Monza is one of the greatest race tracks in the world and today it lived up to its heritage. A Ferrari victory pleased the Tifosi and Virgin Racing finished first out of the new teams.
At the start, Timo got away very well from the back of the grid passing five cars to slot in behind the Lotus of Jarno Trulli. Lucas was able to pass Heikki Kovalainen to tuck in behind Timo, although the Finn was able to retake the position a few laps into the race.
The pace was hectic as Monza has the fastest average speed of any Grand Prix, but with passing so difficult, the timing and the execution of the pit stops was likely to be vital. When Heikki stopped, Timo came in on the following lap and the team performed the stop perfectly, getting Timo out in time to retain his position. Lucas also had a great stop and continued to give chase.
At about three-quarter distance, Jarno Trulli began to slow and was passed by both Timo and Lucas, which left the team looking at first and third positions in the new teams category, but a suspension issue on the last lap cost Lucas a position. The team are delighted to finish best of the new teams, and were the only one to have both cars classified - a feat they have now achieved more than either of the other two newcomers.
In other news, Strakka Racing concluded their record-breaking season with another emphatic class win in the final round of the Le Mans Series at Silverstone on Sunday. The team’s three drivers; Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts built on an unbeaten run of pole position starts to win LMP2 by a margin of almost a minute, overcoming bodywork damage along the way and establishing a new class lap record for the redeveloped Silverstone circuit.
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