The lap record is set to fall this weekend at Monza
As Formula 1 heads to the temple of speed this weekend, some drivers may take the opportunity to set a new circuit record, as the single-seaters have come a long way from last year's record-breaking close call, and the track has been modernized to offer more speed in the corners.
The Monza circuit should not usurp its title of temple of speed this weekend. As Formula 1 settles in Italy, several questions enhance this Italian leg: Will Colapinto be able to do better than Sargeant, ousted by Williams this Tuesday? Will the spectacular performances of the Formula 1 cars in 2024 break the circuit record?
Why the track record could be broken this weekend.
This last question deserves special attention, given the evolution of the performances of the majority of teams this season, following a better understanding of the car throughout the races and a regulation that has not evolved compared to last year, especially from a technical point of view.
The numbers indeed illustrate this trend. In the first two Grand Prix of the season, Alpine was the only team to have been slower than last year on the same circuits. For their part, the nine other teams had achieved much faster lap times than in 2023, especially McLaren, which was 1.5 seconds faster in Bahrain and 1.2 seconds faster in Jeddah, similar figures for Williams and Racing Bulls illustrating the huge performance gain of the Formula 1 cars between 2023 and 2024.
Last weekend in Zandvoort, Lando Norris took pole position in 1.09.673, a time nearly a second faster than the pole set by Verstappen last year in 1.10.567. In Hungary, this momentum continued during qualifying with a time of 1:15.227 for Norris in 2024 compared to 1:16.609 for Verstappen in 2023. Faced with this phenomenon, the question naturally arises in Monza, where the qualifying record is still held by Lewis Hamilton, who set a time of 1 minute 18 seconds 887 in 2020.
At the same time, the Monza circuit has been completely resurfaced this season to modernize a track that was becoming increasingly old. Among the most notable changes: the new asphalt is now much darker but also much smoother than the previous one, offering better grip for the drivers and having an impact on tire performance and track temperatures.
Some rumble strips have also been modified, especially those located in the Ascari chicane which are now completely flat, favoring much more impressive passage speeds than in previous seasons and limiting the risks of making a mistake. Finally, the first chicane has also undergone adjustments with a widening of the corner, considered too narrow for two single-seaters, as evidenced by the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021. Now, two cars will be able to be side by side at the apex, which should also offer more overtaking opportunities.
With all these changes at the track level and teams bringing upgrades every weekend, as will be the case this weekend for Ferrari, the lap record at Monza is very likely to fall this weekend, at least during qualifying. Remember that last year, Carlos Sainz secured pole position in 1 min 20 s 294, a time that should therefore be significantly beaten.
