Italy preview quotes: McLaren

"With this small amount of downforce, you then have to adapt areas such as braking stability and mechanical balance to get good grip in the corners, because the lack of downforce means the car has very little. We spent time testing these on the track this week, and we had some good feedback so I feel positive going into the race. It is a challenge, but it is a special circuit and it is a great feeling to race here.

"Last year did not give me any good memories, but it is a track that I would really like to win at so hopefully we can make that happen in 2007. The track is very famous for the Parabolica corner, alongside all the straights. It is flat out, and you really have to be on the edge and push the car hard, which is a real feeling of risk because of the light handling of the car. To get a quick lap time here, you have to be strong through Parabolica as it takes you back onto the longest straight of them all over the start / finish line."

Lewis Hamilton: "Monza is a very historic circuit, so it is quite special when you go there for any driver. It is a great track, you have the long, long straights and some great high speed corners. I had my first race there last year in GP2 and it was a very memorable weekend because it was where I won the Championship.

"I also had an awesome battle with Giorgio Pantano for the whole of the Sunday race, which was one of the most enjoyable for me all year. Hopefully this year I will have just as good a race and great memories for the future.

"I remember it is not an easy track to get a good set-up at, so the test this week was very useful. It is really tough on the cars, and you have to use the kerbs a lot to get quick lap times. Because of this we have a softer suspension package to make the car ride over them better so we can use them more and in a bid to avoid any damage. Slowing the cars down with the incredibly low downforce is not easy, and the balance under braking is key. This was another area we worked on in the test."

Martin Whitmarsh: "Whilst we are arriving in Monza leading both Championships, we are more than aware they are both still very open. There are a lot of points to be won over the next six weeks and the determination within Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to take as many as possible is massive. Monza is very individual in terms of characteristics and with this in mind, the test this week has enabled the successful proving process of a number of key components and we are feeling cautiously optimistic going into this race."

Norbert Haug: "With average lap speeds of around 250 km/h and a top speed of approximately 340 km/h at the end of the start-and-finish straight, Monza is the Formula 1 circuit on the calendar on which the highest speeds are attained. At around 80 percent, Monza also has the highest full-throttle proportion per lap of all Formula 1 racetracks; however, the following race will challenge the engines even more.

"As scheduled, we will start in Monza with a new engine in both cars, which, according to the rules, is designed to be used in Spa as well. The combination of these two circuits is the highest expected strain for an engine so far since the new V8 engine generation has been introduced last year. Our tests in Monza this week have been very positive; we have been fast, consistent and reliable."