In a nutshell: which tyres for the Italian GP?

©WRI

It's on to the temple of speed, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, one of the fastest circuits on the F1 schedule, and one of only four venues to remain on the calendar since the sport's inaugural season in 1950.

Pirelli hasn't changed its selection for this year's race, sticking to a medium, soft and supersoft combo, although as we all know now the compounds are one step softer compared to last year.

"At Monza we have the same nomination as Belgium the weekend before: another rapid and historic Formula 1 venue," says Pirelli's Mario Isola.

"Monza is all about longitudinal rather than lateral forces though, where engine power also plays an important part.

"The latest generation of cars means that speeds will be generally even higher, while the compound nomination is effectively one step softer this season.

"It’s going to be interesting to see which effect this has, at a race that has always been won with a one-stopper over the past few years," adds the Italian.

"Although qualifying well at Monza is historically important, Daniel Ricciardo’s impressive performance last year showed how strategy can make a vital difference.

'We’ve already seen plenty of variation in the tyres that the teams have selected for the weekend, which demonstrates some different schools of thought when it comes to tyre strategy."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter