Heading to Monza in 2010, Lewis Hamilton held a slim three-point advantage on Mark Webber, with Sebastian Vettel 31 points adrift of the McLaren driver in third. Webber is again second this season as teams pack for Italy, but he trails Vettel by 92 points.

The competition, including McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, have admitted that any chance of beating Vettel and Red Bull for the title is ambitious at this point, but races are still crucial for the remainder of the season as they provide an excellent opportunity to continue 2012 car developments.

Ferrari is another top competitor that has turned an eye to 2012, and after a poor showing at Spa, will be looking to shine in front of its home fans.

The most successful constructor in F1 history has often struggled to match the pace of Red Bull and McLaren this season, especially at the beginning of the year.

The lone highlight thus far has come in Silverstone, when Fernando Alonso took the victory after gaining an advantage over Vettel in the pits. The good news for Ferrari is that Monza is next, a track that the marque has called home in more ways than one.

Not only is the historic track only a few hours from Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, but it's also been quite the welcoming host, as Ferrari has won at Monza 18 times over the years. That's the most victories by any constructor at any track in Formula One history.

Ferrari has also notched 19 poles, nearly double that of the next-closest competitor, and has 37 more podium finishes at Monza than any other team. While Alonso is not the favorite entering this event, he did complete the hat trick here last year (pole, win and fastest lap) and does have four podiums in his last five races overall.

Recent winners here have not had momentum entering, however. Last year, Alonso's victory in Italy came immediately after a retirement in Spa.

In 2009, Rubens Barrichello was coming off a seventh-place result in Belgium, a race where a near stall on the starting grid cost him numerous positions. He spent the rest of the day fighting to make up ground.

Monza has not been much of a fortune teller recently either, as the race winner has failed to win the championship at the end of the season in each of the past seven events.

The last driver to claim both the Italian Grand Prix and the eventual championship was Michael Schumacher in 2003. In fact, he's the only driver in the last 20 years to win both Monza and the eventual world title, having done so twice.

While the high-banked turns have not been used for decades, Monza is still one of the fastest circuits in existence, as Mercedes-Benz Motorsport vice president Norbert Haug detailed to reporters recently.

"Monza features the highest straightline speeds of the year at around 350 kph, the highest average lap speed and, at 83 percent, the highest percentage of the lap spent at full throttle -- not for nothing is it known as a 'temple of speed.' " Haug said. "The engine and KERS system will play an important role at this circuit, but it is equally important to develop an effective low-drag aerodynamic package and to make sure the car feels stable on the brakes."

With two DRS zones and detection points in play at the Italian Grand Prix, it's going to be very difficult for drivers to keep others in their rear view mirror, if not close to impossible at times.

While the track is fairly narrow, there are several great passing opportunities, including after the start/finish line as well as prior to Turns 8 and 11.