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Five Things You Didn’t Know About MonzaThe most used track in Formula One has plenty of facts you may not have heard before

Monzaisafananddriverfavourite.ItwasonthecalendarinthefirstseasonofFormulaOneandapartfrom1980hashostedtheItalianGrandPrixeveryyear.SomuchhasbeenwrittenaboutLaPistaMagica,butherearefivefactsyoumightnotknowaboutthisMeccaofmotorracing.

It’sKnownForMoreThanMotorsport

Although Monza is world-renowned for its motor racing exploits, the Italian track also hosts a wide range of other sports which don’t require an engine.

The track famously hosts the Monza 12hr Cycling Marathon and Monza 21 Half Marathon.

Nike scientists also chose Monza for their Breaking2 project in 2017. The goal of the event was to see if three runners could break the two-hour barrier for the marathon. Olympic Champion and world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, ran 2:00:25 although the race wasn’t counted as a world record due to the use of multiple pacemakers.

Last Time At The Italian Grand Prix...© Getty Images

It’sSetWithinRoyalSurroundings

The track is set in Monza Park, part of the Royal Villa of Monza, which was commissioned by Napoleon's stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, during the French occupation of northern Italy and was completed in 1808. The park is 688 hectares and the largest walled park in Europe.

HomeOfTheClosestRaceInTheSport’sHistory

In 1971 Monza hosted the closest finish in Formula One history. Peter Gethin started the final lap of the race in P4, he went on to take the win ahead of Ronnie Peterson by just 0.01 seconds. The top five finishers were separated by only 0.61 seconds. In fact, three of the top ten closest races have happened at Monza. The 1969 Italian Grand Prix saw Jackie Stewart beat Jochen Rindt by 0.08 seconds. And in 1967 John Surtees beat Jack Brabham by 0.2 seconds.

We Can't Wait To Take RB18 On A Date In Monza© Getty Images

MonzaHasTheShortestRaceTimes

Although the track is relatively long, oh boy is it quick. And due to that it is often the shortest race – in terms of time – on the calendar.

Due to the high speed of Monza, the race time hovers around the 75 minute mark. The highest speed ever recorded was in the 2020 Monza circuit when Lewis Hamilton recorded 264.363 kph in average speed. Drivers can reach well over 350kph on Monza’s long straights. The shortest race – which went the race distance – in Formula One history was in 2003 when Michael Schumacher won in 1:14:19.838.

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It’sTheMostHeldGrandPrixInHistory

Although the Italian Grand Prix is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the American Grand Prize, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), it is the most run Grand Prix in history.

First held in 1921 it has been held every year apart from 1929, 1930 and 1939-1946 due to the Second World War. In 2013 it became the most held Grand Prix and this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix will be the 92nd running of the race. Along with the British Grand Prix, it is the only race to be held every year since the sport’s inception in 1950, and apart from 1980 when the race moved to Imola, Monza has held every race.

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