Italy 2018 - GP Preview - Red Bull Tag Heuer

Daniel Ricciardo

“Monza is full of crazy Italian fans. I love them all and it’s nice to get a bit of extra love from them with my Italian roots. Monza has the best Pizzeria in the world, but I’m not going to tell you the name as I still want to be able to go there without queuing out of the door! The track is beautiful, high speed and awesome. I’ve done some of my best overtaking moves there and I plan on doing plenty more this week as it looks likely that I will be taking some engine penalties. It’s obviously not ideal but Monza is a power track and one that we haven’t been hugely strong at in recent years, it does mean plenty of action and fun for me in the race though. Last year I finished fourth from 16th on the grid, so it won’t be boring if I have to do the same again this year. The drivers’ parade in Monza is really special, the atmosphere is electric and the fans are definitely some of the most passionate in the world.”

Max Verstappen

“Monza is fast, very fast. This makes it great fun but at the same time not ideal for us and our car. It is an old school track, one of the few left, so racing somewhere with such history is quite special and I always look forward to going back there. The highlights of the circuit for me are the last chicane, Ascari, and the final corner, Curva Parabolica. To nail the last corner is not easy but when you do it feels really nice. I have been to Milan a few times but only for business so I haven’t had the chance to look around, but it goes without saying that the food is some of the best. The Italian fans will be out in force as always supporting Ferrari, they are very passionate and really good to see. Hopefully the orange crowd will rival the red this year.”