Formula One news

BMW newcomers excited about Monza

BMW's young guns Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel have caught the attention of critics and fans alike with their impressive debuts - Kubica has qualified in the top ten in his first two races and Vettel went quickest in Friday testing at Istanbul.

The German carmaker has been making a name for itself as a talent-spotting team and both drivers will be hoping to continue to show their worth at F1's fastest track next weekend at Monza.

With no Grand Prix in Poland, Monza is the closest Kubica will come to a home Grand Prix having spent most of his earlier career there.

"Monza is a track I know very well and like a lot," said the Polish driver.

"I lived in Italy for many years, so I suppose I could claim this as a home race. The Italians love their motor racing, and this is where I learnt my racecraft from the age of 13."

Sebastian Vettel, on the other hand, found getting to grips with the low downforce track quite a challenging experience at this week's Monza test.

"During testing I didn't like the Monza circuit at all at first - I found it quite difficult to find the braking points," said the German.

"But once I had sorted that out, I got to like it more and more. Some of the turns are fantastic, even though it isn't easy to get them right with the low-downforce configuration. What was also unfamiliar to me was the wild way you have to ride over the kerbs."

However the 19-year-old believes the steep learning curve would have done him good.

"Testing so soon before a GP weekend will make my work as the Friday driver a bit easier as we will have fresh data."

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