08/09/2011
NEWS STORY
Other than altering the length of some of the kerbing, no significant changes have been made to the Monza track ahead of this year's Grand Prix.
At various sections of the track, the length of the notorious kerbing has been altered to prevent cars leaping across them.
As previously reported, there are two distinctly separate DRS Zones this weekend leading to hopes that fans might witness something of the legendary slipstreaming battles for which this track was once famous.
"This is one of those races everyone loves going to, because it's so traditional," says the FIA's Charlie Whiting. "Monaco and Monza are really the two big ones in this respect, with a great sense of history and fantastic fans.
"I never tire of going to see the old banking and thinking of the dangers drivers faced then and how brave they were to do a lap of the old circuit at tremendous speed, with no chicanes and then face the banking," he adds. "It was really incredibly dangerous and serves as a very vivid reminder of how far we've come in terms of safety."
The Race Stewards this weekend include former F1 and ChampCar driver Derek Daly, Paul Gutjahr, president of the FIA Hill Climb Commission and 25-year-old Silvia Bellot, who began marshalling in 2001, at the age of 16. Despite her young age, Bellot has been Permanent Chairman of Stewards for the European F3 Open and Spanish Endurance Championships, as well as Permanent Steward of the GT Open International and Andorra Ice Championships, among other national series. Bellot has sat on the stewards' panel at a wide range of championships, including the World Rally Championship, GP2, GP3, BMW Europe, DTM and World Series by Renault.
To watch our video on overtaking, featuring Nico Rosberg and Ross Brawn, click here