2014 Italian Grand Prix Preview - MotorSportsTalk

Formula 1’s main European season comes to an end this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix at ‘la pista magica’, Monza.

The clichés used to describe this circuit have long been exhausted, with phrases such as “temple of speed” the norm in these preview articles. Frankly, it doesn’t even come close. If any single circuit can claim to bear the spirit of Formula 1, it is this one.

Since the beginning of the world championship in 1950, Monza has hosted all but one Italian Grand Prix (1980’s race was held at Imola), and the circuit has earned itself a place at the very heart of the sport. Much like Spa, it truly is an “old circuit” with just eleven corners and the fastest lap on the F1 calendar. With the new cars, don’t be surprised to see speeds get close and maybe even eclipse 350km/h.

With the beginning of fall, we must look towards the end of the F1 championship. After this weekend’s race, just six races will remain in 2014; by the end of November, we will have a champion.

This weekend’s race could prove to be pivotal in the title race. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s battle turned into civil war at the last race in Belgium, and we have since had apologies from all parties. Will these words mean much when the two Silver Arrows head into the first chicane side-by-side on Sunday afternoon?

For the locals, there is only one team that is worth their attention: Ferrari. The loyal Tifosi comes out in its droves, turning the grandstands red in support of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. The team may struggle to win at Monza this weekend, but a good haul of points – at least one that’s bigger than Williams – must be the goal.

2014 Italian Grand Prix – Talking Points

Friends, Enemies, Teammates?

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s intra-team battle boiled over at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out, resulting in a public rebuttal for Rosberg and a two-week spell that left us all pondering what will happen at Monza. Mercedes has made perfectly clear that it will not tolerate any more contact between its drivers, but if they go side-by-side into the first chicane, will we see a repeat? Having both drivers in the press conference on Thursday should make for an interesting start to the weekend.

Williams sets its sights on Ferrari

After losing some ground to Ferrari at Spa, Williams will be hoping to make up for it on the prancing horse’s home turf this weekend at Monza. The British team has a package that is well-suited to the circuit on the outskirts of Milan, and should excel. However, Ferrari has a habit of pulling a rabbit out of the hat at Monza; you can expect the home fans to lift both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen on Sunday, even if battling for a position any higher than P5 may prove difficult.

Merhi, Merhi, quite contrary

Roberto Merhi will get his first taste of an F1 car on Friday at Monza when he replaces Kamui Kobayashi for the first free practice session. The Spaniard has been plying his trade in Formula Renault 3.5 so far this year, and currently ranks second behind Red Bull junior Carlos Sainz Jr. in the championship. He will complete some running that will go towards him obtaining a superlicense in the next few weeks, at which point he’ll most probably replace Kobayashi.

Alonso’s contract conundrum

Speculation about Fernando Alonso’s future has been rife for a good while, but we do appear to be getting a clear picture that he will now be staying at Ferrari for 2015. In an interview with Sky Sports, the Spaniard insisted that he is happy with the team, and said that he wants to “finish the job that we started some years ago”. So, at Monza, in front of the home press, he will undoubtedly come under scrutiny. Quite what the future holds remains unclear, but the Spaniard is certainly the man being spoken about at this weekend’s race.

The Italian Job

For all of the history that Monza may boast, the here and now is a little less impressive. Currently, there are no Italian drivers racing in Formula 1, nor has there been since the end of 2011. The track is also at risk of being cut from Formula 1’s schedule, with races in Rome or Mugello being mooted. However, this race simply must remain a part of the sport, and we can only hope that Monza gets the required investment and work to secure its place on the calendar for many years to come.

As for the drivers? Keep an eye out for Raffaele Marciello, a Ferrari junior driver currently racing in G P2. He has the makings of something very special indeed.

Italy – Facts and Figures

Track: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Laps: 53
Corners: 11
Lap Record: Rubens Barrichello 1:21.046 (2004)
Tire Compounds: Medium (Option); Hard (Prime)
2013 Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2013 Pole Position: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 1:23.755
2013 Fastest Lap: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 1:50.756
DRS Zones: Main Straight (T11 to T1); T7 to T8

TV Times

Free Practice 1 – 5/9 4am ET Live Extra
Free Practice 2 – 5/9 8am ET NBCSN
Free Practice 3 – 6/9 5am ET Live Extra
Qualifying – 6/9 8am ET NBCSN
Race – 7/9 7.30am ET NBCSN

Follow @LukeSmithF1

Media and fan attention focused on a controversial run-in between Haiden Deegan and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Jordon Smith during Round 10 of the Monster Energy Supercross race at Detroit, after which the 250 East points’ Hunter Lawrence defends the young rider in the postrace news conference.

Deegan took the early lead in Heat 1 of the round, but the mood swiftly changed when he became embroiled in a spirited battle with teammate Smith.

On Lap 3, Smith caught Deegan with a fast pass through the whoops. Smith briefly held the lead heading into a bowl turn but Deegan had the inside line and threw a block pass. In the next few turns, the action heated up until Smith eventually ran into the back of Deegan’s Yamaha and crashed.

One of the highlights of the battle seemed to include a moment when Deegan waited on Smith in order to throw a second block pass, adding fuel to the controversy.

After his initial crash, Smith fell to seventh on the next lap. He would crash twice more during the event, ultimately finishing four laps off the pace in 20th.

The topic was inevitably part of the postrace news conference.

“It was good racing; it was fun,” Deegan said at about the 27-minute mark in the video above. “I just had some fun doing it.”

Smith had more trouble in the Last Chance Qualifier. He stalled his bike in heavy traffic, worked his way into a battle for fourth with the checkers in sight, but crashed a few yards shy of the finish line and was credited with seventh. Smith earned zero points and fell to sixth in the standings.

Lawrence defends Deegan — *Jordon Smith failed to make the Detroit Supercross Main and fell to sixth in the points. – Feld Motor Sports*

“I think he’s like fifth in points,” Deegan said. “He’s a little out of it. Beside that it was good, I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Deegan jokingly deflected an earlier question with the response that he wasn’t paying attention during the incident.

“He’s my teammate, but he’s a veteran, he’s been in this sport for a while,” Deegan said. “I was up there just battling. I want to win as much as everybody else. It doesn’t matter if it’s a heat race or a main; I just want to win. I was just trying to push that.”

As Deegan and Smith battled, Jeremy Martin took the lead. Deegan finished second in the heat and backed up his performance with a solid third-place showing in the main, which was his second podium finish in a short six-race career. Deegan’s first podium was earned at Daytona, just two rounds ago.

But as Deegan struggled to find something meaningful to say, unsurprisingly for a 17-year-old rider who was not scheduled to run the full 250 schedule this year, it was the championship leader Lawrence who came to his defense.

“I just want to point something out, which kind of amazes me,” Lawrence said during the conference. “So many of the people on social media, where everyone puts their expertise in, are saying the racing back in the ’80s, the early 90s, when me were men. They’re always talking about how gnarly it was and then anytime a block pass or something happens now, everyone cries about it.

“That’s just a little bit interesting. Pick one. You want the gnarly block passes from 10 years ago and then you get it, everyone makes a big song and dance about it.”

Pressed further, Lawrence defended not only the pass but the decision-making process that gets employed lap after lap in a Supercross race.

“It’s easy to point the finger,” Lawrence said. “We’re out there making decisions in a split millisecond. People have all month to pay their phone bill and they still can’t do that on time.

“We’re making decisions at such a fast reaction [time with] adrenaline. … I’m not just saying it for me or Haiden. I speak for all the guys. No one is perfect and we’re under a microscope out there. The media is really quick to point a finger when someone makes a mistake.”

The media is required to hold athletes accountable for their actions. They are also required to tell the complete story.

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