Monza. The very name conjures up images of Formula 1 history, and speed. Moments such as Niki Lauda’s stunning return to the track at Monza in 1976, just over a month after his harrowing crash at the Nurburgring.
Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto delivering a dramatic one-two for Ferrari in 1988. The 1971 Italian Grand Prix offered one of the closest finishes in F1 history, with all five drivers in the top five finishing within a second of each other. Then there was 2021, and as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen tangled midway through the race in one of the most dramatic moments from that unforgettable season, Daniel Ricciardo charged through for his only win while with McLaren.
Then there is the nickname, one of the greatest in all of motorsports: “The Temple of Speed.” An homage to the almost religious experience involved with seeing some of the greatest drivers on the planet push their machines, and themselves, to the ultimate limit ..
. and beyond. Of course, this all takes place at the home of Ferrari, and the legions of red will fill the grandstands again this weekend, honoring their living legends.
That this race comes following an unexpected weekend for the Scuderia, as Charles Leclerc captured a podium finish after struggling all week in Zandvoort, and Carlos Sainz Jr. rebounded from his own struggles to finish in the points, is a beautiful bit of timing. At one point this season it looked as if Ferrari might pose the biggest challenge to Red Bull, and while t.