The Track 
Monza, like Spa last week, is a track almost literally soaked in history's fetid juices. Back in "the day", the circuit was effectively a simplistic racetrack conjoined onto the side of a fearsome banked oval. But after 1961, the oval part of the track was dumped for safety reasons. Not particularly surprising, but perhaps a bit sad, especially when you see the state of the banking these days. Despite the shortened lap and lack of the oval, high-speed accidents continued to maim for a number of years at the track, largely because the layout was still bonkers mental, effectively three flat-out blasts punctuated by delicate, mid-speed corners.
Eventually, the pesky spectre of fundamental human safety reared it's head throughout the 1970's and 80's, as chicanes were fudged in to the straights at strategic points around the lap, making the current layout something of a stop-start affair, as F1 cars scream down the straights before hitting the heavy braking zones at the Rettifilo, Roggia and Ascari corners. But it still offers more of a challenge to the budding pilots than just how hard they can be on the brake pedal. The pair of Lesmos corners require accurate throttle control, while the Parabolica is a "wall of death" ride which needs to be inch perfect to conserve momentum for the rev limit-bursting spurt down the start/finish straight.
The difficulty for the driver is compounded by the silly-looking skinny wings that the cars run with in order to maximise straight-line speed, and in general, the rough ride under braking this tends to give drivers means overtaking is a rarity.
Talking Points
Take a wild guess. Yes, try as we might, and want as we may to just get on with the racing, "ChicaneGate" (as literally nobody is calling it) will likely drone on for the rest of the weekend, and indeed the season. Any neutral fan looking to pick a side to support for the run in realistically now needs to choose between "Hamilton" and "Massa by 6 or more points". Any other result will probably see the internet melt. Not to mention place some sort of importance on McLaren's tenuous appeal against "the penalty".
Ignoring that issue for now, the important question at Monza will be which of the top two has the speed advantage. Last year, McLaren surprised Ferrari by dominating the event, and they'll likely need to surprise again this year, with the Ferrari enjoying a slight speed benefit over the Anglo-German side which should be crucial here. Much attention will also be focused on the team mates of the main title rivals here, with Kimi Raikkonen steadfastly refusing to give up on his title chances just yet, and Heikki Kovalalainen still proving to be less than useless at helping out Hamilton by taking points from the Ferraris.
Further back, the Renault-powered teams may be in for a long weekend, with their engine already having come in for some flak for it's lack of grunt this year, while Toro Rosso look set to continue their recent renaissance which has moved them into serious points contenders, and may eventually elevate them to dizzying heights in the constructors championship. Toyota will want to put a dreary Spa weekend behind them, while Force India will be gunning for the fallen angels at Williams and Honda as they attempt to lever at least one car into the second part of qualifying before the end of the year.
Modern Classic
1998
Going into the crucial final stages of the Hakkinen/Schumacher championship battle, the Italian GP looked set to be dominated by the McLarens, as Hakkinen and Coulthard pulled clear of the Ferraris of Schumacher and Irvine, but it all went wrong for the team in the space of a few corners. Firstly, Coulthard (who had grabbed the lead after Hakkinen developed a small problem) had his engine let go in spectacular fashion, and then as Hakkinen was delayed by the smoke from the knackered Mercedes, Schumacher steamed past the Finn to take the lead.
Though Hakkinen caught Schumacher again, he then suffered brake failure and spun off the track, dropping behind Irvine and Ralf Schumacher's Jordan as he struggled to rejoin and eventually finish 4th. The win for Schumacher elevated him into a share of the championship lead with two events left, but he was to make a hideous cock of the final event in Japan, and Hakkinen eventually took the title.
One Year Ago
"This time" last year, McLaren and Ferrari were preparing for their day in court over the whole "Spygate" nonsense, but McLaren took the time to dominate the Italian GP and annoy the crowd, as Alonso romped to victory, and Hamilton overtook Raikkonen to follow his team mate home. Memories are: here.
Facts and Guesses
Number of Laps : 53
Lap Record : 1:21.046 (Rubens Barrichello - 2004)
2007 Pole : Fernando Alonso (McLaren-Mercedes)
2007 Winner : Fernando Alonso (McLaren-Mercedes)
Free Practice 1 & 2 : 10:00 & 14.00 (Local Time) / 09.00 & 13.00 (BST) - Friday 12th September
Free Practice 3 : 11:00 (Local Time) / 10.00 (BST) - Saturday 13th September
Qualifying Start : 14.00 (Local Time) / 13.00 (BST) - Saturday 13th September
Race Start : 14.00 (Local Time) / 13.00 (BST) - Sunday 14th September
On Patronise
The usual shambling Patronise service will be here throughout the weekend, with reports on Friday practice and live commentary of qualifying and the race from 12.30 BST on Saturday and Sunday. As an extra "bonus", Patty will also be terrying the conclusion of F1's crash-heavy feeder series GP2, as Bruno Senna and Giorgio Pantano go head to head for the sometimes-coveted title.
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