Michelin's preview for Italian weekend

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After a new venue 2 weeks ago, Formula One goes back to one of its most ancient: Monza. Michelin will be aiming for it's 14th victory of the season and the 89th in its F1 world championship history.

Piere Dupasquier, Michelin Motorsport Director "Monza is characterised by its high-speed straights - with cars touching almost 360km/h (224mph) - and quick, testing corners. Together, these two factors put a significant load on rubber, particularly at the rear. As with most circuits, tyre manufacturers are obliged to seek a compromise. Despite the loads imposed
by Monza's many high-speed sweeps, such as the Parabolica or Biassono, wear rates are not as significant as you might imagine during cornering. That said, the track's relative lack of abrasiveness and the extreme speeds attained on the long straights combine to generate high tyre temperatures. This unusual blend of l ow-wear corners and gruelling straights obliges us to run very specific compounds. What's more, drivers brake earlier here than they do at other tracks, because they run with relatively little aerodynamic downforce. Consequently, it is imperative to offer them consistent levels of grip."

Driver perspective: Jarno Trulli, Panasonic Toyota Racing "The main characteristic at Monza is the circuit's high speed. You run with very little wing, there is a lot of hard braking and you need good traction coming out of slow corners. When it comes to tyres, as usual it is essential to find the right blend of consistency and performance, but the main potential problem is blistering.
That's what you have to avoid and you particularly need to control the situation at the exit of slow-speed corners. I always enjoy the atmosphere at Monza and have usually gone well there, so I'll be looking for another good result this weekend."