Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Encyclopedia
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track
located near the town of Monza
, north of Milan
, in Italy
. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One
Italian Grand Prix
, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception.
Built in the Royal Villa of Monza park in a woodland setting, the site has three tracks – the 5.793 kilometres (3.6 mi) Grand Prix
track, the 2.405 kilometres (1.494 mi) Junior track, and a decaying 4.25 kilometres (2.641 mi) high speed track with steep bankings. Major features of the main track include the Curva di Lesmo, the Curva Parabolica, and the Variante Ascari. The high speed curve, Curva Grande, is located after a slow corner, but usually taken flat out by Grand Prix cars.
Drivers are on full throttle for most of the lap due to its long straights and fast corners, and is usually the scenario in which the open-wheeled F1 cars show the raw speed
they are capable of (372 kilometres per hour (231 mph) during the V10 engine
d formula). The circuit is generally flat, but has a gradual gradient from the second Lesmos to the Variante Ascari. Due to the low aerodynamic
profile needed, with its resulting low downforce
, the grip is very low; understeer
is a more serious issues than at other circuits, however, the opposite effect, oversteer, is also present in the second sector, requiring the use of a very distinctive opposite lock
technique. Since both maximum power
, and minimal drag is the key for speed on the straights, only competitors with enough power at their disposal are able to challenge for the top places.
In addition to Formula One, the circuit hosts an endurance event, the 1000 km Monza, which has been run as part of the World Sportscar Championship
and the Le Mans Series
. Monza also featured the unique Race of Two Worlds
events, which attempted to run Formula One and United States Auto Club National Championship
cars against each other, and previously held rounds of Grand Prix motorcycle racing
, in the Italian motorcycle Grand Prix
. Current major events are races of the World Touring Car Championship
and the Superbike World Championship
, as well as various local championship races.
The Monza circuit has been the arena of many fatal accidents, especially in the early years of the Formula One world championship, and has claimed the lives of 52 drivers and 35 spectators. Track modifications have continuously occurred, to improve spectators safety and reduce curve speeds, but it is still criticised by the current drivers for its lack of run-off areas, most notoriously at the chicane that cuts the Variante della Roggia.
The first track was built from May to July 1922 by 3,500 workers, financed by the Milan Automobile Club – which created the Società Incremento Automobilismo e Sport (SIAS) (English: Automobile Sport and Encouragement Company) to run the track. The initial form was a 3.4 square kilometres (1.31 sq mi) site with 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of macadam
ised road – comprising a 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) loop track, and a 5.5 kilometres (3.42 mi) road track. The track was officially opened on 3 September 1922, with the maiden race the second Italian Grand Prix held on 10 September 1922.
In 1928, the most serious Italian racing accident to date ended in the death of driver Emilio Materassi
and 27 spectators at that year's Grand Prix. The accident led to further Grand Prix races confinement to the high-speed loop until 1932. The 1933 race was marked by the deaths of three drivers and the Grand Prix layout was changed, with two chicanes added and the longer straights removed.
There was major rebuilding in 1938–39, constructing new stands and entrances, resurfacing the track, moving portions of the track and adding two new bends. The resulting layout gave a Grand Prix lap of 6.3 kilometres (3.91 mi), in use until 1954. The outbreak of World War II meant racing at the track was suspended until 1948, and parts of the circuit degraded due to the lack of attention. Monza was renovated over a period of two months at the beginning of 1948, and a Grand Prix was held on 17 October 1948.
The Automobile Club of Italy held 500 miles (805 km) Race of Two Worlds
exhibition competitions, intended to pit United States Auto Club IndyCar
s against European Formula One and sports cars. The races were held on the oval at the end of June in 1957 and 1958, with three 63 lap 267.67 kilometres (166.32 mi) heat races each year, races which colloquially became known as the Monzanapolis series. However, concerns were raised among the European drivers that flat-out racing on the banking would be too dangerous, so ultimately only Ecurie Ecosse
and Maserati
represented European racing at the first running. The American teams had brought special Firestone
tyres with them, reinforced to withstand high-speed running on the bumpy Monza surface, but the Maseratis' steering was badly affected by the larger-than-usual tyre size, leading to the Modena
-based team withdrawal. Ecurie Ecosse's three Jaguar D-type
sports cars used their Le Mans
-specification tyres with no ill-effects, but were completely out paced. Two heats in 1957 were won by Jimmy Bryan
in his Kuzma
-Offenhauser
Dean Van Lines Special, and the last by Troy Ruttman
in the Watson
-Offenhauser
John Zink Special. In 1958, works Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati teams appeared alongside the Indy roadsters, but once again the American cars dominated the event and Jim Rathmann
won the three races in a Watson
-Offenhauser
car.
Formula One used the 10 kilometres (6.214 mi) high speed track in 1955
, 1956
, 1960
and 1961
Grands Prix. Stirling Moss
and Phil Hill
both won twice in this period, with Hill's win at Monza making him the first American to win a Formula One race. The 1961 race saw the death of Wolfgang von Trips and fifteen spectators, when a collision with Jim Clark
's Lotus
sent von Trips car airborne and into the barriers on Parabolica. Although the accident did not occur on the oval section of the track, the high speeds were deemed unsafe and F1 use of the oval was ended; future Grands Prix were held on the shorter road circuit, with the banking appearing one last time in the film Grand Prix. New safety walls, rails and fences were added before the next race, and the refuelling area was moved further from the track. Chicanes were added before both bankings in 1966, and another fatality in the 1968 1000 km Monza race led to run-off areas added to the curves, with the track layout changing the next year to incorporate permanent chicanes before the banked curves – extending the track length by 100 metres (328 ft). The banking held the last race in 1969 with the 1000 km of Monza, the event moving to the road circuit the next year. The banking still exists, albeit in a decayed state in the years since the last race, escaping demolition in the 1990s.
were regular attractions at Monza, but as the speed of the machines were increasing, two chicane
s- the Curva Grande at the end of the start/finish straight, and the Ascari, were added in 1972 to reduce racing speeds. This resulted in a new circuit length of 5.755 kilometres (3.576 mi). Grand Prix motorcycles continued to use the un-slowed road track until two serious accidents resulted in five deaths, including Renzo Pasolini
and Jarno Saarinen
, in 1973, and motorcycle racing did not return to Monza until 1981. These races involved drivers constantly slipstreaming competing cars, which produced several close finishes, such as in 1967
, 1969
, and 1971
; the last year the Italian Grand Prix was run at Monza without chicanes.
The 1972 chicanes were soon seen to be ineffective at slowing cars; the Vialone was remade in 1974, the other, Curve Grande in 1976, and a third also added in 1976 before the Lesmo, with extended run-off areas. The Grand Prix lap after these alterations was increased to 5.8 kilometres (3.604 mi) long.
With technology still increasing vehicle speeds, the track was modified again in 1979, with added kerbs, extended run-off areas, and tyre-barriers improved, to improve safety for drivers off the track. The infrastructure was also improved, with pits able to accommodate 46 cars, and an upgraded paddock and scrutineering facilities. These changes encouraged world championship motorcycling to return in 1981, but further safety work was undertaken through the 1980s. Also in the 1980s the podium, paddock and pits complex, stands, and camp site were either rebuilt or improved.
In the safety conscious years following the death of Ayrton Senna
in 1994 (albeit at a different track), the three main long curves were "squeezed" in order to install larger gravel traps, shortening the lap to 5.77 kilometres (3.585 mi). In 1997 the stands were reworked to expand capacity to 51,000. In 2000, the chicane
on the main straight was altered, changing from a double left-right chicane to a single right-left chicane, in an attempt to reduce the frequent accidents at the starts due to the conformation of the braking area, although it is still deemed unsafe in terms of motorcycle racing. The second chicane was also re-profiled. In the Formula 1 Grand Prix of the same year, the first to use these new chicanes, a marshal, Paolo Gislimberti, was killed by flying debris after a big pileup in the second chicane.
In 2007, the run off area at the second chicane was changed from gravel to asphalt. The length of the track in its current configuration is 5.793 kilometres (3.6 mi). At the 2010 Monza Superbike World Championship round
, Italian rider Max Biaggi
set the fastest ever motorcycle lap of Monza when he rode his Aprilia RSV4 1000 F
to pole position in a time of 1:42.121. In the Superpole qualification for the 2011 race, he improved on this lap time, for a new lap record of 1:41.745 and his speed was captured at 205+ MPH. This contrasts to the fastest ever Formula One lap of Monza in its current configuration, set at the 2004 Italian Grand Prix, when Rubens Barrichello
drove his Ferrari F2004
to a time of 1:20.089. This ~20-second discrepancy between race motorcycle and Formula 1 car speeds is attributed to the difference in size of the tyre contact patch and the fact that motorcycles cannot generate high lateral 'G' forces.
Monza consists of very long straights and tight chicanes, putting a premium on good braking stability and traction. The circuit, of 5.793 kilometres (3.6 mi), is very hard on gearboxes, with many gear changes per lap. Formula 1 engines are at full throttle for nearly 80% of the lap, with engine failures common, notably Fernando Alonso
in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix
.
Formula One cars are set up with minimal wing angle, to ensure the lowest level of drag on the straights. There are only 3 proper corners at Monza, the two Lesmos and the Parabolica, so cars are set up with maximum performance on the straights.
Cars approach the first corner at 340 kilometres per hour (211.3 mph) in seventh gear, and brake at about 120 metres (393.7 ft) before the first chicane – the Variante del Rettifilo, entering at 86 kilometres per hour (53.4 mph) in first gear, and exiting at 74 kilometres per hour (46 mph) in second gear. This is the scene of many first lap accidents. Higher kerbs at the first two chicanes were installed in 2009 to prevent cutting.
It is important to accelerate out of the first chicane as straight as possible and with minimal wheelspin
, as a lot of time will be lost through the Curva Grande down to the Variante della Roggia chicane in 7th gear, at 330 kilometres per hour (205.1 mph). The braking point is just under the bridge. The kerbs are very vicious, and it is very easy for a car to spin as Kimi Räikkönen
did in 2005. This chicane is probably the best overtaking chance on the lap, as it is the only one with the "slow corner, long straight, slow corner", one of the characteristics of the modern circuits.
The Curva di Lesmo are two corners that are not as fast as they used to be, but are still challenging corners. The first is blind, entered at 264 kilometres per hour (164 mph) 5th gear, and dropping to 4th gear at 193 kilometres per hour (119.9 mph), and has a slight banking. The second is 5th gear entry at 260 kilometres per hour (161.6 mph), apexing in 3rd gear at 178 kilometres per hour (110.6 mph), and very important and all the kerb is used. A mistake at one of these corners will either result in a spin into the gravel, or an overtaking move into the Variante Ascari chicane.
The downhill straight down to the Variante Ascari chicane is very bumpy under the bridge. The Variante Ascari chicane is a very tricky sequence of corners, and is key to the lap time.
The final challenge is the Curva Parabolica, approaching at 335 kilometres per hour (208.2 mph) in 7th gear, cars quickly dance around the corner, apexing in fourth gear at 215 kilometres per hour (133.6 mph), and exiting in 5th gear at 285 kilometres per hour (177.1 mph) accelerating onto the main start/finish straight. A good exit and slipstream off a fellow driver along the main straight could produce an overtaking opportunity under heavy braking into the Variante del Rettifilio chicane, however it is difficult to follow a leading car closely through the Parabolica as the tow will reduce downforce and cornering speed.
Maximum speed achieved in a 2009 Formula One car is 340 kilometres per hour (211.3 mph), achieved at the end of the start/finish straight. They achieve a maximum g-force
of 3.80 through turn 7, the second Lesmo.
Rubens Barrichello
recorded the fastest ever pole position lap at Monza in 2004 when he lapped in 1m20.089s, 161.802 mph. But in the pre-qualifying session for the same race (which did not count for a grid position but only Q-running order), Juan Pablo Montoya
lapped the track in 1m19.525s (162.949 mph) which remains the fastest lap ever recorded in an F1 car.
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
located near the town of Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
, north of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception.
Built in the Royal Villa of Monza park in a woodland setting, the site has three tracks – the 5.793 kilometres (3.6 mi) Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
track, the 2.405 kilometres (1.494 mi) Junior track, and a decaying 4.25 kilometres (2.641 mi) high speed track with steep bankings. Major features of the main track include the Curva di Lesmo, the Curva Parabolica, and the Variante Ascari. The high speed curve, Curva Grande, is located after a slow corner, but usually taken flat out by Grand Prix cars.
Drivers are on full throttle for most of the lap due to its long straights and fast corners, and is usually the scenario in which the open-wheeled F1 cars show the raw speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
they are capable of (372 kilometres per hour (231 mph) during the V10 engine
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...
d formula). The circuit is generally flat, but has a gradual gradient from the second Lesmos to the Variante Ascari. Due to the low aerodynamic
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
profile needed, with its resulting low downforce
Downforce
Downforce is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of downforce is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip....
, the grip is very low; understeer
Understeer
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Simply put, oversteer is what occurs when a car turns by more than the amount commanded by the driver...
is a more serious issues than at other circuits, however, the opposite effect, oversteer, is also present in the second sector, requiring the use of a very distinctive opposite lock
Opposite lock
Opposite lock, also commonly known as counter-steering, is a colloquial term used to mean the steering associated with the deliberate use of oversteer to turn a vehicle rapidly without losing momentum. It is typified by the classic rallying style of rear-wheel drive cars, where a car appears to...
technique. Since both maximum power
Power (physics)
In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit...
, and minimal drag is the key for speed on the straights, only competitors with enough power at their disposal are able to challenge for the top places.
In addition to Formula One, the circuit hosts an endurance event, the 1000 km Monza, which has been run as part of the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
and the Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
. Monza also featured the unique Race of Two Worlds
Race of Two Worlds
The Race of Two Worlds, also known as the 500 Miglia di Monza , was an automobile race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy in 1957 and again in 1958...
events, which attempted to run Formula One and United States Auto Club National Championship
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
cars against each other, and previously held rounds of Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
, in the Italian motorcycle Grand Prix
Italian motorcycle Grand Prix
The Italian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. From 1949 to 1990 the event was known as the Nations Grand Prix. It was one of the original rounds of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing calendar. The race was held exclusively at Monza...
. Current major events are races of the World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
and the Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
, as well as various local championship races.
The Monza circuit has been the arena of many fatal accidents, especially in the early years of the Formula One world championship, and has claimed the lives of 52 drivers and 35 spectators. Track modifications have continuously occurred, to improve spectators safety and reduce curve speeds, but it is still criticised by the current drivers for its lack of run-off areas, most notoriously at the chicane that cuts the Variante della Roggia.
Early history
Macadam
Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point...
ised road – comprising a 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) loop track, and a 5.5 kilometres (3.42 mi) road track. The track was officially opened on 3 September 1922, with the maiden race the second Italian Grand Prix held on 10 September 1922.
In 1928, the most serious Italian racing accident to date ended in the death of driver Emilio Materassi
Emilio Materassi
Emilio Materassi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Early life:Born in Borgo San Lorenzo, near Florence, Italy, Emilio began working in a bicycle shop, learning the basics of applied mechanics...
and 27 spectators at that year's Grand Prix. The accident led to further Grand Prix races confinement to the high-speed loop until 1932. The 1933 race was marked by the deaths of three drivers and the Grand Prix layout was changed, with two chicanes added and the longer straights removed.
There was major rebuilding in 1938–39, constructing new stands and entrances, resurfacing the track, moving portions of the track and adding two new bends. The resulting layout gave a Grand Prix lap of 6.3 kilometres (3.91 mi), in use until 1954. The outbreak of World War II meant racing at the track was suspended until 1948, and parts of the circuit degraded due to the lack of attention. Monza was renovated over a period of two months at the beginning of 1948, and a Grand Prix was held on 17 October 1948.
High speed oval
In 1954, work began to entirely revamp the circuit, resulting in a 5.75 kilometres (3.573 mi) course, and a new 4.25 kilometres (2.641 mi) high-speed oval with banked sopraelevata curves. The two circuits could be combined to re-create the former 10 kilometres (6.214 mi) long circuit, with cars running parallel on the main straight. The track infrastructure was also updated and improved, to better accommodate the teams and spectators.The Automobile Club of Italy held 500 miles (805 km) Race of Two Worlds
Race of Two Worlds
The Race of Two Worlds, also known as the 500 Miglia di Monza , was an automobile race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy in 1957 and again in 1958...
exhibition competitions, intended to pit United States Auto Club IndyCar
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
s against European Formula One and sports cars. The races were held on the oval at the end of June in 1957 and 1958, with three 63 lap 267.67 kilometres (166.32 mi) heat races each year, races which colloquially became known as the Monzanapolis series. However, concerns were raised among the European drivers that flat-out racing on the banking would be too dangerous, so ultimately only Ecurie Ecosse
Ecurie Ecosse
Ecurie Ecosse was a motor racing team from Scotland. The team was founded in 1952 by Edinburgh businessman and racing driver David Murray and mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson, its most notable achievement was winning both the 1956 and 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team also raced in three Formula One races...
and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
represented European racing at the first running. The American teams had brought special Firestone
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
tyres with them, reinforced to withstand high-speed running on the bumpy Monza surface, but the Maseratis' steering was badly affected by the larger-than-usual tyre size, leading to the Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
-based team withdrawal. Ecurie Ecosse's three Jaguar D-type
Jaguar D-type
The Jaguar D-Type, like its predecessor the C-Type, was a factory-built race car. Although it shared the basic straight-6 XK engine design with the C-Type, the majority of the car was radically different...
sports cars used their Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
-specification tyres with no ill-effects, but were completely out paced. Two heats in 1957 were won by Jimmy Bryan
Jimmy Bryan
James Ernest Bryan was an American racecar driver. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway.-Career:...
in his Kuzma
Kuzma (constructor)
Kuzma was a racing car constructor founded by Eddie Kuzma in the USA. Kuzma cars competed in the FIA World Championship from 1951 to 1960.-World Championship Indy 500 results:Note: all cars were fitted with Offenhauser engines....
-Offenhauser
Offenhauser
Offenhauser was an American racing engine manufacturer that operated from 1933 to 1983.The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer Harry Arminius Miller, after maintaining and repairing a 1913 Peugeot Grand Prix car of the type which...
Dean Van Lines Special, and the last by Troy Ruttman
Troy Ruttman
Troy Ruttman was an American race car driver. He was the older brother of NASCAR driver Joe Ruttman.Ruttman won the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, and , he is the youngest winner of the race....
in the Watson
A. J. Watson
A. J. Watson was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race seven times, which leaves him tied for the record for most wins by a builder....
-Offenhauser
Offenhauser
Offenhauser was an American racing engine manufacturer that operated from 1933 to 1983.The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer Harry Arminius Miller, after maintaining and repairing a 1913 Peugeot Grand Prix car of the type which...
John Zink Special. In 1958, works Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati teams appeared alongside the Indy roadsters, but once again the American cars dominated the event and Jim Rathmann
Jim Rathmann
Jim Rathmann was an American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960....
won the three races in a Watson
A. J. Watson
A. J. Watson was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race seven times, which leaves him tied for the record for most wins by a builder....
-Offenhauser
Offenhauser
Offenhauser was an American racing engine manufacturer that operated from 1933 to 1983.The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer Harry Arminius Miller, after maintaining and repairing a 1913 Peugeot Grand Prix car of the type which...
car.
Formula One used the 10 kilometres (6.214 mi) high speed track in 1955
1955 Italian Grand Prix
The 1955 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 11 September 1955. It was the seventh and final round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:46.5...
, 1956
1956 Italian Grand Prix
The 1956 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 2 September 1956 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship....
, 1960
1960 Italian Grand Prix
The 1960 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 4, 1960. The race was won by American driver Phil Hill driving a Ferrari 246 F1.-Race Summary :...
and 1961
1961 Italian Grand Prix
The 1961 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 10 September 1961 at Monza.The race was marked by one of the most terrible accidents in the history of Formula One, when on the end of lap 2 at the approach to the Parabolica the German driver Wolfgang von Trips lost control of his Ferrari...
Grands Prix. Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
and Phil Hill
Phil Hill
Philip Toll Hill, Jr., was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero...
both won twice in this period, with Hill's win at Monza making him the first American to win a Formula One race. The 1961 race saw the death of Wolfgang von Trips and fifteen spectators, when a collision with Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
's Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
sent von Trips car airborne and into the barriers on Parabolica. Although the accident did not occur on the oval section of the track, the high speeds were deemed unsafe and F1 use of the oval was ended; future Grands Prix were held on the shorter road circuit, with the banking appearing one last time in the film Grand Prix. New safety walls, rails and fences were added before the next race, and the refuelling area was moved further from the track. Chicanes were added before both bankings in 1966, and another fatality in the 1968 1000 km Monza race led to run-off areas added to the curves, with the track layout changing the next year to incorporate permanent chicanes before the banked curves – extending the track length by 100 metres (328 ft). The banking held the last race in 1969 with the 1000 km of Monza, the event moving to the road circuit the next year. The banking still exists, albeit in a decayed state in the years since the last race, escaping demolition in the 1990s.
Circuit changes and modernisation
Both car and Grand Prix motorcycle racingGrand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
were regular attractions at Monza, but as the speed of the machines were increasing, two chicane
Chicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
s- the Curva Grande at the end of the start/finish straight, and the Ascari, were added in 1972 to reduce racing speeds. This resulted in a new circuit length of 5.755 kilometres (3.576 mi). Grand Prix motorcycles continued to use the un-slowed road track until two serious accidents resulted in five deaths, including Renzo Pasolini
Renzo Pasolini
Renzo Pasolini , nicknamed "Paso", was a popular Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer in the 1960s.His unpredictable and unrehearsed racing style made him a crowd favourite...
and Jarno Saarinen
Jarno Saarinen
Jarno Karl Keimo Saarinen was a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is the only Finn to win a road racing World Championship.- Career :...
, in 1973, and motorcycle racing did not return to Monza until 1981. These races involved drivers constantly slipstreaming competing cars, which produced several close finishes, such as in 1967
1967 Italian Grand Prix
The 1967 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 10, 1967. It was won by British driver John Surtees driving a Honda RA300. Jim Clark led the race until a little after the half way point when he picked up a puncture and lost an entire lap. He...
, 1969
1969 Italian Grand Prix
The 1969 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 7, 1969. The race was notable in that less than a fifth of second separated the winner from the fourth-placed driver, and is generally reckoned to be the closest 1-2-3-4 in Formula One history...
, and 1971
1971 Italian Grand Prix
The 1971 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 5, 1971. This race is often referred to as the fastest Formula One race of all time, with a record average speed of 242.615 km/h , a record that was not broken until 32 years later at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix at...
; the last year the Italian Grand Prix was run at Monza without chicanes.
The 1972 chicanes were soon seen to be ineffective at slowing cars; the Vialone was remade in 1974, the other, Curve Grande in 1976, and a third also added in 1976 before the Lesmo, with extended run-off areas. The Grand Prix lap after these alterations was increased to 5.8 kilometres (3.604 mi) long.
With technology still increasing vehicle speeds, the track was modified again in 1979, with added kerbs, extended run-off areas, and tyre-barriers improved, to improve safety for drivers off the track. The infrastructure was also improved, with pits able to accommodate 46 cars, and an upgraded paddock and scrutineering facilities. These changes encouraged world championship motorcycling to return in 1981, but further safety work was undertaken through the 1980s. Also in the 1980s the podium, paddock and pits complex, stands, and camp site were either rebuilt or improved.
In the safety conscious years following the death of Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
in 1994 (albeit at a different track), the three main long curves were "squeezed" in order to install larger gravel traps, shortening the lap to 5.77 kilometres (3.585 mi). In 1997 the stands were reworked to expand capacity to 51,000. In 2000, the chicane
Chicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
on the main straight was altered, changing from a double left-right chicane to a single right-left chicane, in an attempt to reduce the frequent accidents at the starts due to the conformation of the braking area, although it is still deemed unsafe in terms of motorcycle racing. The second chicane was also re-profiled. In the Formula 1 Grand Prix of the same year, the first to use these new chicanes, a marshal, Paolo Gislimberti, was killed by flying debris after a big pileup in the second chicane.
In 2007, the run off area at the second chicane was changed from gravel to asphalt. The length of the track in its current configuration is 5.793 kilometres (3.6 mi). At the 2010 Monza Superbike World Championship round
2010 Monza Superbike World Championship round
The 2010 Monza Superbike World Championship round was the fifth round of the 2010 Superbike World Championship season. It took place on the weekend of May 7–9, 2010 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza located in Monza, Italy....
, Italian rider Max Biaggi
Max Biaggi
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi is an Italian motorcycle racer and winner of the 2010 World Superbike Championship. Throughout this racing career, he has won the 250cc World Championship four times, and finished as runner-up in both the 500cc and MotoGP championships...
set the fastest ever motorcycle lap of Monza when he rode his Aprilia RSV4 1000 F
Aprilia RSV 4
The Aprilia RSV4 is a super bike manufactured by Aprilia. The RSV4 is Aprilia’s flagship model. Aprilia offers two models of the bike: the RSV4 Factory and RSV4 R.Production of the motorcycle began in 2008....
to pole position in a time of 1:42.121. In the Superpole qualification for the 2011 race, he improved on this lap time, for a new lap record of 1:41.745 and his speed was captured at 205+ MPH. This contrasts to the fastest ever Formula One lap of Monza in its current configuration, set at the 2004 Italian Grand Prix, when Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...
drove his Ferrari F2004
Ferrari F2004
The Ferrari F2004 is a championship-winning Formula One racecar, designed by Rory Byrne, Ross Brawn and Aldo Costa for the 2004 Formula One season...
to a time of 1:20.089. This ~20-second discrepancy between race motorcycle and Formula 1 car speeds is attributed to the difference in size of the tyre contact patch and the fact that motorcycles cannot generate high lateral 'G' forces.
A lap of the circuit in a Formula One car
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix
2006 Italian Grand Prix
The 2006 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 September 2006 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. It was the fifteenth round of the 2006 Formula One season, and was won by Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari car....
.
Formula One cars are set up with minimal wing angle, to ensure the lowest level of drag on the straights. There are only 3 proper corners at Monza, the two Lesmos and the Parabolica, so cars are set up with maximum performance on the straights.
Cars approach the first corner at 340 kilometres per hour (211.3 mph) in seventh gear, and brake at about 120 metres (393.7 ft) before the first chicane – the Variante del Rettifilo, entering at 86 kilometres per hour (53.4 mph) in first gear, and exiting at 74 kilometres per hour (46 mph) in second gear. This is the scene of many first lap accidents. Higher kerbs at the first two chicanes were installed in 2009 to prevent cutting.
It is important to accelerate out of the first chicane as straight as possible and with minimal wheelspin
Wheelspin
A wheelspin, occurs when the force delivered to the tire tread exceeds that of available tread-to-surface friction and one or more tires lose traction.Standard differentials always apply equal torque to each wheel...
, as a lot of time will be lost through the Curva Grande down to the Variante della Roggia chicane in 7th gear, at 330 kilometres per hour (205.1 mph). The braking point is just under the bridge. The kerbs are very vicious, and it is very easy for a car to spin as Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...
did in 2005. This chicane is probably the best overtaking chance on the lap, as it is the only one with the "slow corner, long straight, slow corner", one of the characteristics of the modern circuits.
The downhill straight down to the Variante Ascari chicane is very bumpy under the bridge. The Variante Ascari chicane is a very tricky sequence of corners, and is key to the lap time.
The final challenge is the Curva Parabolica, approaching at 335 kilometres per hour (208.2 mph) in 7th gear, cars quickly dance around the corner, apexing in fourth gear at 215 kilometres per hour (133.6 mph), and exiting in 5th gear at 285 kilometres per hour (177.1 mph) accelerating onto the main start/finish straight. A good exit and slipstream off a fellow driver along the main straight could produce an overtaking opportunity under heavy braking into the Variante del Rettifilio chicane, however it is difficult to follow a leading car closely through the Parabolica as the tow will reduce downforce and cornering speed.
Maximum speed achieved in a 2009 Formula One car is 340 kilometres per hour (211.3 mph), achieved at the end of the start/finish straight. They achieve a maximum g-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
of 3.80 through turn 7, the second Lesmo.
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...
recorded the fastest ever pole position lap at Monza in 2004 when he lapped in 1m20.089s, 161.802 mph. But in the pre-qualifying session for the same race (which did not count for a grid position but only Q-running order), Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...
lapped the track in 1m19.525s (162.949 mph) which remains the fastest lap ever recorded in an F1 car.
Deaths from crashes
- 1922 Fritz Kuhn (Austro-Daimler), killed during practice for the 1922 Italian Grand Prix1922 Italian Grand PrixThe 1922 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 10, 1922.- Classification :-References:...
- 1923 Enrico Giaccone, riding as passenger in a Fiat 805 during private testing, with Pietro BordinoPietro BordinoPietro Bordino was an Italian racecar driver.A native of Turin, Bordino won the 1922 Italian Grand Prix and also raced in the 1925 Indianapolis 500, finishing 10th, among his 10 AAA Championship Car starts in the United States...
driving - 1923 Ugo SivocciUgo SivocciUgo Sivocci was an Italian race car driver.Born in Salerno, Sivocci started his racing career with bicycle racing. After World War I, he worked as an auto mechanic in Milan. Being a friend of Enzo Ferrari, he was hired by Alfa Romeo in 1920 to drive Alfa in three-man works team: with Antonio...
(Alfa Romeo P1), killed during practice for the 1923 Italian Grand Prix1923 Italian Grand PrixThe 1923 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 9, 1923.It was the first race to be designated as the European Grand Prix.- Classification :-References:... - 1924 Count Louis ZborowskiLouis ZborowskiCount Louis Zborowski was a racing driver and automobile engineer.-Biography:His father, Count William Eliot Morris Zborowski was also a racing driver, and died in a racing crash, in 1903 at La Turbie Hillclimb in France near Nice...
(Mercedes), killed after crashing into a tree at Lesmo during the 1924 Italian Grand Prix1924 Italian Grand PrixThe 1924 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on October 19, 1924.- Classification :-References:... - 1928 Emilio MaterassiEmilio MaterassiEmilio Materassi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Early life:Born in Borgo San Lorenzo, near Florence, Italy, Emilio began working in a bicycle shop, learning the basics of applied mechanics...
and 27 spectators killed after Materassi crashed his Talbot into the grandstand during the 1928 Italian Grand Prix - 1931 Luigi ArcangeliLuigi ArcangeliLuigi Arcangeli was an Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver, his first notable appearance was a win in 1928 at the Circuito di Senigallia with a 2 litre Bugatti. After Bugatti he drove...
(Alfa Romeo), killed after crashing at Lesmo during practice for the 1931 Italian Grand Prix1931 Italian Grand PrixThe 1931 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on May 24, 1931.- Classification :... - 1933 Giuseppe CampariGiuseppe CampariGiuseppe Campari was an Italian opera singer and Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Racing career:Born Giuseppe Campari near the city of Lodi southwest of Milan, as a teenager he went to work for the Alfa Romeo automobile company...
(Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.6 litre), Mario Umberto Borzacchini (Maserati 8C-3000) and Count Stanislas Czaykowski (Bugatti), killed after crashing at the south banking during the 1933 Monza Grand Prix - 1954 Rupert HollausRupert HollausRupert Hollaus was an Austrian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed for the NSU factory racing team. He is the only Austrian to win a road racing World Championship....
, killed during practice during the Italian motorcycle Grand PrixItalian motorcycle Grand PrixThe Italian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. From 1949 to 1990 the event was known as the Nations Grand Prix. It was one of the original rounds of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing calendar. The race was held exclusively at Monza... - 1955 Alberto AscariAlberto AscariAlberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
, killed during private testing at what is now the Ascari chicane, driving a Ferrari 750 Monza, just four days after his crash in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix1955 Monaco Grand PrixThe 1955 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 22, 1955. It was the second round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship and was given an honorary name, Grand Prix d'Europe.- Race report :... - 1961 Count Wolfgang von Trips and 14 spectators killed after von Trips collided with Jim ClarkJim ClarkJames "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
approaching the Parabolica on the second lap of the 1961 Italian Grand Prix1961 Italian Grand PrixThe 1961 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 10 September 1961 at Monza.The race was marked by one of the most terrible accidents in the history of Formula One, when on the end of lap 2 at the approach to the Parabolica the German driver Wolfgang von Trips lost control of his Ferrari... - 1965 Bruno Deserti, killed during Ferrari official test prior to Le Mans in a Ferrari P2/3 4000 cc
- 1965 Tommy Spychiger, killed during 1000K Sports car race in Ferrari 365P2
- 1970 Jochen RindtJochen RindtKarl Jochen Rindt was a German racing driver who represented Austria during his career. He is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship , after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix...
, killed when crashing at the Parabolica during qualifying for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix1970 Italian Grand PrixThe 1970 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 6, 1970. The race was marred by the death of Jochen Rindt, who died during the qualifying session on September 5... - 1973 Renzo PasoliniRenzo PasoliniRenzo Pasolini , nicknamed "Paso", was a popular Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer in the 1960s.His unpredictable and unrehearsed racing style made him a crowd favourite...
, Jarno SaarinenJarno SaarinenJarno Karl Keimo Saarinen was a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is the only Finn to win a road racing World Championship.- Career :...
killed in a mass crash at the Curva Grande during the 250 cc class of the Nations Grand PrixItalian motorcycle Grand PrixThe Italian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. From 1949 to 1990 the event was known as the Nations Grand Prix. It was one of the original rounds of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing calendar. The race was held exclusively at Monza...
(Prior to 1990, the Italian round was called the Nations Grand Prix) - 1973 Carlo Chionio, Renzo Colombini and Renato Galtrucco during a race for 500 cc Juniores Italian motorcycle championship
- 1974 Silvio MoserSilvio MoserSilvio Moser was a racing driver from Switzerland.He built his reputation in Formula 2 and sports car racing before debuting in Formula One on July 15, 1967 with a privately-entered Brabham...
, died in hospital one month after suffering injuries at the 1000 km Monza race - 1978 Ronnie PetersonRonnie PetersonBengt Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish racing driver. He was a two-time runner-up in the FIA Formula One World Drivers' Championship.Peterson began his motor racing career in kart racing, traditionally the discipline where the majority of race drivers begin their careers in open-wheel racing...
, died in hospital after crashing during the start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix1978 Italian Grand PrixThe 1978 Italian Grand Prix was the 14th race of the 1978 Formula One season. It was held on 10 September 1978 at Monza. It was marred by the death of Ronnie Peterson following an accident at the start of the race.... - 1998 Michael Paquay, Belgian motorbike racer, died after a crash in practice for the Italian round of World Supersport Championships, Honda CBR 600
- 2000 Paolo Gislimberti, a marshal hit by debris from a first-lap accident at the Roggia chicane during the Italian Grand Prix2000 Italian Grand PrixThe 2000 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 10, 2000 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza near Monza, Italy. It was the fourteenth race of the 2000 Formula One season...
External links
- Autodromo Nazionale Monza official website
- SpazioEventi.info Monza Corporate official site