It's now or never for Nico - again
Comment, brief or otherwise, about the state of the title race is obligatory in a pre-race talking point feature. But ahead of round 12 the state of play, as succinctly summarised by Nico Rosberg, is very simple: only victory for the second of Mercedes' two equals will be sufficient this weekend if the title race is still to be considered worthy of the description when the fly-aways begin at the end of the month.
"I know I have the car underneath me to get pole and the win every time with this incredible machine the team have built, so nothing less will do," said Rosberg in Mercedes' own pre-race preview. Such unusual candour is admirable, but one might also opine that nothing less than pole and victory - two things which have occurred in conjunction on six of the 11 race weekends this year - will do for his faltering ambitions of ending the year as world champion as well.
With eight races to go, Lewis Hamilton has a points advantage equivalent to a full race victory and, given that the Englishman averages over 20 per race weekend this year, the situation has already become extremely stark for Nico. If it grows any darker in Monza, it may be time for the white flag.
PG
Is Pastor still in the mix at Team Enstone?
Beyond its alluring implications for Red Bull and their ambition of landing a supply of Mercedes engines as early as next year, perhaps the most intriguing sub-plot to twist out of Renault's anticipated takeover of Lotus is what the deal would mean for the future of Pastor Maldonado.
There was plenty of loud chatter in Spa two weeks ago that a swap with Sergio Perez for 2016 could be on the cards. The Venezuelan is quick, but he hasn't been as quick as the outstanding Romain Grosjean this term and his campaign has been littered with a spate of calamities. Not all of his accidents have been Pastor's fault but patience at Lotus appears to be wearing thin.
According to an interview with technical chief Nick Chester, which was published on the team's own website late last week, Maldonado's barely-noticed race retirement two weeks ago in Spa was the consequence of "a big excursion at Eau Rouge" that featured the rather potent mix of kerbing, a hard hit, and a 17G impact that effectively broke the clutch of Maldonado's E23. It's unusual for a team to be quite so revealing, especially when disclosing a driver error, and the revelation is bound to intensify speculation that Team Enstone - whether that be Lotus or Renault - have grown weary with Maldonado's repair bill.
Maldonado's sponsorship remains ample consolation, but it's rumoured that the funds are no longer being delivered in the wake of the ongoing uncertainty which surrounds the team's ownership and a potential sponsorship clash with Total, Renault's technical partners. If so, then it's both further complication and further reason to believe that Maldonado's position is in genuine jeopardy.
PG
How will Pirelli - and its tyres - manage at Monza?
F1's whipping boys more often than not these past few seasons, Pirelli have had an easier time of it in the last couple of years. But the cogs that generate discontent never stop turning and, as far as Pirelli are concerned, you get the feeling there'll always be grounds to let off steam at some point. So it is that after attentions were diverted by the likes of engine noise, failing teams, falling attendances, customer cars, cars that aren't spectacular enough, Mercedes strategy wonks getting it wrong and McLaren-Honda never getting it right, it's their turn once more to be on the receiving end.
That it was Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari that suffered a blowout during the closing stages of the Belgian GP, and because it's Pirelli's home race too, means that attentions are bound to be on them this weekend. Vettel left Spa without saying too much but what he did say - and how he said it - left no-one in two minds about where he stands. "Too many failures and too many excuses," was Seb's thrust after his car had bobbed and weaved its way back to the pits. In the other corner, meanwhile, stands Pirelli's Paul Hembery, carrying the weary, perpetual air of a prize fighter who's all done with bobbing and weaving. Rallying was never like this. Seconds out...
The timing isn't great for Pirelli because their contract as F1's sole supplier is up for renewal and Michelin have also submitted a bid. Perhaps, having had time to reflect, Vettel will be more measured in his criticism. "We don't want to fight," Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said after last weekend. Yet criticism is easily found in the paddock - not just of Pirelli, but of the whole idea that tyres should deliberately wear in order to produce pit stops, order changes... excitement. Too much excitement in the cases of Vettel and Nico Rosberg.
Pirelli reveal the findings of their investigation this weekend and all eyes will be on the royal park once practice starts, although there haven't been problems in the past. Monza might have an even higher average speed than Spa but it doesn't stress the tyres quite so much (and it remains to be seen whether the kerbs will get quite the hammering they did at Spa, particularly Raidillon). In the past it's been a one-stop race, which was what Ferrari were attempting with Vettel, and Pirelli are also taking their soft and medium tyres to Monza - rather than the hard and medium they took for the last three years - in the hope it might "open up interesting possibilities for race strategy".
But... not too interesting, they'll be hoping, after what happened a fortnight ago.
MW
Another difficult weekend awaits McLaren
Look away now if you are a McLaren fan - after a dismal weekend at Spa, things are unlikely to be any easier at Monza.
The high-speed blast through the trees in the royal park is not the place to have a lacklustre engine and after the latest Honda updates failed to deliver, McLaren are likely to once again find themselves at the back of the pack.
"I think Monza will also be a tough weekend," Alonso admitted to Sky Sports F1 immediately after the Belgian GP - a race where he was classified behind the man who replaced him at Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel, despite the German's penultimate lap blow out. That alone shows the scale of McLaren-Honda's woes.
After racking up 105-places of grid penalties at Spa to get two fresh, upgraded engines into their cycle, it wouldn't be a surprise if McLaren employee the tactic again to increase their pool heading into the final part of the season.
WE
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