Italian Grand Prix History, facts and stats | Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Monza’s original circuit layout stretched to over 10km and included a 5.5km road section broadly similar to today’s layout plus a 4.5km loop, which was redeveloped into a high-speed banked oval in the 1950s. 

History:

The oldest circuit on the current Formula 1 calendar, Monza’s history dates back to 1922 when it hosted the Italian Grand Prix for the first time.

Monza is one of four current Formula 1 circuits that formed part of the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship in 1950 and since then, the circuit has only been absent once – in 1980, when the Italian Grand Prix was held at Imola. The 10km layout of the circuit including the banked oval was used for four races in the late 1950s before the organizers reverted to the shorter layout over safety concerns following several fatal accidents. Further circuit alterations have taken place over the years to reduce speeds at Monza, including the addition of the Variante del Rettifilo and Variante Ascari chicanes.

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Set on the grounds of the largest city park in Europe, Monza has a special home in the hearts of F1 fans, not least the fanatical local ‘Tifosi’, most of whom support Ferrari. The circuit has a grandstand capacity of just over 50,000 fans and can accommodate well over 100,000 fans including general admission areas. A new 3-year deal to keep the Italian Grand Prix at Monza until 2019 was signed in 2016, and the deal was renewed in 2019, keeping the race at the track until the end of 2024. With the 2020 Italian Grand Prix being held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, the deal was extended from May 2020 to 2025.

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Facts:

• Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the record for the most wins at Monza with five apiece.

• Ferrari is the most successful team at Monza, having won the race 20 times, the most recent of which was with Charles Leclerc in 2019.

• Sebastian Vettel’s surprise win at Monza in 2008 for Toro Rosso made him the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix (at the time), aged 21 years, 2 months, and 11 days old.

• At the Italian Grand Prix in 2020, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest ever lap in a Formula 1 car, with an average speed on his pole lap of 264.363 km/h.

• The circuit is unique on the current Formula 1 calendar for its mix of long straights and slow chicanes. The low downforce circuit puts strain on engines, which are on full power for 80% of the lap, and gearboxes, which are used heavily in the chicanes.

• Giuseppe Farina won the first ever Drivers’ Championship at the track in 1950. He remains the only driver to have won the title on home soil.

• The Italian Grand Prix is usually the shortest all season. The 2003 race at Monza holds the record for the shortest F1 race to reach full distance, with Michael Schumacher winning in a time of just over 74 minutes.

• In 2019, Antonio Giovinazzi became the first Italian driver to compete in his home race since Jarno Trulli and Vitantonio Liuzzi competed in the 2011 Italian Grand Prix. Giovinazzi also became the first Italian to score at Monza since Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella finished in the points in 2006.

• Daniel Ricciardo’s victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix was the first time that McLaren won a race since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. With Lando Norris in second place, it was the team’s first 1-2 result since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix. 

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Stats:

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