Italian motorsport is synonymous with two institutions: Ferrari and Monza. The team transcends a nation and the circuit is the ultimate test of speed and precision.
Every September, thousands of fans from around the world flock to watch the red single-seaters of Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes battle it out over 53 grueling laps.
Winning with a Ferrari instantly turns you into a national hero and earns you a forever place in the hearts of the fans, even when the day comes when you leave the illustrious Maranello team.
But what makes Ferrari and Monza so special?
Speed, nothing more, nothing less
Photo: @ScuderiaFerrari/X
With the dangers of intercity racing becoming increasingly apparent, the idea of building a permanent racetrack became more appealing in the early 1920s. The first to open was Brooklands Oval in Surrey, England, in June 1907. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway became the first permanent racetrack in North America in August 1909 and became the iconic Indy 500.
Seeing the positive aspects of creating such a facility, Monza officials decided to build a circuit within the royal park. The first construction work began in May 1922 and four months later, on September 10, 1922, the circuit hosted its first race, the Italian Grand Prix.
Since that inaugural race, the circuit has remained virtually unchanged, with corners such as the Curva Grande and Curva Lesmo present since the opening race.
As car speeds and downforce increased, chicanes were added to make the circuit safer, while the fearsome old banked corner that had made Monza one of the longest laps of the race had not been used since the 1960s.
Due to the long straights, top speed takes priority over downforce, meaning teams will use extremely thin wings, making good traction a priority.
The thin wings create a slipstream effect, meaning overtaking is plentiful, but must be done correctly due to the sharp braking zones and tight, slow corners.
Ferrari's long history of success
Photo: Ed Spencer
Enzo Ferrari was fascinated by motorsports as a boy and set out to pursue his dream of becoming a racing driver. He achieved this goal in 1920, signing for Alfa Romeo and quickly becoming a race winner before retiring in the late 1920s following the death of Antonio Ascari in the 1925 French GP.
He quickly moved on to team management and, not long after, was running a racing team for Alfa Romeo before striking out on his own and building his own cars after the end of World War II.
After being beaten by Alfa Romeo for two years, Ferrari finally recovered in 1951, when Ascari's son Alberto won the team's first Italian GP, before going on to claim world championships in 1952 and 1953.
Although initially sceptical of rear-engined cars, Ferrari adapted to this new philosophy in 1961 and dominated with Phil Hill, Richie Ginther and Wolfgang Von Trips aboard three 156 “sharknose” cars.
Sadly, Monza would be the site of one of F1’s greatest tragedies that same year. On just the second lap of the 1961 Italian GP, Von Trips collided with Jim Clark, sending him into a spectator enclosure and killing the German and 15 fans. Hill won the title, but the celebrations were muted.
After a brief lull in form, Niki Lauda brought pride back to Ferrari in the mid-1970s, winning two championships in 1975 and 1977. He also returned to the sport at Monza in 1976 after his violent crash at the Nurburgring, finishing a courageous fourth despite being in severe pain from his injuries. Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve won both the drivers' and constructors' titles in front of the Tifosi in 1979, with the South African becoming world champion for the first time.
The 1980s were a barren period for Ferrari, with Ferrari winning just two constructors' championships and losing Villeneuve in a testing accident at the 1982 Belgian GP. One of the few highlights of the decade came in 1988 when Gerhard Berger capped McLaren's undefeated season with a thrilling victory at Monza, less than a month after the passing of Enzo Ferrari.
Jean Alesi became a fan favourite during the 1990s, producing some impressive performances in a subpar car, including second place in 1993. However, the Frenchman was cruelly denied victory at Monza in 1994 and 1995 after suffering technical problems while comfortably leading.
In 1996 Alesi moved to Benetton and was replaced by the then double world champion Michael Schumacher, who had previously not been much loved by Italian fans.
However, Schumacher's victory at Monza in 1996 was the start of a love affair that led to five drivers' and constructors' championships before his first retirement in 2006.
Today, Ferrari is still overwhelmingly the most popular team at Monza, even though the team has not won either championship since 2008. Charles Leclerc is arguably the more popular of the team’s two drivers, with his 2019 win cementing his legacy in Ferrari folklore and earning him the nickname “il Capitano”.
The fans are loud, very proud and passionate
Photo: @ScuderiaFerrari/X
F1 without fans is nothing, and Monza without fans is simply not right. For three days and four very long nights, fans follow Ferrari anywhere and everywhere, going to various extremes to get close to their idols.
Every time a red car approaches, the fans applaud, erupt in cheers when they overtake, and when they win, create one of the greatest spectacles in sport.
The mass invasion of the Monza track has been a staple of the Italian GP since the early 1950s and is spectacular to watch from afar. The drivers are within earshot of the fans waiting under the winners' bottles of champagne.
This writer enjoyed being among the fans after Leclerc's victory in 2019. After the initial rush to the podium [which isn’t easy, to say the least]you immediately feel overwhelmed by the experience.
The cheers and applause for the Ferrari drivers as they step onto the podium give you goosebumps, as does the signing of the Italian national anthem. More applause erupts as the winner's trophy is raised before the champagne is sprayed, with some of the fans remaining in their seats long after the cars have entered parc fermé for post-race scrutineering.
On the other hand, some fans decide to walk along the track and pick up something they can't buy in the souvenir shop, from a piece of debris to some advertising signs.
These factors make Monza one of the jewels of F1 and a must-see for anyone who loves Ferrari and F1.