WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Points of interest across Round 11 at Monza

The wait for racing is over and we return to one of the most legendary venues in motorsport: Monza.

Home hero Leonardo Fornaroli leads the Drivers’ Championship, as does his team, Invicta Racing over in the Teams’ Standings. Will that be the case come the end of the round, however?

Here are a few items to keep an eye on across this weekend.

SLIPSTREAM IS KING?

With the long straights around the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, top-end speed is crucial to success around the Temple of Speed. Or is it?

While you certainly won’t be going with a high-downforce setup, Qualifying strategy could be split, and on the evidence of 2024, is something teams will have to take into careful consideration.

Drivers usually look to put themselves in the middle or at the back of the train in order to benefit from the car ahead and gain a tow down the long Monza straights.

That was the gameplan for the majority last season, all but Zane Maloney and Rodin Motorsport. Their trick was to hang a little further back in clearer air, and the Bajan driver went on to earn pole position against conventional thinking.

It was the middle sector where the majority of the corners are around the Monza layout where Maloney did the damage, setting a purple sector time and a personal best in the final one to earn P1 on the grid despite a lack of tow.

Will we see teams follow suit? Or was Maloney’s lap an exception to the rule?

LOW DOWNFORCE SPEC

The track characteristics mean that there is little relative need for peak downforce, and so teams will fit the low-downforce specification rear wings, trimmed down to create less drag and therefore, increase top speeds.

While there will be a subsequent loss in the corners due to the lower downforce levels, it is a net gain down the straights with Monza’s layout having so many full throttle sections compared to time spent in corners.

The front wings also can be trimmed down, with one fewer element compared to usual for the Monza round to further decrease drag and elevate top speeds.

So if you see cars with skinnier than usual wings, the specification of the wings are different to how they usually appear on race weekends elsewhere.

How teams play with the angles of the wings will be a big performance differentiator as they pursue the ideal balance to get the most out of their cars in Qualifying and race trim.

READ MORE: Fornaroli raring to get going in Monza one year on from F3 title triumph

IS POLE THE PLACE TO BE?

Only once has the driver that has started from pole position gone on to win the Feature Race in Formula 2.

Since 2017, only Oscar Piastri has gone from the P1 grid slot to the top step of the podium, winning for PREMA Racing in their home event back in 2021.

In fact, after Gabriel Bortoleto’s exploits last season, Monza has as many winners from P1 as it does from P22 and last on the grid.

So, while every driver will be pursuing the additional points that come with the Aramco Pole Position Award, the driver sitting in P2 on Sunday might not feel too down on their chances of a race victory, while the driver on pole will need to be on top form in order to stay ahead.

HOME HEROES

There are two drivers that will be cheered on with extra fervour this weekend, as Leonardo Fornaroli and Gabriele Minì gear up for their second home race of the season following Imola earlier in the campaign.

Both starred here 12 months ago in the dramatic finale of the F3 season, where Fornaroli claimed the crown with an unbelievable pass at the final corner on the final lap, snatching it away from Minì’s grasp.

One year on, both will be targeting a home victory around the Temple of Speed, and both will be feeling confident in their chances.

Both Invicta and PREMA secured victories around Monza last season, and the latter has the record number of wins at the famed venue, with seven victories, three of those coming in the most recent four races.

Can they add another win on home turf? Or will Fornaroli add another win to his impressive streak?