Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Circuit guide by Chris Pollitt · dates updated 2 November 2026

Monza opened in September 1922 inside the walled royal park at Monza, just north of Milan, which makes it one of the oldest purpose-built circuits in the world. It has hosted the Italian Grand Prix almost every year since, and the remains of the old banked oval still stand in the trees. The Grand Prix circuit is 5.793 km long with only 11 corners, and it's the fastest lap on the Formula One calendar.

On a track day that means long periods flat out, heavy stops for three chicanes and a handful of proper corners where you can make or lose real time. It's surprisingly approachable for a novice because the corners are well defined and the run-off is large. Powerful cars feel at home, but a small car will spend most of the lap on the limiter and the rest braking. Open days are mostly run by European clubs and Italian organisers, and the setting in the park, with all that history, is half the reason to go.

A lap of Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Layout: Grand Prix, 5.793 km (3.60 miles)

The main straight is long enough that even a road car will be well into the top gear before the Variante del Rettifilo, the first chicane. It's a tight right-left at the end of a big braking zone, and it's very easy to outbrake yourself here on the first lap of a session with cold tyres. Get it slowed down and clip the kerbs carefully, because the exit leads straight into the Curva Grande, a long, fast right that's flat in most cars.

The next stop is the Variante della Roggia, a left-right chicane, approached flat out from Curva Grande. Brake in a straight line and get the car turned in early. Then come the two Lesmo rights. The first is quicker than it looks, while the second is tighter and the one that really matters, because its exit leads onto the long run through Serraglio, under the old banking, and down to Ascari.

The Variante Ascari is a fast left-right-left sequence and the best part of the lap. Brake for the first left, take a single smooth line through all three parts and don't touch the brakes again. Get it right and you'll carry big speed onto the back straight. Get it wrong and you'll scrabble across the kerbs and lose time all the way down to the last corner.

That last corner is the Parabolica, now officially called Curva Alboreto, a long right that opens up onto the main straight. Brake hard, turn in a touch later than you'd think, and be patient. The corner keeps opening, so you can feed in the throttle early and use all the road on the exit. A good exit here means a big top speed past the pits.

Track day tips

• Cold brakes and tyres into the Rettifilo chicane catch people out every session. Take the first lap of each run gently.
• You'll spend a lot of the lap flat out, so check oil levels and temperatures and make sure your car is up to sustained high speed.
• Monza has a long history of noise disputes with local residents. Check your organiser's dB limit and bring a quiet exhaust if you're anywhere close.
• The second Lesmo and the Parabolica are the two corners that set up long straights. Prioritise your exits there.
• Mixed days bring big speed differences on the straights. Keep checking your mirrors and give quicker cars a clear signal.
• Book well ahead around the Italian Grand Prix in early September, when hotels in Monza and Milan fill up.

Getting there

From Calais it's about 1,000 km to Monza, typically via Reims and Basel, then through Switzerland on the Gotthard route to Como and the A4 or A51 into Monza. Swiss motorways need a vignette. For flights, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Bergamo all have plenty of UK routes, with Bergamo and Linate both close by. The circuit sits inside the Parco di Monza, and access is signposted from the town. Monza itself has plenty of hotels, and Milan is a short train ride away.