Monza (Italy), Sep 1 (IANS) Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg expects his Force India to be competitive at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza here for this weekend’s Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
“I expect us to be quite competitive. It should be better for us than Spa. It’s all about power and top speed and we know the engine will be strong. We also have a new low downforce rear wing that we will use for Monza only. Braking from top speed for the chicanes with a skinny rear wing is always tricky,” said the German.
The circuit for the annual Italian GP is the fastest on the calendar and ‘tifosi’ make it a special place to visit for the F1 fraternity.
“It’s a fantastic weekend. I really enjoy everything about the event — the town, the people, the track. The atmosphere is just brilliant with the energy of the fans and the history of the place. It’s also a fun track to drive. It looks simple but hooking up a quick lap is still a challenge and it’s easy to make mistakes,” said Hulkenberg, who is currently seventh in the drivers’ standings with 70 points.
However, the 27-year-old had a rather disappointing outing in the Belgian Grand Prix Aug 24 where he finished 10th and last, collecting only a point.
“It was a mixed weekend. We had good pace but we couldn’t achieve the maximum because of the mistakes in qualifying. The race was interesting. We made up a lot of positions but we also lost some time battling our way through the traffic. In the end, we got one point and that’s better than nothing.”