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Round 14: Italy
Magic Monza. Scene of the most championship-crowning moments and scene of a Grand Prix every year since Formula 1 began bar one. With all of the history in mind, this weekend’s last European race of 2010 will feature a crucial task for the rivals of Red Bull Racing before the final set of five season-ending ‘flyaways’ begins.
With it being common knowledge this year that the Red Bull-Renaults of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel struggle on rapid circuits – and there is none faster than the Italian venue – the likes of McLaren and Fernando Alonso must make hay while the ‘sun don’t shine’ in order to keep their championship hopes alive.
This, of course, is because the boys in blue are tipped to be uncatchable around following tracks such as the tight confines of Singapore’s Marina Bay and the equally twisty figure-of-eight configuration at Suzuka, Japan.
The Autodromo Nationale di Monza has held a position in Formula 1 every season, with the exception of 1980 when financial troubles at the track north of Milan resulted in Imola stepping in. Set in Villa Reale Park, the first circuit of any kind at Monza was constructed by three and a half thousand builders and needed just three months of work until its completion in July 1922.
The track itself, which at one point featured a 90-degree left-handed corner, has changed markedly over the years although the raw setting and feel remains very much in tact; most, if not all, of the modifications have come for safety reasons, with the legendary banking section – which remains in a respectable state even nowadays – being closed off and several chicanes having been installed to the main circuit in order to slow cars down.
That said, modern F1 machines have no trouble reaching some 211 miles per hour on the start/finish straight prior to the Rettifilo Chicane, where deceleration figures of nearly 160 miles per hour signal one of the most dramatic closing speeds of the year.
Clearly, due to the sheer number of races to have been staged at the track, a number of classics have been enjoyed by the highly dedicated – arguably too enthusiastic, for some – Tifosi. However, a few extra special memories tend to stand out from the rest for a selection of reasons.
Ludovico Scarfiotti of Turin picked up his first and only career win for Ferrari in 1966 and a much-awaited victory finally arrived following a string of retirements for Columbian Juan Pablo Montoya and Williams-BMW in 2001.
In 1988, the dominant McLaren of Ayrton Senna sensationally retired from the race in a greatly unforeseen collision with a lapped Jean-Louis Schlesser’s Williams, allowing hometown heroes Ferrari to sweep through to a 1-2 finish for Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto just four weeks to the day after the death of celebrated team founder Enzo.
Other exciting successes in the modern era include a win for Johnny Herbert and Benetton in 1995 plus Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jordan – as leader Mika Häkkinen dramatically spun into the gravel - four years later.
However, it is the 1969 and 1971 races which remain firmly fixed in the minds of many thanks to their nail-biting climaxes which saw the top four separated by just a tenth of a second, on the first occasion – with Jackie Stewart winning for Matra – and the top five covered by just six tenths on the second; however, Peter Gethin’s ’71 victory for BRM, one hundredth ahead of Ronnie Peterson’s March, remains the narrowest ever winning margin the sport has ever witnessed.
Sadly, as with the majority of traditional Grand Prix venues, Monza has also claimed several lives. 22 men have passed away as a result of injuries sustained at races, with the first having been Fritz Kuhn in practice for the 1922 event and the latest Paolo Gislimberti, a track marshal who was struck by flying debris during the multi-car pile-up which marred the start of the 2000 race on a new-look track.
World Champions Alberto Ascari and Jochen Rindt were also killed at the circuit in 1955 and 1970 correspondingly, with the former’s name later being taken by the part of track which claimed his life and the latter’s legacy living on as F1’s only posthumous title winner. Tragically, in the cases of Wolfgang von Trips and Ronnie Peterson, their World Championship credentials would never be seen.
For 2010, being in front of one’s team-mate will be a critical focus point for those still in contention for the championship. Also, as a matter of interest, five-time Monza victor Michael Schumacher must finish on the podium in order to keep his World Championship chances mathematically alive…
Laps: 53
Direction: Clockwise
Corners: 11
Lap record: 1:21.046 / R. Barrichello / Ferrari / 2004
Local start time: 2pm (BST +1)
Slick tyre compounds:
Soft & Hard
FIA driver race steward:
Emerson Fittipaldi
Circuit changes for 2010:
Kerbs on apexes of Turns 1 and 4 laid with ramped concrete section in order to prevent cars crossing them from becoming airborne
At a glance:
- Monza pole position winners
- Monza Grand Prix winners
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