Italian Grand Prix Starts At Monza

The 2013 Formula One Gran Premio d’Italia (Italian Grand Prix) starts on 6 September. One of the longest running events on the Formula One calendar, the Italian Grand Prix was also one of the inaugural Formula One championship races in 1950 and has been held every year since. Practice runs start 6 September with qualifiers the day after and the race on 8 September. The world’s top drivers, including Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button and Mark Webber will compete in the 53-lap race at the Autodromo di Monza (Monza Autodrome) circuit north of Milan. Button said of the upcoming race: “I’ve always loved Monza. I really enjoy circuits that have a bit of history to them, and Monza has that in abundance – it’s one of the greatest tracks on the calendar. The place is unique: ever since we lost the ‘old’ Hockenheim, this has been the only place on the calendar where you run a really super-low downforce configuration. And you can feel it – the car accelerates up to speed incredibly quickly, feels skittish and loose when you’re running flat-out, and can be tricky and unpredictable under braking. But that’s what makes the place a special kind of challenge, and I really enjoy that. When you have the car hooked up beneath you, you get into a special kind of rhythm around Monza: you’re going so fast that the whole lap just flows together. There’s nowhere quite like it.”