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The Italian F1 GP venue, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit, is set to be refurbished ahead of the 2024 edition of the race to improve its facilities. The Italian Motorsport Federation President Angelo Sticchi Damiani outlined the improvements being made to the 100-year-old circuit as part of improving the fan amenities and experience.
The historic Italian circuit has drawn flak in recent years for its sub-par infrastructure regarding fan experience despite its ability to sell out tickets and draw large crowds every year. Given the age of the circuit, it has often had limitations when it comes to accommodating the increasingly growing live audience at the F1 event. As reported by the Motorsport Network, the Italian federation members were present at a ceremony at the circuit to kickstart the 140-day operation of refurbishing the circuit.
Speaking to the Italian press and on-site media at the ceremony, Italian president Sticchi Damiani said:
“Our main goal is to bring the Autodromo back up to speed. We can no longer afford to have problems with the flow of fans, and we must offer greater comfort to those who come to the circuit. We have set ourselves three goals to best meet the requests made to us, and of these the first is the underpasses.” [Translated from Italian]
He added:
“The second goal is related to the grandstands. We still have several temporary structures, so we will build more solid structures that will provide all the amenities in line with what a spectator expects today. Each grandstand will be an island with all the necessary services inside, so that the public will not have to move around. Finally, a permanent type of roofing will be built over the pit building (it is currently a tensile structure). The support pillars will be reinforced because the structure will grow in height.” [Translated from Italian]
The federation president Sticchi Damiani suggested that there were three key areas that needed improvement - the underpasses, the grandstands, and the main pit building structure. The refurbishments which begin in January are anticipated to be completed by June as the 2024 Italian GP weekend is set to be held between August 30th and September 2nd, 2024.
Along with improving the grandstands and other amenities related to the fan experience, they will also be resurfacing the entire circuit. The current grandstands, which are temporary and movable structures, will be replaced with solid structures according to Damiani. The construction of a new underpass along with the improvement to the three existing underpasses at the venue is being done to improve fan traffic and mobility.
F1 CEO is encouraging of the new changes being made to the Italian GP venue
With both Italian F1 venues contracted until 2025 on the F1 calendar, the historic circuits are under pressure to revamp their infrastructure to extend their contracts. Despite their 100-year-old history, European and traditional venues like Monza are under pressure to step up their infrastructure to compete with newer venues both in and out of Europe.
Commenting on the changes being made to the circuit, Stefano Domenicali felt that the old circuits needed to be revamped to the level of other circuits that have better facilities. Speaking in a video conference to the media, F1 CEO Domenicali said:
“The historical value of Monza is beyond question, but we also need to keep up with the times in terms of services, which must be in line with the prices paid by those who come to the racetrack. Within the next year, we will have clear ideas about the future. For us this is an important goal. We need to be able to receive our guests in a proper structure and no longer under a tent, as it was until last. In addition to this, there are obviously other interventions needed for the future. Monza has a great tradition but we must also look ahead and propose the racetrack at the level of the other world championship tracks.”
Until last year, many of the circuit amenities at Monza had been tented or temporary structures which did not benefit the premier F1 lounges for guests. The pit building improvements could further improve the experience. However, Domenicali asserted that the fans got their value for money with the facilities available at the circuit.
The historical venue draws large Tifosi crowds, European fans, and global F1 audiences. Monza had approximately 300,000 fans in the 2023 edition. According to the F1 CEO, the circuit will be evaluated after the improvements within a year to further continue talks of extending their contract.
