Monza and F1 Grand Prix in Italy

Formula 1 Monza: three words that evoke the Italian GP, which has been held at this track since 1950, with the exception of one outing at Imola in 1980. In the past, there were actually two F1 races on Italian soil, where passion for racing has always had strong roots. Apart from Monza, there was also the San Marino Grand Prix run at Imola’s Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit from 1981 to 2006.

But let’s get back to F1 at Monza: the Autodromo di Monza was built in 1922, featuring a two-track layout, the normal road circuit and a banked oval. In 1955, the Italian GP was run over both tracks, so that cars passed the start-finish line twice every lap, once when completing a circuit of the oval and once on the road section, giving a total lap distance of almost ten kilometres.

The banking, which can still be seen today in a sad state of disrepair, was last used in 1961, while the previous year, another F1 landmark was reached when Phil Hill, driving a Ferrari, scored the last ever win for a front-engined grand prix car.