Italian Grand Prix facts for kids
| Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (1922–1979; 1981–present) |
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| Race information | |
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| Number of times held | 93 |
| First held | 1921 |
| Most wins (drivers) |  Michael Schumacher Lewis Hamilton (5) |
| Most wins (constructors) |  Ferrari (20) |
| Circuit length | 5.793 km (3.600 mi) |
| Race length | 306.720 km (190.596 mi) |
| Laps | 53 |
| Last race (2023) | |
| Pole position | |
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| Podium | |
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| Fastest lap | |
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The Italian Grand Prix (Italian: Gran Premio d'Italia) is a super exciting motor racing event. It's one of the oldest races, starting way back in 1921. Only a few other Grand Prix races are older! As of 2023, it has been held 93 times, more than any other Grand Prix.
This race is special because it has been part of the Formula One World Championship every single year since it began in 1950. That's a long time! Most of these races have taken place at the famous Monza track. Only once, in 1980, was it held at Imola.
Before Formula One began, the Italian Grand Prix was also a big deal. It was part of important championships like the World Manufacturers' Championship and the European Championship. Sometimes, it was even called the European Grand Prix. A few early races were held in different places like Montichiari, Livorno, Milan, and Turin. But Monza has always been its main home. The race is planned to stay at the Monza Circuit until at least 2025.
History of the Italian Grand Prix
How the Race Started
The very first Italian Grand Prix happened on September 4, 1921. It was held on a long 10.7-mile (17.3 km) track near Montichiari. But the race is much more famous for its connection to the Monza track. This track is just outside Milan, a big city in Italy.
Monza was built in 1922, just in time for that year's race. It's located in the town of Monza, inside a public park called Parco di Monza. This park is also home to the beautiful Royal Villa of Monza.
Monza: A Historic Race Track
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza was finished in 1922. It was only the third permanent race track in the world at that time! The other two were Brooklands in England and Indianapolis in the United States. Racing legends Vincenzo Lancia and Felice Nazzaro even helped lay the last bricks.
The original track was 10 km (6.25 miles) long. It had a flat banked section and a regular road circuit, all combined. This made it super fast and always exciting! In the 1923 race, American car designer Harry A. Miller brought his special "American Miller 122" car. It was driven by Count Louis Zborowski, who was famous for his "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" car. Sadly, Zborowski passed away at Monza the next year while driving a Mercedes.
The 1928 race had a very sad moment. Drivers Emilio Materassi and Giulio Foresti were racing very fast. Materassi's car touched Foresti's, and Materassi lost control. His car went off the track and into the stands, causing a terrible accident where many people were hurt or lost their lives. Because of this, the Italian Grand Prix didn't happen for three years.
It returned in 1931, won by Giuseppe Campari and Tazio Nuvolari in an Alfa Romeo. This race was very long, taking ten hours! Nuvolari won again in the shorter 1932 race.
Challenges in 1933
In 1933, another sad event happened at Monza. Three top drivers, Giuseppe Campari, Baconin Borzacchini, and Stanislas Czaykowski, were involved in fatal accidents during a separate race held on the same day as the Italian Grand Prix. This day became known as the "Black Day of Monza."
Back then, safety was very different. Race tracks were often like regular roads, and spectators stood very close to the action with little protection. This tragic day made people realize how dangerous racing could be. It changed how people, especially Enzo Ferrari, thought about motor racing.
Changes to the Circuit and Other Locations
After the difficult 1933 race, Monza needed changes. In 1934, a shorter version of the track was used. Later, the Florio circuit with five chicanes (slow-down turns) was introduced. During this time, powerful German teams like Mercedes and Auto Union dominated the races. Superstar Rudolf Caracciola won in 1934 and 1937. The 1937 race was held on a street circuit in Livorno, not Monza.
1938 saw the race return to Monza, with Nuvolari winning in an Auto Union. Soon after, World War II began, and the Italian Grand Prix stopped until 1947.
In 1947, the race was held in Milan, where Italian Carlo Felice Trossi won. Sadly, another accident occurred, injuring several spectators. This location was never used again. In 1948, the race moved to Valentino Park in Turin. Finally, in 1949, the race returned to Monza, where it stayed for the next 30 years.
Monza's Updates (1949–1979)
Monza's track was updated. The old banked sections were no longer used, and the road circuit was slightly changed. The new final corner became two 90-degree turns. In 1949, Italian driver Alberto Ascari, whose father Antonio also won the race, won for Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari was now building his own cars.
The 1950 race was special because it was part of the new Formula One Championship. Giuseppe "Nino" Farina won, becoming the first F1 champion. 1951 and 1952 saw Ascari win again. In 1953, Juan Manuel Fangio won in a Maserati.
After the 1954 race, Monza got a big makeover. New facilities were built, and a new corner called Parabolica was added. The biggest change was building new, huge concrete banked turns called sopraelevata curves. These were combined with the road course for the 1955 event. Fangio won this race. The 10 km Monza circuit was incredibly fast, with F1 cars averaging over 135 mph per lap!
The 1956 race was thrilling. Championship contenders Fangio, Peter Collins, and Jean Behra battled for the win. Stirling Moss eventually won, with Fangio taking second and his fourth Drivers' Championship.
From 1957 to 1959, only the road circuit was used because the banked sections were rough. Moss won twice more. In 1960, the organizers decided to use the banked sections again to help Ferrari's powerful front-engined cars. The British teams, who had newer mid-engined cars, boycotted the race because they felt the banking was too dangerous. American Phil Hill won, marking the last victory for a front-engined F1 car.
1961 saw the combined circuit used again, but it was another sad race. Two Ferrari drivers, Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, were fighting for the championship. During the race, von Trips had a serious crash, and sadly, he and some spectators lost their lives. Hill won the race and the championship.
From 1962 onwards, only the road circuit was used for Formula One. The banking still stands today but is no longer used for F1 races. Graham Hill won in 1962. In 1963, drivers tried the full circuit in practice, but it was too bumpy. They refused to race on it, so they used only the road circuit. Jim Clark won.
John Surtees won in 1964, and Jackie Stewart won his first Grand Prix in 1965. Italian Ludovico Scarfiotti won in 1966, and no Italian driver has won the race since. The 1967 race was incredibly close, with Surtees winning by a tiny margin.
The 1969 race was another nail-biter, with four drivers battling to the finish. Stewart won, taking his first championship. In 1970, Jochen Rindt had a serious crash during qualifying, which he didn't survive. He still became the only posthumous world champion. Clay Regazzoni won the race. The 1971 race was one of the closest finishes ever, with Peter Gethin winning by just one-hundredth of a second!
In 1972, Monza was changed to slow the cars down. Two chicanes (slow-down turns) were added. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi won and became champion at just 25 years old. In 1973, Stewart won his third and final championship. 1974 saw more changes, with the Vialone chicane renamed Variante Ascari. Ronnie Peterson won that year.
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The 1975 was a memorable event for Ferrari. Their rising star, Niki Lauda, secured his first drivers' title, and Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship. In 1976, more chicanes were added to Monza. Lauda, who had returned to racing after a very serious crash, finished fourth.
1977 saw Italian-American Mario Andretti win. However, the 1978 race added another sad chapter to Monza's history. There was a big crash at the start, and Peterson was seriously injured. Andretti won the Drivers' Championship that year. 1979 brought more safety upgrades to Monza, and Jody Scheckter won for Ferrari, also taking the Drivers' Championship.
Imola in 1980 and Monza's Return
In 1979, it was announced that the Italian Grand Prix would move to the Imola circuit for 1980. This was while Monza got a big upgrade, including a new pit area. Imola was closer to the Ferrari factory. Brazilian Nelson Piquet won the race at Imola.
The Italian Grand Prix returned to Monza in 1981 and has been held there ever since. Imola continued to host a Formula One race, the San Marino Grand Prix, until 2006.
The 1981 was won by Alain Prost. In 1988, there was a memorable win for Ferrari. McLaren had won every race that season, but at Monza, both McLaren drivers had problems. Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto took a 1-2 victory for Ferrari. This was very special because Enzo Ferrari had passed away just a month before.
Prost won again in 1989, and Ayrton Senna won in 1990 and 1992. Nigel Mansell won in 1991, and Damon Hill won in 1993 and 1994.
More safety changes were made to Monza in 1994 and 1995, including wider runoff areas. Michael Schumacher won for Ferrari in 1996. In 2000, the circuit had more changes to its chicanes. Sadly, an accident at the start of the 2000 race resulted in a race official being seriously injured and later passing away. On a happier note, Ferrari had a great run, winning in 2000 and from 2002 to 2004.
After winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher announced he would retire from Formula 1. In the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel made history by becoming the youngest driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He was only 21 years and 74 days old! Vettel also won in 2011 with a spectacular pass.
There was some worry that Monza might stop hosting the race, but in 2010, a deal was signed to keep the race at Monza until at least 2016.
The 2020 Italian Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton set the fastest ever qualifying lap in F1 history, reaching an amazing average speed of 264.362 km/h (164.267 mph)!
Eleven Italian drivers have won the Italian Grand Prix, with Ludovico Scarfiotti being the last in 1966. Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have both won the race five times, and Nelson Piquet has won it four times. Ferrari, the famous Italian team, has won their home Grand Prix 20 times!
The 2023 Italian Grand Prix was the shortest race ever in terms of duration (not counting races that ended early), finishing in just 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 41.143 seconds.
Italian Grand Prix Winners
Drivers with Multiple Wins
Drivers in bold are racing in Formula One this season. A pink background means the event was not part of the Formula One World Championship. A yellow background means the event was part of the pre-war European Championship.
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| Wins | Driver | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Michael Schumacher |
1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 |
| Lewis Hamilton |
2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 | |
| 4 |  Nelson Piquet |
1980, 1983, 1986, 1987 |
| 3 |  Tazio Nuvolari |
1931, 1932, 1938 |
| Alberto Ascari |
1949, 1951, 1952 | |
 Juan Manuel Fangio |
1953, 1954, 1955 | |
| Stirling Moss |
1956, 1957, 1959 | |
 Ronnie Peterson |
1973, 1974, 1976 | |
 Alain Prost |
1981, 1985, 1989 | |
 Rubens Barrichello |
2002, 2004, 2009 | |
| Sebastian Vettel |
2008, 2011, 2013 | |
| 2 | Luigi Fagioli |
1933, 1934 |
 Rudolf Caracciola |
1934, 1937 | |
 Phil Hill |
1960, 1961 | |
| John Surtees |
1964, 1967 | |
| Jackie Stewart |
1965, 1969 | |
 Clay Regazzoni |
1970, 1975 | |
 Niki Lauda |
1978, 1984 | |
| Ayrton Senna |
1990, 1992 | |
| Damon Hill |
1993, 1994 | |
 Juan Pablo Montoya |
2001, 2005 | |
 Fernando Alonso |
2007, 2010 | |
 Max Verstappen |
2022, 2023 | |
| Sources: | ||
Winning Teams (Constructors)
Teams in bold are racing in Formula One this season. A pink background means the event was not part of any championship. A yellow background means the event was part of the pre-war European Grand Prix Championship. A green background means the event was part of the pre-war World Manufacturers' Championship.
| Wins | Constructor | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Ferrari |
1949, 1951, 1952, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1979, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2019 |
| 11 | McLaren |
1968, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2021 |
| 9 | Mercedes |
1934, 1937, 1954, 1955, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| 8 | Alfa Romeo |
1924, 1925, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1947, 1948, 1950 |
| 6 | Williams |
1986, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001 |
| 5 | Lotus |
1963, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977 |
| 4 | Red Bull |
2011, 2013, 2022, 2023 |
| 3 | Auto Union |
1935, 1936, 1938 |
| BRM |
1962, 1965, 1971 | |
| Brabham |
1978, 1980, 1983 | |
| 2 | Fiat |
1922, 1923 |
 Bugatti |
1926, 1928 | |
| Maserati |
1953, 1956 | |
| Vanwall |
1957, 1958 | |
| Renault |
1981, 1982 | |
| Sources: | ||
Winning Engine Manufacturers
Manufacturers in bold are racing in Formula One this season. A pink background means the event was not part of any championship. A yellow background means the event was part of the pre-war European Grand Prix Championship. A green background means the event was part of the pre-war World Manufacturers' Championship.
| Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Ferrari |
1949, 1951, 1952, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1979, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2019 |
| 15 | Mercedes * |
1934, 1937, 1954, 1955, 1997, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 |
| 9 | Alfa Romeo |
1924, 1925, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1978 |
| 8 | Ford ** |
1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980 |
| Renault |
1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2011, 2013 | |
| 7 |  Honda |
1967, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2020 |
| 3 | Auto Union |
1935, 1936, 1938 |
| BRM |
1962, 1965, 1971 | |
| 2 | Fiat |
1922, 1923 |
| Bugatti |
1926, 1928 | |
| Maserati |
1953, 1956 | |
| Vanwall |
1957, 1958 | |
| Climax |
1959, 1963 | |
 TAG *** |
1984, 1985 | |
| BMW |
1983, 2001 | |
| Sources: | ||
* Between 1997 and 2005 built by Ilmor, funded by Mercedes
** Built by Cosworth, funded by Ford
*** Built by Porsche
Winners by Year
A pink background means the event was not part of any championship. A yellow background means the event was part of the pre-war European Championship. A green background means the event was part of the pre-war World Manufacturers' Championship.
See also
In Spanish: Gran Premio de Italia para niños
