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F1 Monza Grand Prix

The Italian or Monza Grand Prix is an important annual motor racing event, held over a circuit of 5 793 km in the city of Monza, Italy. The total length of the course is 306.72 km. The race course was completed in 1922, and the first race of the series in Monza took place that year.

His competition is one of the oldest in the field of motor racing. It was also a component of the European Championship in the period of 1935 - 1938. The first Italian Grand Prix proper took place at Brescia in 1921. All races have been held at Monza since. The competition was established as an annual event in 1950. It was a part of the Formula One competition that year. The only other national Grand Prix that this applies for is the British one.

The motor racing tradition was set in France toward the end of the 19th century, a long-standing, time honored tradition indeed. It was just a road race at first, and later developed into a competition linking a number of towns in one region. The Monza competition was the first Grand Prix held outside France. Spain and Belgium later followed suit, as did many other countries over the course of time.

In the early 20s the Monza Grand Prix was relatively unofficial, with no strictly established rules and regulations. It was not until national Italian racing clubs formed an association in 1924 that various rules were enforced. These related to the weight of the racing vehicle and the capacity of the engine. This period of strict regulation was short-lived. In 1928 organizers of the competition decided that rules only spoiled the fun, and stopped applying them. This period is known as Formula Libre, the era of racing freedom. This era was not without accidents.

In the years thereafter the races of this type experienced a swift rise in popularity. There were five Grand Prix competitions in 1927 and a full eighteen in 1934, an undisputed peak prior to the second world war.

Today the Monza Grand Prix consists of 53 laps. It is a prestigious international event. Brazilian racers generally perform very well in this competition. An undisputed star racer in the last five years is Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who won the Monza Grand Prix in 2002 and 2004. The winner of last year was Juan Montoya of Colombia.

Famous Formula One racer Michael Schumacher of Germany has won the Italian Grand Prix four times in the last decade. His last victory was in 2003. Everyone has heard of him - this champion holds the most Formula One victories, and the biggest number of racing records and championship points. It is common knowledge that he is the best-paid race driver in the world.

It is indisputably its racing circuit that has made Monza a city of international fame. Monza has two other tracks apart from the Grand Prix - a Junior track and a speed track. The Grand Prix track has three major stretches - Variante Ascari, Curva Parabolica and Curva di Lesmo. The track is conveniently comprised of mostly straight sectors, which enable the racers to stay on full throttle for most of the time. This feature is not typical for racetracks as a whole. Moreover, the track is generally flat. Some maintain that it does not test racing skills as much as engine power, and the car with the most horsepower has the best chance of winning.

It took 3500 workers to build the track in 1922. Orginally the road track and loop track were respectively 5.5 km and 4.5 km long. The construction was funded by the Automobile Club of Milan, which established SISA, a motor racing association, to manage the track. The track was inaugurated on September 3, 1922. 1928 and 1933 were tragic years. An accident in 1928 resulted in the death of 27 observers and racer Emilio Materassi. Three racers died in 1933. The track was altered to a great extent in 1939. The competition was not held during WWII. It was reinstated in 1948. The track was fully restored in 1955. Unfortunately another fatal accident took place in 1961. Safety facilities were added to the course, like walls and fences. No serious accidents have occurred since. The stands at the track can host around 51 000 spectators.