BWT Alpine Formula One Team arrives at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the Italian Grand Prix with its Zandvoort-spec upgrade fitted to both cars for the first time. Franco Colapinto gets the package after Pierre Gasly ran it in the Netherlands, while reserve driver Paul Aron takes over Gasly’s car for Free Practice 1. The venue carries personal weight for both race drivers: Gasly won his first Grand Prix here in 2020, and Colapinto made his Formula One debut at the circuit.
Formula One returns to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza this weekend, the circuit known in the paddock as the ‘Temple of Speed’. Set inside the Parco di Monza, it has hosted more Grands Prix than any other venue — this year marks the 96th running when pre-Formula One Championship races are included — and it was one of the tracks on the original calendar. The Curva Grande and the Curva di Lesmos date back to the track’s opening in 1922 and remain part of the layout today.
A circuit built for slipstream racing
Monza’s defining features are its long straights and its heavy braking zones, particularly into the Rettifilo and della Roggia chicanes. That combination has historically produced close, tow-dependent racing: the 1965 event still holds the record for the most lead changes with 41, while the 1971 race produced the most different leaders with eight and the closest finish in the sport’s history at 0.010 seconds.
The circuit carries four Straight Mode zones this year, which Alpine says makes it well suited to a return to that style of racing. The team expects deployment strategy to be a central focus across the three practice sessions.
Both cars now on the new package
Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will both run the upgrade package Alpine introduced at Zandvoort. Gasly raced it in the Netherlands and scored points; Colapinto gets it for the first time in Italy, meaning Friday will be his first running with the revised car.
“The upgrade package worked well and I know we probably left a bit on the table last time out which we want to put right this weekend,” Gasly said.
Colapinto arrives having had his seat for next season confirmed alongside Gasly during the gap after Zandvoort. “We’ve made a lot of important progress this year, both with the car and with my driving, so I’m very pleased that has been recognised,” he said.
Paul Aron takes over for FP1
Gasly will sit out Free Practice 1 on Friday, handing his car to reserve driver Paul Aron. It is Aron’s second practice outing of the season for the team, after he replaced Colapinto in Budapest. His Friday does not end at the circuit: Aron heads back to Enstone for an evening on the simulator, feeding set-up work with the reference of having just driven the current car.
“I hope to build on it this time around, particularly helping the team compare our latest upgrade package which I have driven in the simulator,” Aron said.
What the team is expecting
Team representative Steve Nielsen described the Zandvoort weekend as a positive return to racing but said the two points scored undersold what was available. “The upgrade we brought to Pierre’s car was good and worked as expected and we are pleased to bring that to Franco’s car this weekend in Monza,” he said, adding that the team believes it has the platform to run both cars in the points but still has work to do to extract the most from the package.
Why it matters
Monza is a low-downforce outlier on the calendar, which makes it a poor guide to a car’s all-round pace but a useful test of straight-line efficiency and slipstream management. For Alpine, the more relevant question is what a full-strength two-car package is worth over a race distance — something the team has not yet been able to measure. It is also the start of the final European double-header of the season, with the team’s championship position the stated priority.
The Italian Grand Prix weekend runs at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, with Free Practice 1 on Friday.
Source: media.alpinecars.com