11/06/2026
Growing up as a teenager, racing karts and obsessed with Formula One, I realised early on that whilst I loved racing, I was never going to make it to the big time. That didn’t stop the dreams of visiting some of the the most well known and prestigious race tracks in the world.
The Autodromo Nazionale Di Monza, often just known as Monza, or The Temple of Speed, is the worlds second oldest continuously operated dedicated race track in the world. It is second only to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You know you are in a special place in Motor Racing History, when to get to the track, you walk down the via Enzo Ferrari to get to the entrance. Next to the main office is a bronze statue of the Greatest Formula One driver of all time, Juan Manuel Fangio, his record of 48.5% win ratio, will almost certainly never be eclipsed.
Originally built as a 6km oval with 2 constant radius, 22% banked turns, it was opened in 1922. On that day, approximately 150,000 people and One Third of all cars owned in Italy attended. The banked curves were increased to 80% banking in the early 30’s but after 15 years and multiple cars flying over the banks into trees and spectators with predictable fatalities, the circuit was modified and the high speed banks were removed from the circuit.
Today, the circuit consists of just 11 turns. All with names instantly known to any Formula 1 fan: Prima Variante, Curva Grande, Lesmo 1 and 2, Variante Ascari and Parabolica.
Monza remains to this day, a circuit that demands respect. Several high profile drivers have lost their lives in competition at Monza, including Wolfgang von Trips, Ronnie Petersen and Jochin Rindt, amongst the 39 others, along with marshals and 2 catastrophic events where 15 and 20 spectators were killed, leading to the closure of the ‘Long Course’ with the banked curves, and the permanent move to shorter, 5.7km long course.
Despite the FIA mandated Minimum Race Distance of 300km, Monza lives up to its moniker of The Temple of Speed, holding the record for the Shortest elapsed time for a Formula 1 Grand Prix, of 1 hour and 14 minutes, by Michael Schumacher, of course, in a Ferrari, in 2003.