Valtteri Bottas believes his lap during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix was 'pretty close' to perfect as he set the third quickest time at Monza. Bottas, who has claimed four podium finishes from the last five races, will line up in third place on the grid, behind only the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. "Pretty close [to perfect]," he said when asked about his lap. "Many braking zones are quite bumpy on the low downforce [set-up], [at] high speed it is […]

Lewis Hamilton ended Nico Rosberg’s run of pole positions as he qualified on top spot for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Hamilton was quickest in all three sessions and his time of 1:24.109 was over two-tenths of a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Rosberg, as the German was beaten to pole for the first time since June’s Austrian Grand Prix. It was also the first time Hamilton has beaten Rosberg in qualifying since the Spanish Grand Prix. Williams will lock out the second row […]

Lewis Hamilton set the quickest time during the final practice session ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, while Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg was hampered by gearbox problems. Hamilton, who missed much of Friday’s second session due to an electrical issue, set a time of 1:25.519 to eclipse Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by 0.412s. But while one Mercedes was on top of the times, Rosberg completed just three laps before he had to return to the pits with a gearbox failure, ending his running for the session. […]

[oa_livecom_event id='40' ]

Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat will become the first driver to be hit by the new engine penalties after it was confirmed that his STR9 will be fitted with a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) for the remainder of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Under 2014 regulations, drivers are permitted five of each of the six parts which make up the Power Unit. If a sixth version of any part is used, a driver sustains a 10 place grid penalty, although if they use a […]

Daniel Ricciardo says that achieving a top five result during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix would represent a good result for Red Bull. Ricciardo, currently third in the championship, endured a challenging day during practice at Monza as his Red Bull RB10 was hit by engine troubles during the morning session. Ricciardo recovered in the second session, but his time was only good enough for 10th position. "We didn't get much running this morning due to an engine issue, but it was okay and […]

Ferrari pair Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso expressed their satisfaction following Friday's practice sessions ahead of the squad's home race at Monza. Both drivers feared that Monza's layout would not be suited to Ferrari's F14T, but Raikkonen set the third fastest time, just a tenth down on pace setter Nico Rosberg, while Alonso ended the day in fourth place. "That was a very busy day, but a positive one," said Raikkonen. "We made the most of every minute available to us in both sessions, managing […]

Romain Grosjean cut a downbeat figure following a difficult practice session at Monza, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, in which the Frenchman suffered from several off-track excursions and struggled for pace. Grosjean was 20th fastest, ahead of only the Caterham drivers, and missed the first session in favour of reserve driver Charles Pic. "It wasn’t an easy day," he told reporters, including F1Zone.net. "I was predicting that maybe Marussia would be quicker than we are, which is not far to be the case. They […]

Jules Bianchi believes that Marussia can enjoy a comparatively strong performance at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix after he finished in 17th place during Friday's second practice session. Bianchi, who progressed through to Q2 in Belgium, ended the day faster than both Lotus drivers and was encouraged by Marussia's pace. "It’s great to be back here at Monza, at the start of what I think can be a promising weekend," he said. "It has taken us the two sessions to get the car much closer […]

Renault's performance at the Italian Grand Prix will demonstrate their progress across the course of the 2014 season, according to head of track operations Remi Taffin. Renault endured a troublesome start to 2014's new era of technical regulations but has won the most recent two races courtesy of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. While Taffin accepts that Renault's teams may still struggle at Monza this weekend, he is nonetheless encouraged by the development rate of the French engine supplier. "It’s good to be back at Monza, […]

Valtteri Bottas says he is encouraged by the new development package which Williams has brought to this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Bottas, who has claimed four podium finishes this season, was fifth quickest in the second practice session at Monza on Friday afternoon. "We tested the new aero package today which works well." he said. "With the low downforce the car does slide a bit more, but it’s manageable. I am really pleased with the long run pace, but think there is a […]

Nico Hulkenberg says that balance issues affected him throughout the second practice session for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Hulkenberg was 12th fastest in the second 90 minute outing and believes his lap time was compromised by not feeling confident with his Force India VJM07. "This morning was quite normal for a Friday, but the afternoon was a bit more difficult and it was not easy to find a nice rhythm," he said. "I just didn’t find the balance and harmony I was […]