F1: 5 Most Memorable Races at Monza

Monza has been a part for Formula 1 right since the start and will soon turn 100 years old in 2022. The race track has hosted the Italian Grand Prix or the European Grand Prix every year since the inception of Formula 1 in 1950, barring the 1980 season, where the race was held at Imola.

This year's Italian Grand Prix will be held Monza, and it promises to be a thriller. Sebastian Vettel strong show at the Belgian Grand Prix puts him in a strong position against his rival Lewis Hamilton, who leads the German by 17 points. Furthermore, the Prancing Horse would be chasing its first Italian Grand Prix victory since 2010.

Through the years, the track has given racing fans plenty of memorable moments including breathtaking overtakes, chilling crashes and memorable race wins, and in this article, let us take a trip down the memory lane look closer at the five best races at the iconic Monza race track.

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#5 2010 - Alonso edges past Button

The 2010 Italian Grand Prix witnessed a fierce battle between Alonso and Button

The victory at the 2010 Italian Grand Prix was Ferrari's last Formula 1 win at their home race. The race featured an enticing duel between Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Jensen Button.

The Spaniard started the race from the pole position after dominant displays in Q2 and Q3. His teammate started in the third place while Button started the race from the front row alongside Fernando Alonso.

The Briton had a magical start and overtook the Spaniard in the first lap. After dropping back to second, Alonso showed decent pace and continued to pressure the race leader Jensen Button.

Alonso stayed out a lap longer on the track, which allowed him to overtake Button after the first round of pitstops. The hotly contested race saw wheel-to-wheel action between the Spaniard and the Briton throughout the race. Eventually, Fernando Alonso crossed the chequered flag first, and Jenson Button took the second place with a gap less than three seconds.

The Spanish driver went on to finish the championship in the second place, just four points behind Sebastian Vettel.

#4 1998 - Schumacher beats Hakkinen

Michael Schumacher's second win at Monza

Michael Schumacher's second victory at Monza came after a fierce battle with McLaren's Hakkinen.

The German started the race on pole position while the Finn followed Schumacher from the second row of the grid. However, fortunes soon changed for Hakkinen as his rival driving the Ferrari suffered from a bad start and moved down to the fifth place.

A resurgent drive by the German ensured that he was back in contention for the race win. However, tragedy struck McLaren, and Coulthard retired due to a blown engine, which forced Hakkinen to concede his position to Schumacher. The German continued his march towards victory while the second-placed Hakkinen lost places due to problems with his brakes, and finished the race in the fourth place.

Michael Schumacher finished first while his teammate Eddie Irvine took a brilliant second to complete a memorable Ferrari 1-2.

#3 1976 - Lauda returns to Formula 1

Lauda returns to Formula 1 after suffering a crash at Nurburgring

Niki Lauda suffered a horrific crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix, which resulted in serious injuries. However, Lauda returned to professional racing a month later and took fifth place in the Italian GP qualifying. Jacques Laffite took the pole position while the race winner Ronnie Peterson started the race from eighth place.

Still not fully recovered from the injuries, the Austrian dropped back at the start but soon recovered and moved up the field much to the cheer of Tifosi. A brilliant drive from Lauda ensured that he would finish the race in the fourth place and extend his championship lead over James Hunt.

At the front, Ronnie Peterson had a brilliant start and moved to the top of the grid within the first five laps. The Swede continued his push and took the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari's Clay Reggazonni and Jacques Laffite.

#2 2008 - Vettel wins the Italian Grand Prix

Italian Formula One Grand Prix: Race

Driving the Torro Rosso, Sebastian Vettel had a near perfect qualifying session in wet conditions, which saw him take the pole position. He became the youngest driver to take a pole position in Formula 1.

With the track still being very wet, the race began under the safety car, and Vettel held his ground right from the start. The German led the race in a controlled fashion and took the chequered flag at Monza with the Torro Rosso, embarrassing the Ferrari, whose best position was a lowly sixth place.

At that point of time, he became the youngest Formula 1 racer to win a Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel's win at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix showed glimpses of his potential and set the platform perfectly for his future world championships.

#1 1971 Italian Grand Prix

The 1969 Italian Grand Prix witnessed one of the closest races in Formula 1 history. Nevertheless, the F1 race at Monza two years later outdid the first and etched itself as the closest finish in Formula 1 history.

An average performance by Peter Gethin ensured that he would start the race from a disappointing eleventh place while the debutant Mike Hailwood would start the race from the seventeenth place.

However, fortunes quickly changed at the start of the race; multiple drivers made big jumps and moved to the top of the field. A group of five cars constantly exchanged podium positions throughout the duration of the race. Peter Gethin led most of the race and was in the fourth place during the final lap of the Grand Prix. A brilliant exit from the Parabolica ensured that Peter Gethin would finish the race in the first place, 0.01 seconds ahead of Ronnie Peterson. Mike Hailwood finished the race in the fifth spot, 0.61 seconds behind the race winner.