Monza 2016

I have been there many times. What exactly do you want to know about Monza?

Usually the grand stands get very full. Sincerely, Monza is not the best circuit when it comes to the view you have. Usually at each place you can view only a single point of the circuit, i.e., the straights, the parabolica, etc.

That being said, I would prefer to be at the grand stands at the first chicane or at the Ascari chicane.

Let me know if you need any specific info.

 

Flavio,
Tell us more. I plan to go also.

 

srhill, you should have an awesome time! Your son should become hooked for life. There is, of course, a danger here. Think of the race as the gateway drug; then the factory tour is a much stronger and more addictive dose ... No cure. EVER!

 

Well, what else can I say...

In terms of logistics, Monza is well served by trains, although bear in mind that the Italian railway company (Trenord) is not know for dependability. You can reach Monza from Milan, Como, Lecco, etc., plenty of trains during the day. You can even go directly to Monza from Zürich in just 3h45minutes. During the GP there will be buses from the Monza station to the circuit, still, do wear comfortable shoes because not only you will need to walk considerably while inside the Parco, but also rain can show up and eventually mud can be a problem.

If you buy the weekend ticket (4 days), even the cheapest one, you have the right to enter the pitlane during Thursday and see the cars and teams up close. At the same time there will be an autograph session with a few selected drivers, last year Raikkonen was one of them.

As I mentioned earlier, you can only see one point of the track at each grandstand (with exception the top of the paddock). That being said, those grandstands with a view for the first chicane are the most exciting. If you are more adventurous and get bored quickly by standing at the same place for almost 2 hours, a good alternative is the "prato" (the green), where you can even ride a bicycle (you can rent one at the park) around almost the entire track. There people arrive very early to reserve places and it might get uncomfortable or impossible to have a decent view if you show up late. Still, it's cool because you can watch some laps from one point and move to another point later on. Again, don't go to the "prato" if you just want to be "comfortably" seated the entire race.

On the other hand, if you want the complete VIP experience, I recommend the F1 Paddock Club ticket. It won't give you better views to watch the race, but will allow you to enter the paddock and get close to all the buzz and jet setting of an European GP.

Monza is a small city but has interesting sightseeing such as the Duomo, the Villa Realle, and the Museo, which hosts the "Corona Ferrea" (Lombard crown, supposedly made with some iron from spikes of Jesus crucifixion).

A good half-day trip while in the area is to visit the newly renovated Alfa Romeo Museu in Arese, north-west of Milan.

I am not sure how well guarded the circuit will be prior to the race weekend or after the race, but I think that it's worth to check the banking of the old oval track, truly an important piece of automotive history:

http://speedhunters-wp-production.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMG_0017_4bhY_2.jpg

Any other specific questions feel free to ask here.