We saw plenty of action at the Belgian Grand Prix, with a couple of washed out sessions, some qualifying surprises, a first corner crash that caused chaos, and more sunshine than we'd anticipated! There's no time to dwell upon what we have seen, however, as it is back to back racing with the Italian GP just around the corner. From the sweeping nature of Spa we go flying towards the high speed straights of Monza.

Event schedule

Jenson Button's victory at Spa allowed him to close up the gap to his competitors in the championship, but there are still plenty ahead of him - and there's still a lot to play for! Alonso continues to lead, despite the retirement last race, and things are getting nice and close as we head into the second stint of the season. The drivers all tend to love driving at Monza, with the historic circuit adding a certain something to the weekend.

Support racing for this event includes GP2, GP3, and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

The weather

It doesn't happen very often, but the weather in Spa did almost exactly what it was expected to do. The rain early on in the race weekend turned to sunshine that never went away. So, what to expect in Italy? There is nothing but sunshine ahead (if the forecasters are to be believed), with sun and few clouds littering the skies all the way through Sunday.

Circuit map

Just like last season, there are two DRS zones around the Monza circuit, each with their own activation point. It was the first time this had been tried in 2011, with other double DRS attempts featuring just the one activation marker. It works well the Monza way, but there are still plenty of debates to be had over whether two DRS zones are better than one.

The first zone is around the final corner, with activation coming down the home straight, whilst the second zone is at the equal and opposite end of the circuit. Look for overtaking moves aplenty this weekend.

The circuit

The history of the Monza circuit oozes from the very tarmac, and there's a special feeling throughout the paddock that reaches to the fans both present and watching at home. As one of the few truly high-speed circuits left on the calendar, the Italian Grand Prix presents its own unique challenges. Pole position can be a deciding factor, and Saturday can be just as important as the race on Sunday.

For 2012, there have been no massive changes to the circuit itself, but some of the surrounding areas have been tweaked. The wall at Turn One has been moved towards the track with more marshalling now available at that first corner. There's also been some resurfacing works, particularly at turns 10 and 11.

Naturally, Ferrari get a lot of support around the circuit with the Italian fans coming in their droves to cheer on the red team. Toro Rosso may have support to a lesser extent. There's also a tenuous link for Lotus, who have half-Belgian, half-Italian Jérôme D'Ambrosio on their books for one-race only. I wouldn't normally pander to such links, but he did miss out on his home event by just one week.

Tyre compounds

Just like last weekend's race in Belgium, Pirelli have opted to bring the hard and medium compounds to the track in Italy. Also, just like in Spa, they are making a change from last year's tyre choices, moving from the soft and medium to the current selection. The tyres didn't seem to have too big an impact on the racing in Spa, with some drivers even considering one-stop strategies. What might we see this weekend?

Strategy turned out to be a key ingredient to success last year, with the podium places only decided on the final lap, and we would expect the same again this year. With the cars at full throttle for so long, it’s hard for anybody to gain a big lead unless they use strategy to their advantage.

- Paul Hembery

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process was changed last year to include a former F1 driver to give added insight. These are the stewards overseeing this weekend's action.