2024 Italian Grand Prix: Preview

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber will bring its European season to an end as it races at one of the most iconic venues in motorsports – the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. The Italian circuit, known as “The Temple of Speed”, is a very different kind of track from Zandvoort and, with its long, full-power straights and sharp chicanes, will provide a completely new challenge to the team.

Team Quotes

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: “We return on track for the second leg of this back-to-back and the final European race of the season. Without doubt, we went through a difficult weekend in Zandvoort, possibly the toughest for our team so far this year, but we keep working hard to bring a positive, lasting change to our season, starting from this weekend already. The Autodromo in Monza is one of the most iconic venues on the calendar, having hosted races for over nine decades, and is where drivers have written lasting pages of motorsport history; just walking around its settings makes one almost feel like they’re stepping into that history, hearing the roar of engines coming through the Temple of Speed. The passion from the fans on the grandstands is contagious and has always provided further motivation to do well. We’ll be aiming to do so this weekend, starting from Friday onwards, looking to be in the mix and progress through the field.”

Valtteri Bottas (Car 77): “We head to Monza this week aiming to put the tough weekend in Zandvoort behind us, and to build towards a positive step forward in our performance. As one of the longest-standing races on the calendar, the Italian Grand Prix is always a special event, where the cheers of the passionate fans can be heard even from inside the car – and where they overall always put up a great show. I have enjoyed racing here over the years, and I am looking forward to doing it again this weekend.

There’s a lot of work going on back at base and everyone is fully committed to turning our season around: hopefully, the track will suit our car better, allowing us to extract something more from our package and be in competitive form, to try to bring back our first points of the season.”

Zhou Guanyu (Car 24): “Zandvoort was a tough race to digest, but that’s now behind us, and we return to Italy aiming to turn the page, as a long, intense European season wraps up this weekend. I think things should work out better for us in Monza, on a very different track layout from Zandvoort, which should also be less impacted by extreme conditions. The race in Monza is without doubt unique, for its rich history and for the endless energy of the fans. This weekend, the task remains the same: to work on our performance and get the maximum from the car.”