Before we delve into Monza I'd like to ask you all not to harp and whine on about the stewards decision post race at Spa.
If you want to do that please take it to another thread.
If it turns into a rant on this thread about last weekend I'll just delete the thread.
Thanks.
Right then, Monza, the Italian Grand Prix
The track was originally built in 1922 and hosted its first F1GP in that year. The event was won by Pietro Bordino driving for Fiat.
Races were held here on and off for many years but the real F1 championship didnt start until 1950 when Nino Farina became the first ever rookie in F1 to win the championship in his 1st year
DT_Xtremez_15:.
A race has been held here at Monza every year since 1950, with the exception of 1980 when it was at Imola.
Situated north of Milan the track has seen several configurations including 2 banked corners.
At one point, 1960, the brits refused to race with the banking, it was very bumpy and made them spill their cups of earl gray all over the cockpit!
This youtube vid is in johnny foreigner lingo, but you get to see how steep the banking was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Zse7OQACs
I'm not sure where the pic attachments of the previous incarnations will actually sit on the page, probably at the bottom, but I'll post em anyway!
The track used to be a flat out full throttle slipstreaming extravaganza. The leaders used to fail to finish because of their engines giving up due to the harsh full throttle conditions.
1972 saw the flat out power track slightly reigned in with the addition of 2 chicanes. One at the end of the pit straight, primo variante, and the other at curva del Vialone. This race was won by Emmerson Fittipaldi.
1971 saw Monza witness the closest ever finish to a race with 5 drivers within 0.01 seconds!!
We could do with some racing like that these days rather than the sterile no overtaking tracks we have been lumbered with.
Check out the chequered flag man, how close???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae-BHKcVNvM
Also, in 1966 it was used as a location to film the movie "Grand Prix"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwppPI0tQiU&feature=related
On a down side Monza has seen its fair share of deaths.
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
Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Campari are among at least 13 car racers I can find, with at least another 5 motorbikers as well as many more spectators and not forgetting the marshall, Paolo Gislimberti, who was hit by a wheel in 2000.
Engines are at full power around this 3.6 mile track for 80% of it. It is very tough of engines and also gearboxes. Flat out up to 6th and 7th and then hard braking for the chicanes. Down the gears and then up through again once out of the chicane.
Traction is pretty important here as is treating the kerbs gently. A low downforce setting is used but it is a trade off for the last corner, Parabolica? Do you want a bit of wing to gain good corner speed and slightly slower down the pit straight or do you you risk less wing it and more straight speed?
Low downforce also means slippy slidy cars into chicanes and without engine breaking this year we might see some spinners!!
Tifosi. The word actually means a group of fans in Italian and believe it or not was used mostly for football fans (yuck, dirty people!).
The Tifosi are always at Monza to cheer for Ferrari. They even turn up on test days in their thousands. A sea of red usually adorns the grandstands and quite often we see red wigs as well as faces painted. They certainly are passionate and even in my pre-ferrari days I was impressed by them.
Sorry its a bit rushed and cluttered but here is the preview for Monza.
If you want to do that please take it to another thread.
If it turns into a rant on this thread about last weekend I'll just delete the thread.
Thanks.
Right then, Monza, the Italian Grand Prix
The track was originally built in 1922 and hosted its first F1GP in that year. The event was won by Pietro Bordino driving for Fiat.
Races were held here on and off for many years but the real F1 championship didnt start until 1950 when Nino Farina became the first ever rookie in F1 to win the championship in his 1st year
DT_Xtremez_15:.A race has been held here at Monza every year since 1950, with the exception of 1980 when it was at Imola.
Situated north of Milan the track has seen several configurations including 2 banked corners.
At one point, 1960, the brits refused to race with the banking, it was very bumpy and made them spill their cups of earl gray all over the cockpit!
This youtube vid is in johnny foreigner lingo, but you get to see how steep the banking was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Zse7OQACs
I'm not sure where the pic attachments of the previous incarnations will actually sit on the page, probably at the bottom, but I'll post em anyway!
The track used to be a flat out full throttle slipstreaming extravaganza. The leaders used to fail to finish because of their engines giving up due to the harsh full throttle conditions.
1972 saw the flat out power track slightly reigned in with the addition of 2 chicanes. One at the end of the pit straight, primo variante, and the other at curva del Vialone. This race was won by Emmerson Fittipaldi.
1971 saw Monza witness the closest ever finish to a race with 5 drivers within 0.01 seconds!!
We could do with some racing like that these days rather than the sterile no overtaking tracks we have been lumbered with.
Check out the chequered flag man, how close???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae-BHKcVNvM
Also, in 1966 it was used as a location to film the movie "Grand Prix"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwppPI0tQiU&feature=related
On a down side Monza has seen its fair share of deaths.
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
Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Campari are among at least 13 car racers I can find, with at least another 5 motorbikers as well as many more spectators and not forgetting the marshall, Paolo Gislimberti, who was hit by a wheel in 2000.
Engines are at full power around this 3.6 mile track for 80% of it. It is very tough of engines and also gearboxes. Flat out up to 6th and 7th and then hard braking for the chicanes. Down the gears and then up through again once out of the chicane.
Traction is pretty important here as is treating the kerbs gently. A low downforce setting is used but it is a trade off for the last corner, Parabolica? Do you want a bit of wing to gain good corner speed and slightly slower down the pit straight or do you you risk less wing it and more straight speed?
Low downforce also means slippy slidy cars into chicanes and without engine breaking this year we might see some spinners!!
Tifosi. The word actually means a group of fans in Italian and believe it or not was used mostly for football fans (yuck, dirty people!).
The Tifosi are always at Monza to cheer for Ferrari. They even turn up on test days in their thousands. A sea of red usually adorns the grandstands and quite often we see red wigs as well as faces painted. They certainly are passionate and even in my pre-ferrari days I was impressed by them.
Sorry its a bit rushed and cluttered but here is the preview for Monza.
Last edited:
