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Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso celebrates on the podium after he won the Italian Formula One Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza on September 14, 2008 in Monza, Italy. (Getty Images)
It’s not for nothing that Monza (Italy) is called the ‘temple of speed’. It was and still is the fastest track on the F1 calendar with long straights intercepted by slow chicanes and right-handed corners. Yes, the track layout has only right-handed bends apart from the chicanes; a rather uncommon sight.
It was at this track that the highest speed was recorded during an F1 race weekend, when Juan Pablo Montoya reached speeds of over 365kmph in his Williams. High speeds definitely seem glorious but at the same time, they can be extremely dangerous, as the Tifosi have experienced in front of their eyes many times in the past.
With such high speeds, slipstreaming is very common and very useful too, albeit difficult to master as Ferrari learnt during last year’s qualifying session. High speeds, huge shunts and extremely close finishes too have all played an important part in imparting Monza the legendary status it has today.
Top five covered within the blink of an eye!
Yes, you read that aright. In the closest finish ever in F1 history – the 1971 Italian Grand Prix – the top five cars crossed the finish line just 0.61 seconds adrift. Not only that, Brit Peter Gethin won his only race just 0.01 seconds ahead of second placed Ronnie Peterson.
It doesn’t quite end there. This race was the fastest ever in terms of average speed: a staggering 150.754mph! Slipstreaming was at its very best during those days and Gethin took the perfect opportunity at the Parabolica (the final corner) on the final lap when he never looked like winning as he was in third.
A fitting tribute to the “il Drake”
When Enzo Ferrari died in August, 1988 the situation at Ferrari was pitiable. McLaren had won each and every of the 11 races and the Prancing Horses weren’t even given a whiff of a chance against the powerful Honda engines on the straights of Monza, a month later.
Yet it seemed to be the perfect tribute for the man, who made what Ferrari is today, that Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost both retired, handing Gerhard Berger the win in front of the ecstatic Tifosi. Coincidence or not, that would be their only win that season.
Fangio just sneaks through to win the championship
In one of the most dramatic endings ever to a Drivers’ Championship – even a maestro like Juan Manuel Fangio had to fight it out by the skin of his teeth in the last race to clinch a title – the legendary Argentine had to borrow his teammate’s car to win the required points.
But it was not straightforward. When Fangio’s car’s steering arm broke, he sat in the pits seeing his championship chances slip by. Then teammate Luigi Musso came into the pits and was asked to hand over the car to Fangio but Musso refused.
Finally it was Fangio’s other teammate Peter Collins, who saved the day with one of the best acts of generosity ever by handing over his car, even when he himself had a chance of becoming champion.
Fangio ultimately finished second behind Stirling Moss. Collins defended his move by saying that he was still young and had enough time to win a championship. Sadly that day never came and he died just two years later.
Super Sebastian
Rarely do we have a wet weekend at Monza but boy, did it pour in 2008. With the rain and the slippery track requiring more downforce, Toro Rosso got the setup perfect, and that handed Sebastian Vettel his first pole (to become the youngest pole-sitter ever).
Everybody was impressed with the young German, but the odds were stacked against him in the race. But Vettel put in a champion-like performance and controlled the race from the start to finish and won by over 12 seconds from McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen. With the youngest pole-sitter record already under his belt, he became the youngest race winner too.
Niki Lauda attends the World Premiere of “Rush” at the Odeon Leicester Square on September 2, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)
Speed kills
With Monza becoming faster year after year – and safety in F1 given no priority in the 60′s and 70′s – accidents were bound to happen and many would turn fatal. Three promising drivers – all with a shot at the title – lost their lives on the track.
Wolfgang von Trips lost his life in 1961 after crashing into the back of Jim Clark and as a result, his car launching into the air and into the stand, killing 14 of them along with him.
Jochen Rindt lost his life during the 1970 final practice session, when under braking at the Parabolica he lost control and crashed heavily into the barriers.
The 1978 race start was a chaotic one and Ronnie Peterson turned out to be the unlucky one. Having already damaged his car in practice, he had to take the spare car, which was customized according to Peterson’s diminutive teammate Mario Andretti; hence the Swede had trouble adjusting in it.
The green light to signal the start of the race was given before all cars were stationary on the grid. This bunched the whole field up at the first corner, highly increasing the chances of a collision. And in a melee involving Ricardo Patrese, James Hunt, Vittorio Brambilla, Carlos Reutemann, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Patrick Depailler, Didier Pironi, Derek Daly, Clay Regazzoni and Brett Lunger, Peterson’s car swerved right and crashed into the barriers before rebounding back onto the track and catching fire. The Swede died in hospital the next morning.
Italy vs. England – or is it?
The early 50’s were a straight fight between Italian and German carmakers. But after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, German representation in motorsport reduced dramatically. The British teams were on the rise, and towards the end of the decade were really starting to threaten the Italian stronghold on motorsport.
At one point of time, the Italians were so afraid of the “garagista” (the famous name given to the British teams by Enzo Ferrari), that they decided to reintroduce the fearsome banking for the 1960 race to disadvantage the British cars. In the end, the British teams withdrew and there was no competition. Ferrari completed a dominant 1-2-3.
Schumacher-Hill at it yet again
Things between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were never the same after Adelaide, 1994. It would be no surprise if the pair exchanged blows if the opportunity presented itself. And such an opportunity did arise next year at Monza.
While trying to pass a backmarker, the two collided and as you might have guessed it, all hell broke loose. Schumacher jumped out of his car and rushed angrily towards Hill and started a heated conversation. It was only because of the stewards that it didn’t turn into something very serious. We could have easily had another Nelson Piquet vs. Eliseo Salazar again.
Is that a mummy?
In the 1976 Italian Grand Prix, there was a certain driver who looked a tad bit weird; his face was so heavily bandaged that you could easily mistaken him for a mummy.
Who else could it be but Niki Lauda. Just six weeks after his horrific accident at the Nurburgring, he was back in the car. Legend has it that blood could be seen seeping through his bandages. Lauda would have been in unimaginable pain with that helmet on, experiencing high G-forces for one and a half hours in the heat. Say whatever you have to about his attitude, but the one just can’t undermine the man’s tenacity.
RUSH, an upcoming film on the rivalry between drivers James Hunt and Lauda, is due to be released on September 13, 2013, just after the Italian Grand Prix; a fitting tribute about the glorious history of the Italian Grand Prix.
