Lee McKenzie: Monza is always special

As Formula 1 leaves Europe and heads on a whistle-stop tour around the world, I've already started the endurance run of long-haul flights.

I'm writing this from a plane - my third in 12 hours - and that's why I'll start by apologising for my column being slightly late.

You see, you may think the life of a pitlane reporter is one of glamour and excitement, but my explanation of how I spent the last 12 hours may change your mind!

McKenzie speaks to Jaime Alguersuari at Monza © sutton-images.com

After a long, hard slog in the blazing sunshine of Monza, there was the usual F1 charge to the airport.

At 11pm I touched down at Luton from Milan, headed to Heathrow and slept for three hours before heading for Frankfurt to then fly to Caracas, which is where I'm heading now to film with Pastor Maldonado, who is a huge star in his home country.

By Friday morning I will be back in the UK, and in a week I'll be en route to Singapore. I don't expect sympathy... I'm just keeping you up-to-date!

Monza is always such a big weekend; you leave there pretty tired. Maybe it's a combination of the atmosphere, the fans, the constant stream of stories that develop and one of the busiest, most bustling paddocks of the year.

We say goodbye to the many people and team personnel who only come to the European races. It's farewell to the lovely, accommodating, ridiculously lavish and oddly named motorhomes, the 'brand centres' and 'energy stations'.

It's also where we say goodbye to the BBC office, our slightly less glamorous motorhome - but our home from home - where we work and where the programmes you watch are made. We say hello to that again in Europe next May.

As you drive through the leafy park, trying not to run over the fans in red as they wander along the roads, reminiscing of wins gone by and imagining the wins of the future, the end of the Italian Grand Prix always means one thing: we are getting to the sharp end of the championship.

As we head into the dark skies and bright lights of Singapore, the slingshot circuit of Suzuka and the unknown of the Indian Grand Prix, the world's fastest drivers are coming closer to the end of another season, and only one person will have had his dreams fulfilled.

It seems foolish to say that person will be anyone other than Sebastian Vettel.

Jenson Button told me this weekend that, as a former world champion, he takes no pleasure in racing for second place in the points. Double championship winner Fernando Alonso said something similar.

The only thing they want to do is treat every race as an individual battle and come out as the victor as many times this year as possible.

As Vettel heads closer to the title, his racing is becoming more daring. His blast past Alonso after the safety car period at Monza showed his aggression and desire to win, and that he won't simply play it safe and settle for the points.

The tifosi make Monza special © sutton-images.com

Anyone who reckoned Sebastian could only win from the front was left reconsidering that thought!

When the championship is decided, will people stop watching the rest of this season's races?

Not if they have any sense - much of the best racing has gone on behind the man romping away at the front, and that's not going to stop just because he's the proud owner of a championship trophy!

Besides, we might have left the familiarity of the European tracks behind, but we are returning to some great, great venues.

Suzuka and Brazil never disappoint and the fans there are as passionate as you'll find anywhere in the world.

And what about Venezuela? Well, I have no idea yet and won't until I get off this plane in another seven hours.

The big decision for me now is what to watch first: a half-hour special titled Sebastian Vettel - F1's Youngest World Champion, or Pirates of the Caribbean (okay, I know!).

I also know that Sebastian has the Pirates soundtrack on his iPod, so I'm not being disloyal. He won't mind not being first... for once!