Sebastian Vettel: “We’ll be aiming to make the most of all opportunities in Monza”

Sebastian Vettel says the Autodromo Nazionale Monza means a lot to him after his spell with Scuderia Ferrari, and the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team driver is hopeful to have a strong weekend this weekend.

The Sprint Qualifying format returns for its second outing in Italy, and Vettel says he will be looking to make the most of any opportunity that presents itself to him and the team in order to return to the top ten after a disappointing weekend in The Netherlands.

Vettel says the slipstreaming effect at Monza will make Qualifying on Friday evening extremely close, so getting every bit of performance Aston Martin can find will be important.

“Monza means a lot to me,” said Vettel. “The performance gaps between the teams tend to be smaller in Monza because the slipstreaming effect is so powerful, and overtaking is quite straightforward.

“This time, we’re returning to the Sprint format – we learned a lot about it at Silverstone, so we’ll be aiming to make the most of all opportunities in Monza.”

“There’s no other circuit quite like Monza” – Lance Stroll

Team-mate Lance Stroll says Monza is one of his favourite venues on the calendar, and he has tasted success there in Formula 1 before with a front row start and a podium to his name.

The Canadian took a surprise front row spot for Williams Racing back in 2017, and he took third place behind Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz Jr. in last year’s race, and Stroll is eager to return and fight once more towards the front of the field.

“The Italian Grand Prix is one of my favourite races on the calendar,” said Stroll.  “I qualified on the front row in 2017 and finished on the podium last year.

“There’s no other circuit quite like Monza; it’s incredibly fast, you must think about slipstreaming in qualifying, and the races can always be turned upside down in an instant.

“We know what it takes to perform here, and we’ll be looking to pick up the fight again.”

Lance Stroll took a podium at Monza in 2020 – Credit: Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team