Italian GP: Cosworth preview

Formula One heads to Italy for round 14 of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship at the high-speed Autodromo Nazionale di Monza this weekend.

Italian Grand Prix from an Engine's Perspective

The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is the ultimate test of a Formula 1 engine. Its place on the calendar so soon after Spa-Francorchamps, the only other circuit of the season to get a five rating on the engine severity scale, makes this part of the season one of the most exciting and challenging for Cosworth.

The circuit's composition of fast straights and tight chicanes demands the lowest downforce settings of the season, bringing outright engine power to the fore. Drivers will spend over three-quarters of the 5.793km lap of Monza at full throttle, which represents a total of around 230km over a full race distance. It is the fastest average speed of the season and sees drivers attain a top speed of over 340km/h down the 1.2km long main straight.

Teams often develop a Monza-specification aerodynamics package to minimise drag down the straights in order to optimise lap time. Brakes will also be tested rigorously, particularly with the aggressive deceleration required to navigate the slow first gear chicane at turns one and two. A good exit from the quick Curva Parabolica, the final corner of the lap, is important to give a smooth run down the Rettifilio main straight and a possibility of overtaking under braking into the first chicane.

Cosworth has already demonstrated the strength of its engines this season and is looking forward to stretching the legs of the CA2010 properly around Monza, one of Formula One's most iconic tracks. Monza's heritage in Formula One makes it a fitting end to Formula One's European season with five overseas events making up the culmination of the 2010 championship.

Fast Fact
Such is the level of punishment doled out on engine units by the Monza circuit, Cosworth actually uses the track configuration on its factory dynos to put the CA2010 through rigorous reliability and power tests.

This Weekend in History... 10 September 1972
Emerson Fittipaldi won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his Ford-powered Lotus to become the youngest ever F1 world champion at 25 years and 273 days, a record that was first beaten by Fernando Alonso in 2005. Lotus also claimed their fifth constructors' title as a result of Fittipaldi's win.

-source: cosworth