay positive and will approach the rest of the season believing that we can finish the year strongly. At least we know that we have a car that is fast enough to get close to the podium, which will be my aim this weekend in Monza.
“It’s a special track and the fastest of the year so we run the car with a special low downforce package which means the car feels very strange and light because you miss a bit of grip in the corners. In the past we used to test at Monza before the race as you need a special set-up with the car, but obviously we can’t do that now which means we have a lot of work to do on Friday to find a good balance. You need a car that has good straight-line speed, is stable under braking and can use the curbs in the chicanes.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying - 14th, 2008 Race - 9th
“It’s one of the most important GPs of the year, because we race in front of our fans and it would be great to give them satisfaction. The success at Spa was very important for the team: I could see the guys in front of the podium and understood how much this victory meant for them, especially in such a difficult season. It was great for me to listen to the Finnish and the Italian national anthems after such a long time. And it would be excellent to repeat it until the end of the season. Racing in Monza in front of our fans with all the Prancing Horse flags in the wind is a fantastic feeling. I’ve never won a race in Italy, but I always liked racing at Monza. For me there’s no extra pressure, but I know how much the team wants to have a great race here.
“The track is the fastest of the season and the KERS should help us just like in Spa. You need to use the kerbs well and this wasn’t the strong point of our cars over the last years. We’ll see what will happen as of Friday. We didn’t do the usual test on the track so it’s difficult to say because the cars haven’t used this aerodynamic set up so far. I’ll have a new team mate, Giancarlo Fisichella. I always got along very well with him. He’s one of the most expert drivers and we will give our best to help Ferrari keep the third place in the constructors’ championship. The performance levels changed from one race to the next this year. There are team like us who stopped developing the car and others making pressure, because there are still several goals to reach. It will be a difficult weekend, but I can promise the fans that we will give our best as usual.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2008 Qualifying - 15th, 2008 Race -7th
“Since we no longer test at Monza before the Santander Italian Grand Prix, it will take the drivers a bit of acclimatisation to get used to running in low downforce at this high-speed circuit. It’s a real challenge to get the set-up right because there’s never an ideal compromise between speed along the straight and through the corners. It’s never easy to keep the car on the track because it slides all the time: at most tracks, you feel like the downforce is sticking you to the track at high speeds - but not at Monza, it’s like you are skating across the surface. But it’s a fantastic circuit - our car has traditionally gone well there so I am looking forward to another competitive weekend.”
Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP
2008 Qualifying - 16th, 2008 Race - 17th
“There’s something very special about Monza and I have always loved racing there throughout my career. The setting in the park, the sound of the Tifosi, the speed of the circuit and the memories from my victories with Ferrari in 2002 and 2004 all make Monza one of the most exciting races of the year. It’s the quickest circuit on the calendar and our car has the potential to be strong there. The power of our Mercedes-Benz engine will be really important in maximising speed on the long straights and our car is quite good under braking which you need to be aggressive and ride the kerbs effectively. It’s been a season full of surprises so it’s impossible to predict what the weekend will bring but I hope that we can have a good one.”
Jenson Button, Brawn GP
2008 Qualifying - 19th, 2008 Race - 15th
“Monza is a fantastic track and I love the passion that the Italian fans bring to the race weekend. The circuit is very different to most of the circuits that we race on as the car will be set up with the lowest levels of drag and downforce possible to take advantage of the long straights. It always takes a few laps to get used to and as we haven’t tested at Monza this season, the practice sessions will be very important. Ascari is probably my favourite part of the track but also Parabolica where the challenge is to brake as late as possible, particularly in qualifying when you’re on a quick lap. It’s a circuit that should be reasonably good for our car if we get the handling right over the kerbs so we’re feeling positive and excited about the challenge.”
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