Like buses before privatisation, we have no Grands Prix for a month and then two come along almost immediately. This time we are off to the "Temple of Speed", or the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, as it is officially called. If you only ever visit one live motor race in your life, go to Monza. The organisation, as you would expect from Italy, is an utter shambles. There are not enough toilets, buying food requires a PhD in finance, getting in to and out of the circuit takes literally hours (unless you do what I did and walk down the side of the queue to the front and go straight in), and an espresso will cost you €5. Please don't try and take in any of your own food, drink, or a power cell to recharge your phone, as these will be confiscated at the gate.
But the food, when eventually you get it after going through three different queues, is fabulous. The €5 espresso is delicious. And you will sit in the most passionate motor racing environment in the world, where every time a Ferrari goes past, everyone, apart from the drunk Dutch fans, gets up and cheers. If a Ferrari is leading, or makes an overtake, the place erupts with a noise it is impossible to describe, and they boo their pantomime villains until they win, and then they cheer them even if they weren't in a Ferrari.
This year, the early races descended in to the widely predicted Max Verstappen show, but as the season has progressed other teams, particularly McLaren, have caught up and passed the Bulls. After the twists and turns of Zandvoort it will be interesting to see who is fastest at the ultra high speed Monza track. Expect Ferrari to put on a show, in qualifying at least. I should say, for those of you hoping for some sort of run at the title from Lando Norris, unless McLaren get Mr Pastry to run Max off the track at two or three races the title is a done deal. The Red Bull might not be the best car on the grid, but what Max is able to extract from it is quite astonishing, particularly given the dismal performance of his team mate.
We have a new driver this weekend, with Williams dropping Logan Sargeant in favour of Franco Colapinto. Presumably last weekend's excursion in to the barriers at Zandvoort was one crash too many. Colapinto is a Williams academy driver from Argentina who's record in junior series is good, but not stellar. One assumes his brief is simply not to crash.
F2 and F3 are back this weekend, with the ladies from the F1 academy being popped back in the motor homes where they belong, returning to decorative and PR duties. Expect more sexist pictures from Aston Martin of the 43 year old Fernando Alonso with a couple of twenty something women draped over him.
Here's the schedule of the F1 race. To see when everything else takes place click here - FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2024 - full timetable | Formula 1®
But the food, when eventually you get it after going through three different queues, is fabulous. The €5 espresso is delicious. And you will sit in the most passionate motor racing environment in the world, where every time a Ferrari goes past, everyone, apart from the drunk Dutch fans, gets up and cheers. If a Ferrari is leading, or makes an overtake, the place erupts with a noise it is impossible to describe, and they boo their pantomime villains until they win, and then they cheer them even if they weren't in a Ferrari.
This year, the early races descended in to the widely predicted Max Verstappen show, but as the season has progressed other teams, particularly McLaren, have caught up and passed the Bulls. After the twists and turns of Zandvoort it will be interesting to see who is fastest at the ultra high speed Monza track. Expect Ferrari to put on a show, in qualifying at least. I should say, for those of you hoping for some sort of run at the title from Lando Norris, unless McLaren get Mr Pastry to run Max off the track at two or three races the title is a done deal. The Red Bull might not be the best car on the grid, but what Max is able to extract from it is quite astonishing, particularly given the dismal performance of his team mate.
We have a new driver this weekend, with Williams dropping Logan Sargeant in favour of Franco Colapinto. Presumably last weekend's excursion in to the barriers at Zandvoort was one crash too many. Colapinto is a Williams academy driver from Argentina who's record in junior series is good, but not stellar. One assumes his brief is simply not to crash.
F2 and F3 are back this weekend, with the ladies from the F1 academy being popped back in the motor homes where they belong, returning to decorative and PR duties. Expect more sexist pictures from Aston Martin of the 43 year old Fernando Alonso with a couple of twenty something women draped over him.
Here's the schedule of the F1 race. To see when everything else takes place click here - FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2024 - full timetable | Formula 1®
