Circuit atmosphere, Monza, 2022

ACI plans improvements to Monza to keep Italian GP beyond 2025

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In the round-up: Angel Sticchi Damiani, president of the Automobile Club d’Italia, which runs the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, says the club will look to resurface Monza in a bid to retain the race beyond 2025

In brief

ACI plans improvements to Monza to keep Italian GP beyond 2025

The Italian Grand Prix will hold its place on the F1 calendar until 2025, but Sticchi Damiani admits that it is currently difficult to be optimistic about the viability of the race beyond that without changes to the circuit, especially with two races in Italy.

Sticchi Damiani claimed that the 2022 race failed to make a profit as a result of high maintenance costs. Among potential modifications outlined include a potential relaying of the track surface and major upgrades to access paths and underpasses for spectators.

There is already a second race in Italy on the F1 calendar, with Imola hosting the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix since returning to the calendar during the pandemic affected 2020 season.

Hamilton has no doubts he will win again

Lewis Hamilton has no doubts he “will win again” despite Mercedes’ slump in performance extending to a second season.

Mercedes have endured a second successive disappointing start to the season, finishing well behind Red Bull in the opening two rounds of the season and appearing to be overtaken by power unit customers Aston Martin. Despite the relative lack of performance, Hamilton is sure he will eventually increase his own record of 103 grand prix victories.

“Yeah, I will win again,” Hamilton said. “It’s just going to take some time.

“There will be things that happen in our in all of our lives that we least expect. But it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up. It’s how you deal with it. It’s how you show up. It’s how you continue to remain positive and tackle the issues that you’re faced with. And so that’s where my energy is going into. And that’s where the everybody every single person in the team is focused on.”

Dennis frustrated after Ticktum clash ends race

Jake Dennis says his Formula E rivals “need to start looking forward instead of in their mirrors” after he was hit out of the Sao Paulo Eprix on Saturday by Dan Ticktum.

Dennis was struck by Ticktum in the first chicane, putting him out of the race, with Ticktum handed a post-race drive-through penalty, converted into a 15-second time penalty, by the stewards for the contact.

“[It’s like] a target on my back,” said Dennis. “It’s two races now. Just driving my own race and then some plonker, 100 metres behind me, just forgets to brake and just smashes into me.

“It happened in Hyderabad with [Rene] Rast, happened here with Ticktum. They need to start looking forward instead of in their mirrors the whole time.”

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Comment of the day

This weekend’s Caption Competition winner is Electroball 76:

(L to R): Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin; Carlos Sainz Jr, Ferrari; Jeddah Corniche Circuit, 2023

Double world champions! We have a lot in common, your dad and me.
Electroball76

Thanks to everyone who came up with caption idea this week and a special mention to Steve Rogers, Derek Edwards, Michael and Red Andy who all came up with particularly good captions.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Justin!

On this day in motorsport

  • On this day in 1983 John Watson performed F1’s greatest comeback drive, winning from 22nd on the grid in the championship’s last visit to Long Beach

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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15 comments on “ACI plans improvements to Monza to keep Italian GP beyond 2025”

  1. Improvements such as a fake marina or a terrorist attack in range of the TV cameras?

    1. Have you ever been to Monza? Ancient dilapidated grandstands, lack of restrooms, concessions which could be mistaken for breadlines. Very weak perimeter security. The spectator accommodations are atrocious. Upgrades desperately needed. Not everything can rely on nostalgia.

      1. Sure, these things are those that should be improved over time, or even earlier; but that’s Italy. They are not about commodity on sporting arenas the way Americans are, different mentality with its good and bad sides. I still prefer old-fashioned and unkempt venues to those fake yachts, flashing led lights everywhere and all that “show” aimed at new kids (I’m 36 since two days ago and I feel so old watching this new F1, but not in a way that makes me feel bad about myself). I wish we could have something in-between, venues and events without that American approach which I really, really dislike (I like Americans, just not their showbizz approach sometimes), but also clean toilets, new pavements, safe parking places etc. But all we’re going to get now are races a la Las Vegas or terrorist states/war zones like Saudi Arabia etc. (I’m not a driver, so I can say it I guess). All things considered, I’d rather visit Monza than those places (and keep my wallet protected, but I have to do that almost everywhere in EU now, and it’s same in US). But yes, I agree with you about the upgrades, and maybe we’re going to get that. That doesn’t mean the race will still be there in a few years though…

        1. I hear you. I’m just saying there’s a big space in between things like Miami, Las Vegas, vs the dilapidated dump that Monza has become. Decent seats and functional restrooms aren’t much to ask for. Not sure those are uniquely “American” requests. If these baselines can’t be met, maybe they don’t deserve to host the race. On some level if you’re accommodating spectators, there is a pay to play aspect to it. It’s an international stage. Why not put your best foot forward? I love the track and it’s history. I’ve driven it on tracks days, I attend many races. Can totally take the good with the bad, but the additional attendees (my wife as an example) isn’t so smitten with lap times that she’s willing to overlook basic things. Spa until recently was in a similar predicament. Hopefully their spending and infrastructure upgrades grant them a stay of execution.

    2. The spectator offering at Monza definitely needs improvement. I went a few years ago, 2016 I think, and whilst I enjoyed it, the spectator facilities were poor really. Then by last year the reports sounded horrendous.

      It’s a real shame because it’s one of the great circuits. I don’t think the excuse that ‘oh it’s just Italy’ that some might come up with, is good enough in this day and age. Attending a GP is a really expensive outgoing and should provide a very good experience.

      1. I don’t think the excuse that ‘oh it’s just Italy’ that some might come up with, is good enough in this day and age.

        Absolutely, all the more so considering northern Italy is among the richest parts of Europe (even the, by some Eurostat metrics).

        Although unlikely, I’d like to see them at least consider the banking introduced at Zandvoort and Yas Marina in their plans. It would be a nice nod to the history, and might make the track more interesting for modern F1 cars too.

  2. playstation361
    27th March 2023, 1:54

    Italy and politics. I only remember the issue they did with a top driver before.

  3. Hopefully, Monza stays beyond the current deal, but perhaps easier said than done. Time will tell.

    I don’t have any doubts, either, & while he mightn’t get another chance for the championship, I’m confident he’ll win at least a single race again.

    While the South African GP return attempts have stopped (for now at least), this doesn’t mean another African country couldn’t join instead. For example, Joe Saward mentioned Rwanda in his Bahrain GP Green Notebook.

  4. Let’s just hope that changing the circuit has been shelved for Monza, if there are now more pressing parts of the infrastructure that need redevelopment.

  5. RandomMallard
    27th March 2023, 8:47

    Bottas seems to basically have become an honorary Australian it appears.

    That said, it would be interesting if he went in Supercars after leaving F1, in the way we’ve had some ex-F1 drivers go into NASCAR. Could be interesting to see how quick he could be in very different cars.

  6. Haas. “we have turned our lights off at Banbury HQ”
    Now it’s official Haas are working in the dark.

  7. Monza is my home track, since I live 1h from the circuit and I have memories of various races there with my dad, then friends and more recently with my kid.

    But let me say that if Sticchi Damiani think that the problem lies on the track surface, he’s pretty disconnected from reality. I’ve never been to another race other than the Italian GP, but the experience has always been terrible for me and it doesn’t matter if it was with a general admission ticket or with a Prima Variante one.

    I had a good time only in 2021, when COVID restriction were in place and the track was at I believe 1/3 of its capacity. That was the last time for me and I will need a few years to give it another try.

    The organization is a complete chaos with every service, from toilets to food and drinks. Don’t even let me start with public transportation (I believe last year there was even a strike from the train service, I feel for the people who came to Milan). I would never suggest the experience to anyone I remotely care for.

    1. I hesitate to suggest this, what with national pride, etc but perhaps they should get a team in from abroad to organise it. Somewhere where they have successfully managed a large motor racing event or a GP of course.

      I would like to go back one day but the things I read about the 2022 event really put me off. I went to Monza in 2016 and it was average to poor then.

      1. unfortunately it’s not really an issue of who is organizing, it’s a political issue first and foremost.
        amongst other thing, the park authority is insane, they won’t even let the circuit MOVE a few trees (not kill, move). getting permission for anything is a mess, moving two stones costs billions, and in general there is very little space for expasion they are allowed.

  8. Something I saw regarding Kimi & Jeonson’s NASCAR outing is that Kimi was apparently talking about how he loved the fact they didn’t have anything like DRS & that apparentlya vast majority of the drivers on the F1 grid are desperate to get rid of it as none of them see it as proper racing, Don’t enjoy using it & don’t like how easy it makes passing but they are all told they have to use it ‘for the show’ because quantity over quality.

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