Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel hopes to lead the Maranello team to victory at Monza this week in an attempt to save the future of the Italian Grand Prix. Fears have been raised recently that Monza could be at risk of dropping off the Formula 1 calendar over financial concerns. The future of races in Germany and Great Britain are also unsure due to escalator clauses put into race contracts by Bernie Ecclestone.
Liberty Media have affirmed their commitment to save F1’s most historic races since taking over Ecclestone and they don’t come much more fabled than the Italian GP. A first Ferrari victory on home soil since 2010 looks on the cards this week, with Vettel enjoying greater performance than championship rival Lewis Hamilton – including a dominant win in Belgium last weekend.
And Sebastian hopes a success in front of the Tifosi will convince the necessary officials to rescue the race: “We have a good car that seems to work everywhere,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t think the car was there right from the beginning, but we’ve got it to the point where it works everywhere and now we’re competitive. I hope it helps boost the race at Monza and for it to stay on the calendar for a long time, as I’ve heard some rumours. I’m looking forward to going to Italy as obviously I spend some time there, but racing in Italy is special for us. It should be a lot of fun.”
Sebastian Vettel will head to Monza 17 points behind Hamilton, although the Mercedes man has conceded that his lead is a precarious one.
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