Official 2023 Italian Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***

[Piginapoke]

Races come thick and fast now. Monza will obviously be a Max/RB19 walkover (I still can’t quite believe how quickly he caught and passed Perez at Zandvoort when he had to actually push) so I’ve removed him from the poll, and we can all vote who’ll finish 2nd

Surely Ferrari can't repeat the Dutch disaster.... Williams should go well, and it will be interesting to see how Lawson shapes up in a more usual weekend.

Here’s to a great race.

Date(s): Friday 1 to Sunday 3 Sept 2023.

UK Broadcast Timings (and track time)

All sessions are live on Sky F1. Qualifying and race highlights are shown on Channel 4.





2022 Race Highlights:

https://youtu.be/1MCZM4PP5J4?si=Xigp9EIFRHff48Zn

Live timing for all sessions available here:

https://www.formula1.com/en/f1-live.html

Lap times, PU component use, technical reports and Stewards' decisions for the weekend will appear here:

https://www.fia.com/documents/championships/fia-fo...

Weather forecast (mixed):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/3173435

Tyre options:

Soft range- C3-C5:



2022 Result (more Max domination):

[BrettMRC]

Thanks Mr Poke

I think Perez will manage the podium if he can avoid the barriers/being sacrificed for team strategy.

Mercedes best of the rest after the usual Ferrari implosion. .

[Still Mulling]

Thank you, PiaP.

I’m looking forward to an unusual placing or two. Albon for the front row in quali if he can get a tow? Piastri 2nd in the race?

[Henson]

As a suggestion, should there be a sub-category wager on how many ROFL's will be used on the thread before, say, Wednesday 6th?

(Practice, Quals, Race plus up to 3 days of the usual).

[WonkeyDonkey]

Unless the weather plays a part I'm not expecting much from this race.

Track is much better for single make races due to slipstream battles. F2 and F3 should be good though!

As usual I'd be more than happy to be wrong! ( about the former)

[Aids0G]

Thanks for the thread, bit of fun having Max out of the Pole as well!

Albon for a top 5 finish, small part of me can just about see a podium if every star aligns for them, Sargent giving a tow in quali and then just hang on!

Merc and Aston might struggle here are they not still quite draggy?

[TheDeuce]

Piap I'm so in favour of directing this thread to be about who is second!! First is a done deal, but the story for second this season has been fascinating and endlessly switched

This is a great season if you ignore the winner

[ajprice]

A Ferrari special livery is coming, to go with the special onesies.

[asfault]

quali will be a hoot if its the usual slipstreaming you go first i dont want to go shenanigans

[mk1coopers]

Thanks for the thread again PiaP, as per my comment on the Dutch GP thread, not much point watching it live when the winner is a forgone conclusion unless ‘something’ happens, so I’ll do the same as I did for the last one, read this thread and spend 8 minutes watching the highlights on YouTube

[PhilAsia]

Thanks PiaP!

Just finished watching a quite enjoyable Dutch GP. One of the best races this year IMO...

No regrets that I only saw the last 20 laps live - I was at the roll-out of my friend's 10,000 watt reggae sound system and left to get some samosas and chicken satay at a nearby bar.

I will be watching this probably two or so days after as well. F1 seems to only want my money these days and - although that has always been the case - they are really doubling down. So, they can fk off...or I can scoot out to the bar and have a beer or two if I think the race will be interesting. However, I am 100% that this one will be a borefest...hopefully I will be wrong.

[RZ1]

Max could start this one 10 laps after the race start and probably still win

[alisdairm]

I reckon one of the Ferraris will pick up 2nd, as they both scored good points last year, and they will be desperate to put on a good show in front of their home fans.

[moffspeed]

alisdairm said:

I reckon one of the Ferraris will pick up 2nd, as they both scored good points last year, and they will be desperate to put on a good show in front of their home fans.

Possibly so, but won’t the sound and the side skirts give away the fact that they’re running a 3.5 Litre V10 with full ground effects ?

Edited by moffspeed on Tuesday 29th August 09:33

Edited by moffspeed on Tuesday 29th August 09:34

[Snappy89]

Usual winner for this one of course.

Based on what we saw at Spa, I'm expecting Merc to be challenging for P2-P4. Perez will demand a tow from Max and not get one. Ferrari will do Ferrari things.

Aston will be somewhere in the mix, probably fourth fastest. Williams and McLaren/Alpine behind them. I think there's too much expectation on Williams being a rocket in the straights. They've obviously sacrificed some of that straight line performance in order to find downforce elsewhere, hence why they've been better in Zandvoort etc.

[Sandpit Steve]

asfault said:

quali will be a hoot if its the usual slipstreaming you go first i dont want to go shenanigans

Q3 from 2019 was a proper classic F1 fkup, as they almost all missed the chequered flag trying to avoid being first.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SXGTLj2cw3w
There’s an argument to replace the Q3 session with a one-lap shootout here.

[snotrag]

I have absolutely everything possible crossed for a Williams/Albon Podium this weekend.

We do sometimes get some 'out of the norm' podiums/results here, and the Williams team is growing week in week out. It would be really, really special.


ETA - Williams have also shown on numerous occasions this weekend that they actively avoid getting involved in any 'last man on track' qualifying shenanigans as mentioned above, and they much prefer to take the option of going out earlier, in space, and getting a time on the board, and sod any potential track improvements.

Albon into Q3, sets a banker, goes straight back out with 6 minutes remaining and sets a blinder, rest of field goes out 3 minutes later and tangles each other up, Ferrari own goal as usual and in the Gravel, in front of the Tifosi, Red Flag, Albon on pole

Edited by snotrag on Tuesday 29th August 13:54

Edited by snotrag on Tuesday 29th August 13:54

[asfault]

Snotrag id go one step further set a time, then go out with the knowledge that im going to get blocked and then get "strategically blocked by those that might go faster. Penalty for them.

[K50 DEL]

I'm actually going to this one, my first F1 race outside of Abu Dhabi

To be honest I'm going more for the atmosphere and the crazy Tifosi than I am for the race itself (the result of which I fear is a foregone conclusion)
Second place is, as you note, far more interesting however and I'm crossing my fingers for an Alonso masterclass!

[paulguitar]

K50 DEL said:

I'm actually going to this one, my first F1 race outside of Abu Dhabi

To be honest I'm going more for the atmosphere and the crazy Tifosi than I am for the race itself (the result of which I fear is a foregone conclusion)
Second place is, as you note, far more interesting however and I'm crossing my fingers for an Alonso masterclass!

I went in 2003 and enjoyed it, although of course that was in the V10 era when the cars were hugely more viscerally impressive. The tifosi are nuts and there is a good atmosphere there. We stayed in Milan and took the train each day.