Monza

Find a billboard to climb!

I hope to visit Monza someday, after I retire at year's end. Since the GPs at Spa and Monza tend to be back-to-back, that would be ideal (and expensive)!

 

I was fortunate enough to photograph the 1989 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

And, while photo credentials gave me good track side access, it wasn't great except for
a few spots. With the amount of people there it's difficult to get around on foot. The
infrastructure inside the track at the time was pretty bad, the place was a bit dilapidated
but that may have been fixed when they updated pit complex.

For spectators, it would seem the best viewing would be from the grandstands on the
main straight or down at the chicanes as the issue for spectators is there are these very
high fences obstruct views most all the way around the track.

Also, unless the ingress and egress has been improved, give yourself plenty of time to
get in and out. After the GP, it took hours to get out of that park and I was fortunate
to catch the last train out of Milan for Florence that night. The crush of people was
not to be believed.

BHW

 

True, at the ELMS event there you won't have to deal with 400,000 crazed TIFOSI
which occurred to me after posting original response. In '89 it was a mob scene as
Prost won for McLaren just days after signing to drive for Ferrari so in the eyes of the
TIFOSI, it was practically as good as a Ferrari victory.

At least you'll have a little elbow room to move around. Still think that the upper reaches
of the various grandstands would be the best bet. Unless you like to move from point to
point from ground level, that may prove difficult due to the guardrails and fences that
limit viewing.

IIRC, inside Parabolica leading up the pit straight, there are some decent viewing points
that aren't obstructed by catch fencing.

Sounds like a great trip though, be sure to post pics when you get back.

BHW

 

Was at Monza for the GP last September, getting in and out is much better now. Catch a train from Milan Centrale which has a stop at the Lesmo's, an easy walk in. Get a quick walk on the old banking in while there.
Good viewing from the back straight down to Parabolica, but I suspect you'll be able to walk into any number of free grandstands as crowd numbers won't be huge. You'll have a great trip, I'm sure!

 

When at Monza we seat in the seating areas 6 at the end of the main straight, before the Prima Variante.
https://www.monzanet.it/en/autodromo/circuit/seating-areas/#

You have a view up the start finish straight (from 6a), plenty of braking action going into the first corner a big screen directly opposite, and you are above the old banking.

 

Well, during the time I lived near Monza I think I went there more than 20 times so...

You are correct, Monza sucks for good viewpoints. You usually only have a view of the part of the track that is just the one right in front of you.

If you look at the link posted by Simon, to have a view of the first chicane, many people like to stay at grandstand 6c. That one is probably the most popular because of the overtakes. However, that's pretty much what you are going to see: the very ending of the braking point and the chicane part. You have no view whatsoever about what is going on the straight. A better alternative for that point might be grandstands 8b and 8a, but these are outside of the inner area and thus difficult to reach (a bit far by foot).

My personal favorite is grandstands 15 and 16: it's an overtake point with a clear view of the cars coming from the straight and you also get to closely watch the cars on the limit at Ascari.

The suggestions I have:

- try to park your car on the parking that is located in the inner area (more or less between the main straights)

- if your pass doesn't allow you to get into the paddock, it's very easy to circumvent the security: take the service elevator from the ground floor to the first floor and then simply walk to your right(when exiting the elevator) around 50 meters. You will notice that you can go downstairs right inside the paddock. :-D