Question:Vodafone McLaren Mercedes comes to Italy after showing well in the Monza test, how do you rate the team’s chances?
Martin Whitmarsh: “The truth is, both Lewis and Heikki have previously gone well at Monza; they both like the track and are looking forward to the race - and that certainly helps. On the engineering side, we came away from the recent Monza test very encouraged by the pace we showed. Of course, we’re under no illusions that Ferrari will be strong - and we expect them to be stronger there than they were relative to us last year - but we go to the event with high expectations.”
Question: What modifications do you make to the car to cope with a high-speed circuit like Monza?
Martin Whitmarsh: “As the fastest circuit on the calendar, we uniquely prepare a car for Monza that is best-equipped to run in low-drag configuration. This essentially means the reduction or removal of a number of aerodynamic components that would ordinarily create downforce, and drag. This weekend, for example, you’ll see we’ve removed the nosebox winglets and are running a single-deck rear-wing. At Monza, you also need a car that can ride the kerbs well and remain stable under heavy braking - so it’s a case of balancing the car for that combination, rather than simply stripping everything off in the quest for maximum straightline speed. It’s a unique challenge.”
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