10 Incredible Moments From Monza: Formula 1's Temple of Speed

Before the chicanes were added, Monza was terrifyingly fast and the long straights saw plenty of slip-streaming. The end of the 1971 Italian Grand Prix was one of the closest ever finishes in F1, with Peter Gethin winning by just 0.01 seconds. In fact, the top five were separated by just six tenths.

In pre-qualifying for the 2004 Italian GP, Juan Pablo Montoya – driving a BMW-powered Williams – put in the fastest ever F1 lap. His average speed was an incredible 162.9mph (262.2kph).

The finish of the 1993 Italian Grand Prix has to be one of the most spectacular ever. The Minardis of Christian Fittipaldi and Pierluigi Martini were approaching the chequered flag when the former made contact with his team-mate, back-flipped 360 degrees and landed back on its wheels. Madness.

Despite running with the slow Renault power unit at the 2014 Italian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo put in some insane overtakes to move up the field. His braking ability was on another level and he really was the star of the race, rising from ninth to fifth.

Lewis Hamilton may have been on his first F1 season, but the Brit’s pass on Kimi Raikkonen at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix for second place was certainly ballsy and brave. He was a long way back but made it stick and advanced a position in spectacular style.

The 2011 Italian Grand Prix first corner was pure chaos, and looked just like a F1 game open lobby. Vitantonio Liuzzi was squeezed onto the grass on the run to Turn 1, skidded uncontrollably past a number of cars and slammed hard into several others when he found the road. Oops.

One amazing moment that took incredible bravery and determination was Niki Lauda’s return to racing at the 1976 Italian Grand Prix, just six weeks after his fiery crash at the Nurburgring. He qualified fifth for Ferrari and finished fourth, an astonishing result considering what he had been through.

Here’s another classic conclusion to an Italian GP, this time in 1969. Jackie Stewart beat Jochen Rindt to victory by just 0.08 seconds, helped by the Scottish driver’s car being fitted with a longer fourth gear. The decision obviously worked for him.

9. A special maiden win

Prior to the 2008 race in Italy, Sebastian Vettel had been quietly impressing at Toro Rosso. However, in wet weather conditions, he was unbeatable despite the car being midfield at best. He broke numerous records when he claimed a faultless maiden F1 win, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so. And at the team’s home race too, he couldn’t have hoped for much better. He has done pretty well for himself since…

The McLaren MP4/4 dominated the 1988 F1 season, failing to win just one race – the Italian GP. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost led early on before the latter retired due to engine failure. Senna was well out front when, with two laps to go, he made contact with Jean-Louis Schlesser’s Williams and retired.

Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto were promoted to first and second, scoring an emotional home victory for Ferrari, just a month after the death of the team’s founder Enzo Ferrari. The Tifosi went wild, as McLaren’s dominant run of success was finally broken.