Last week saw Lewis Hamilton‘s maiden Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver. Andy, who was in attendance at Monza, provided his account to Motorsport Week.
For over 100 years, Monza has delighted fans, but with increasing pressure on the circuit to deliver an exceptional fan experience and keep its place on the ever-expanding F1 roster, we explore the ups and downs of the weekend.
Volunteering as Racemakers at Silverstone gives a unique perspective, and being at the first Grand Prix in Vegas in 2023 was special, but being in Monza for Sir Lewis Hamilton’s debut as a Ferrari driver at the Temple of Speed was another level. To hear the roar as the two Ferraris drove side by side, acknowledging the tifosi around the iconic Parabolica on the cool-down lap at the end of the Grand Prix was spine-tingling and something more akin to ‘F1: The Movie’ than a sunny Sunday in an Italian park.
We chose to stay in Milan and the six of us bagged a bargain. Securing a giant loft in the suburb of Turro was a perfect base for the Grand Prix, but also gave us great access to the city and
the airports. A quick train and underground ride from Turro to Monza led us onto a very well-organised bus service from Monza station to the circuit. The multitude of buses were all absolutely packed, and the traffic around the tight streets of Monza was a hefty but bearable weight to bear.
With the track opening at 7am on Saturday and Sunday, and given we only had General Admission [GA] tickets, we chose to ‘Uber’ in at the weekend. At a cost of around €20-per-person, it was slightly more expensive than the train but well worth it. We offset this by choosing the extremely scenic walk back into the very pretty town of Monza after the racing had finished, rewarding ourselves with a well-earned cold beer and delicious pizza!
A ticket-holder’s view of Monza
Wherever you get dropped off [the bus gets you closer than an Uber], it’s still quite a walk to the gates, so prepare to get some serious steps in over the weekend. We found the signage
to be at best, average, right throughout the weekend and the lack of people to help with directions was frustrating, so we were very grateful to have used Friday to explore and find the best place to watch qualifying and the four feature races.
The track has quite a lot of GA viewing areas, although many are just grassy areas where you stand up against a fence. This is not surprising as the circuit is set in a huge park which, when the F1 isn’t in town, provides beautiful walking and cycling tracks. There are a few ‘seated’ GA areas, but you won’t be sat down for long though; as soon as a tyre hits the track, everyone not only stands up, they stand on their seats, yearning for the best view as the cars power by at record speeds.
The second chicane had about six rows of metal bleachers and great views, and it is incredible to see how quickly the cars can shift down five gears from, breaking fiercely from over 200mph to under 100mph as they take the left-hander and immediate right without dumping at least a wheel in the gravel trap. The grandstand at the other side of the chicane would have been an awesome upgrade, but all the seats are sold months in advance, so plan early.
For the weekend, we chose the GA zone at the end of the back straight between the Ascari Curve and the start of Parabolica. With four rows of concrete blocks for seats, it would be advisable to take something to sit on, or as we did, make use of our Amex membership and grab a goodie bag, which included a cushion, albeit a very thin one!
The downsides of the Temple of Speed
Despite race-time temperatures hitting a sweltering 28 degrees, the mornings were chilly, especially during the immediate pre-dawn period, so a hoodie was definitely a good choice. Having seen how busy it was on Friday, we chose to arrive just before the gates opened at 7am (which meant a 5:30am alarm) to get a great view. It’s a good job we did, as the Parabolica GA ‘seating area’ was absolutely packed by 8am. As the day and the racing heated up, the hoodies went from keeping us warm to offering some additional comfort on the concrete and holding our seats, whilst we went to the loo or grabbed refreshments for the eight hours before the F1 race began.
Parabolica is located very close to the fan zone, and the range of merchandise stalls was excellent, well stocked and not massively marked-up despite having a captive audience of over 300,000 fans throughout the weekend. The loos in the fan zone were certainly a far better choice than the porta-loos behind the stands, which were very much hit and miss.
Much more frequent cleaning and replenishing of paper and anti-bacterial gel is needed. The range of food and beverages was somewhat limited, but it was high quality compared to many events we have been to. The paying and queueing system was utterly shambolic. Ordering on an app seems like a good idea; however, when 100,000 people want to eat lunch between two sessions, it floods any and all available bandwidth, so the alternative is to join a massive queue at a ‘pay station’ where you can order whatever you like from all the
stalls and then collect your food. It sounds like a good idea, except if you order a sandwich, chips and a beer, you end up having to join three queues to collect your food.
With or without in-app ordering, it was frustrating, time-consuming and nonsensical, so much so we made wraps to take with us on Sunday to limit our time standing in line. The racing program was excellent and the eight hours we sat/stood on a concrete block on Sunday passed extremely quickly. The Formula 2 and Formula 3 races were fast, loud and exciting. Watching three Porsches race side by side at over 150mph as they dived into the final corner was breathtaking and a display of historic F1 cars reminded me of my early days watching F1, where you really did need to protect your eardrums.
Our Amex cards came in handy again, and we picked up free ‘Race-Radio’ headsets for the six of us. Having the commentary to keep us updated on race progress was a vital part of our enjoyment, especially as we could only see the screen on the opposite side of the track. Official F1 race radios were available to buy, but at €100 per headset, it would be prohibitive for most, and outrageous for all.
Access to screens and commentary is a key area that Monza [and other circuits] must get right if they are to really create a high-value fan experience. Monza itself is a beautiful town with plenty of shopping, bars, restaurants and of course cafes. Having walked back to the station on Saturday and Sunday ,we found a couple of real gems to satiate us after a long day of racing.
It would be a pleasure to see Lewis go one step further in Ferrari red at Monza next year!
READ MORE – Ferrari explains why Lewis Hamilton’s ‘harsh’ F1 Italian GP penalty was not challenged
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