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F1 LIVE | The 2023 Italian Grand Prix at Monza
The 14th race of the 2023 F1 season is about to begin. The Italian Grand Prix could be an interesting battle, with Red Bull Racing and Ferrari in the mix for the race victory. With this liveblog, you won't miss anything from the battle for victory between Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and possibly others.
F1 LIVE | Italian Grand Prix
Ferrari threaten to end Verstappen's winning run
Ferrari driver Sainz managed to treat Italian fans to a great qualifying session. The Spaniard took pole position for his team's home race and will start the race at the front. Verstappen, who is looking for a record tenth win in a row, will start behind Sainz, making for a fun joust in the early stages of the race.
Sainz has a very high top speed with his SF23 and also seemed very fast on the long runs. Should Verstappen not immediately manage to pass Sainz at the start, the two rivals will have to demand a lot from their tyres in the fight for the lead. If Verstappen gets past Sainz, Sainz could potentially benefit greatly from the powerful DRS that works well on the Monza circuit.
Low downforce
Teams are bringing specific aero packages to make their cars fast around the so-called “temple of speed”. In fact, the Monza layout is in a category of its own for how atypical it is: very long straights, heavy breaking points, slow and twisty chicanes and some famous fast corners like Ascari, Lesmo and Parabolica. For this reason, teams always bring specific wings and setups to adapt to this unique circuit.
The top teams have arrived in Monza with the goal of setting their cars in order to be fast in the straights without compromising the tyre management, which is key for winning the race on Sunday. Only the practices will be able to give us an idea of who made the best choice, waiting for a weekend full of passion and fun to begin.