Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Monza, Italy
Monza is a permanent circuit set inside a royal parkland north of Milan, built in 1922 and still using long stretches of its original layout. It is the fastest track on the calendar by average speed, defined by long straights, heavy braking chicanes, and minimal aerodynamic downforce setups. Its banked oval loop, unused in modern races, still stands as a monument alongside the current track.
Length
5.793 km
Turns
11
Race Laps
53
Elevation
15m
First GP
1950
Lap Record
1:21.046
Rubens Barrichello (2004)
Famous Corners
Turn 1
Variante del Rettifilo
Turn 8
Curva Grande
Turn 11
Parabolica (Curva Alboreto)
Location
Nearest Town
Monza is a mid-sized city in Lombardy, a short distance northeast of Milan, known for its cathedral and historic centre as much as its motor racing heritage. The Royal Villa of Monza and its surrounding park, in which the circuit sits, once served as a residence for Italian royalty. The city takes on a distinctly Ferrari-red atmosphere every September for the Italian Grand Prix.
Getting There
Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate airports both serve the area, with Malpensa around 45 minutes and Linate around 30 minutes from the circuit by car. Monza railway station connects directly to Milan's rail network, and shuttle buses run from the station to the circuit gates on race weekend.
Circuit History & Trivia
Notable Incidents
Monza's long history includes some of motor racing's darkest days, none more infamous than the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, when Wolfgang von Trips's Ferrari collided with Jim Clark's Lotus, launching von Trips's car into the crowd barriers near the Parabolica. Von Trips was killed instantly, along with fifteen spectators, in what remains one of the deadliest accidents in Formula One history. Earlier tragedies included the 1928 Grand Prix, where a crash killed driver Emilio Materassi and 27 spectators, and the 1933 'Black Day of Monza,' when three drivers, Giuseppe Campari, Baconin Borzacchini, and Stanisław Czaykowski, died in separate accidents on the banked oval during a single afternoon of racing. Across its century of operation, the circuit has been linked to the deaths of 52 drivers and 35 spectators, a toll that has driven repeated safety overhauls, including the introduction of chicanes from the 1970s onward.
Design History
Monza was built at extraordinary speed in 1922, with roughly 3,500 workers completing the original layout, a 4.490 km banked oval combined with a 5.500 km road course, in about three months on the grounds of the Royal Villa of Monza. Between 1954 and 1971, the circuit's high-speed banked oval, known as the sopraelevata, allowed cars to be combined with the road course for a 10 km lap, but the punishing, bumpy banking prompted driver protests as early as 1963 and was progressively abandoned by teams after 1969. Following von Trips's fatal 1961 crash and mounting safety concerns, chicanes were added to the road circuit starting in 1972, with the Variante del Rettifilo and Variante Ascari introduced that year and further modifications made through 1976, producing the roughly 5.793 km layout that has remained largely stable since. The oval sat unused and deteriorating for decades until restoration efforts in the 2010s, and the full circuit received comprehensive resurfacing ahead of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.
Records & Notable Races
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the record for most Italian Grand Prix victories, with five wins apiece, while Ferrari holds the constructors' record with roughly twenty wins at its home race, most recently through Charles Leclerc's 2024 victory. As the fastest circuit on the calendar by average speed, Monza has produced some of the sport's quickest laps, with Max Verstappen taking pole in 2025 at 1:18.792 and Lando Norris setting the race lap record at 1:20.901 the same year. Cars run in their lowest-downforce configurations of the season here, with engines held at full throttle for nearly 80 percent of each lap, making it as much a test of straight-line power as of chassis balance.
Fun Facts
Monza is nicknamed the 'Temple of Speed' for its long straights and high-velocity corners, and it was originally known as the Circuito di Milano before adopting the Autodromo di Monza name in 1927. The circuit sits within the historic parkland of the Royal Villa of Monza, a wooded royal estate just north of Milan, giving the track a distinctive setting compared to most modern circuits. Its abandoned banked oval, no longer used in competition, remains standing on the grounds as a monument to the track's early high-speed era. In 2017, Nike chose Monza to host its 'Breaking2' marathon project, where Eliud Kipchoge attempted to run a sub-two-hour marathon on the track's flat, smooth surface, finishing in 2:00:25.