Cosworth to the max for Monza.

WilliamsF1 engine partner Cosworth will wind up its V8s to the maximum this weekend as it seeks to end the European leg of the Formula One season on a high at Monza.

Although the team has suffered something of a nightmare in terms of reliability this season, few problems have been directly attributable to Cosworth, and the engine builder now feels confident enough in its product to produce the highest-revving unit of the year for the fastest circuit on the schedule.

"In terms of engines, Monza is the most demanding circuit in Formula One and Cosworth typically uses this track as the basis for the endurance tests routinely run on our Northampton test cells," head of F1 race engineering Simon Corbyn explained.

"At last week's test with Williams, we completed the final validation of a very aggressive duty cycle on the latest Series 6 engines, and this will now be available for both Mark [Webber] and Nico [Rosberg] at the Italian Grand Prix. We will be able to run maximum engine performance, including the 20,000rpm rev limit, for all key laps in qualifying, and for a significant fraction of the race."

With the deadline looming for the FIA's 'engine freeze' fast approaching, Corbyn is confident that the Monza-spec engine will for a successful basis for the unit that will continue to power F1 cars - albeit not Toyota-bound Williams - in the next few seasons.

"Cosworth has pushed hard to successfully approve and introduce the best possible engine specification for the forthcoming race, and also in readiness for the impending FIA engine homologation deadline," he confirmed, with a little tinkering time before the Shanghai deadline remaining.