Five Things You Didn't Know About the Italian GP 2026

The Italian Grand Prix is this week, and as well as being a home race for our very own Kimi, Monza is one of the most-loved race tracks on the entire Formula 1 calendar. Packed with passion and so much history, the Temple of Speed is surrounded by secrets and interesting facts to learn.

Oldest circuit F1 races on

As a country, Italy has always been a hub of motorsport. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza was the third purpose built circuit in the world – constructed in 1922 behind Brooklands and Indianapolis – and has been a part of Formula 1’s calendar since the very first season in 1950.

The Italian Grand Prix has featured on the schedule every year since then and has always been held at Monza, apart from in 1980 when Imola took on the responsibility when renovations were occurring at the Temple of Speed.

Previous versions of the circuit featured banking that is still available for fans to view, but it was only used across four Grand Prix in 1955, 1956, 1960 and 1961. If you thought Zandvoort featured steep slopes, think again! The banking at Monza had up to an 80% gradient, and was designed for drivers to reach speeds of over 170mph. If you’re lucky enough to visit Monza, which is also located in a beautiful natural park, it’s a must-view.

An Unusual Motorsport Connection

Situated in Northern Italy, Monza is surrounded by the best of both worlds. On one side is Milan, one of the world's leading fashion capitals, and a hub of delicious food, stunning architecture and football. However, catch a train heading North and you’re met with Lake Como. Like something from a movie, the glorious scenery and massive mansions are a real fairy tale, but both locations actually have an unusual link to Formula 1 through one man: Giovanni Battista Pirelli.

That’s right, Pirelli as in the tyre supplier we use in Formula 1. The founder of the company was born in Varenna, a commune in Lake Como and went on to found the tyre manufacturer in Milan. As well as tyres, Pirelli previously made drysuits and scuba diving rebreathers, and being based in Milan still keeps a close connection to fashion with its lifestyle clothing collection.

The Fastest Race… Ever?

Last season’s event here broke several records, when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the full-length race in just 1:13m24.325s – the quickest-ever F1 race. Although Monza is known as the Temple of Speed, mainly for its massive straights and the chance to really put your foot down, it has also provided lots of incredible statistics.

The Italian Grand Prix is usually done and dusted pretty quickly with all but one race here since the start of the millennium being finished in under 90 minutes, and the last three events all being under an hour and 15 minutes from the start to the chequered flag.

These top speeds also made last year’s event the fastest race win ever, with Verstappen having an average speed of 155.791mph on his way to victory.

Most Races Hosted by a Country

In addition to the annual Italian Grand Prix, Italy holds the record for the most Grand Prix held by a single country at 109 events. These World Championship rounds have taken place in a variety of venues, from Monza, Imola, Pescara and Mugello.

Although the Autodromo Nazionale Monza is the most popular, having hosted 75 championship events, Imola is next with 32 Grands Prix. Originally being introduced onto the calendar in 1980 as the Italian Grand Prix, it returned the following year under a new name of the San Marino Grand Prix’. This event ran annually until 2006, when it disappeared off the calendar. However, due to a disrupted schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic, Imola – known officially as the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari – was back for five events as the Emilia-Romagna until last season.

Pescara and Mugello only hosted one Grand Prix each, with the most recent being at Mugello. This circuit hosted the Tuscan Grand Prix following the pandemic, which was won by Mercedes, and is located around 25km from Florence. It was opened in 1974, and is mainly used for motorcycle racing.

The other circuit, Pescara, will likely forever remain the longest circuit to ever host a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Reaching over 25.801 km, the circuit was created from public roads and resembled a triangle shape, with two huge straights and a third twisty section to follow resulting in lap times being close to 10 minutes!

Blink and You’ll Miss It

The Italian Grand Prix also holds the record for the closest finish in the championship’s history, when in 1971 Peter Gethin won his first and only race by just 0.01 seconds. Starting fourth on the final lap, Gethin in his BRM managed to make his way to the front of the pack and crossed the chequered flag by a centisecond to Ronnie Peterson, with the top five just 0.61 seconds apart at the finish line.