So far this season, Formula One has raced on three circuits that can be classed as ‘low-downforce circuits’. With Montreal, Spielberg and Spa all not requiring as much corner entry speed but requiring far more engine power as other circuits, these were the circuits which Red Bull were expected to perform terribly at. Strangely, this hasn’t been the case, as Daniel Ricciardo won at both Montreal and again at Spa while the two Mercedes drivers tripped over each other. However, Red Bull had a very poor showing at Spielberg, yielding just four points there. With Monza being the fastest circuit on the calendar, requiring as little downforce as possible, it will be intriguing to see how Red Bull does here.
The RB10 clearly still has issues in the powertrain department, although these do not appear to be as significant as what they were earlier in the season. They also clearly have a very good chassis, having shown excellent speed on high-downforce tracks, especially in race pace. Both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo will be looking for strong results here, as the European stint concludes for the year.
Red Bull Italian Grand Prix Preview:
No. 1 Sebastian Vettel (GER) – 6th
Form: R/5/4/7/5
2013: Grid: P1, Race: P1
This race last year was a typical Vettel lights-to-flag victory in dominant fashion. It is very, very unlikely that he will do that this year, but if the Mercedes drivers continue to trade carbon fibre, Vettel needs to be there to capitalise, just as Ricciardo has on every occasion that Mercedes has shown weakness so far this season. He is also lacking a podium in recent races, something which his team mate has achieved on three occasions in the last four races.
No. 3 Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) – 3rd
Form: 8/3/6/1/1
2013 (Driving for Toro Rosso): Grid: P7, Race: P7
Ricciardo had his strongest result of last season here, qualifying and finishing in seventh which is an excellent performance. After two wins on the bounce, he now finds himself with a possible shot at the world championship, having now taken just one win fewer than championship leader Nico Rosberg, despite being in clearly inferior machinery. While his race pace has been somewhat terrifyingly good in recent races, he has been a touch anonymous on Saturdays over the last few weekends. Oddly, in every race that he has won, he has been outqualified by Vettel.
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