Italian GP: Sauber preview quotes

Esteban Gutierrez: "Monza is a great track, and very different to Spa. It's important to consider that. Coming from a track like Spa, we need to adapt to Monza in terms of driving style, strategy and set-up. It will be a crucial weekend, because stability in slow corners is important and, unfortunately, this is where we've been struggling. We have to focus on that and try to improve. My favourite part of the track is the Variante Ascari, a left-right-left combination. It's very quick, you have to get the right line, react quickly to the kerbs and the bumps, and it's fun. Our pace is good, but now we need to complement that with the right decisions. I have great memories of Monza, as I won the Formula BMW and GP3 titles there. I remember very well my pole position lap there in GP3, this point made the difference and I went on to win the championship, so it was very special."

Tom McCullough, head of track engineering: "Monza is a unique challenge for the drivers and engineers as the circuit efficiency requires our lowest drag configuration of the season. The track is well known for its long straights. The majority of the grip-limited time comes from medium-speed cornering and two lower-speed chicanes. The track is pretty bumpy in some areas and you need to be able to use the kerbs, so the ride quality is also an important factor. The track tends to favour strategies with less stops because of the low fuel effect and the time you lose in the pit lane. We have some further developments to be tested. Again, Pirelli has selected the medium and hard tyre compounds. Coming from Spa we are confident we can fight for points in this final European race."