What you need to know about attending the Italian Grand Prix

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When deciding on our travel plans for the season, Nicole and I knew we wanted to go abroad... And if we were going that far... it was going to be for a double header. The obvious answer became Zandvoort and Monza for one simple reason: They were major ‘home races’ with very dedicated fan bases.

For Monza we had one big goal: the track invasion.

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How to get to Monza

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Traveling from Milan to Monza via Transit

The starting point for reaching the track for most fans will be the Milano Porta Garibaldi train station - which connects the city’s metro and regional trains. Patience is necessary when navigating this station since no special event signage was present to guide riders from the metro to the trains or to indicate which trains or platforms would be going to Monza. There was also an absence of staff - with none to be found on the Friday, and few throughout the rest of the weekend.

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Confirming ahead of time which train numbers are needed and checking the arrivals and departures board will be essential. Also, expect delays to your departure, there were some each day ranging from 15-30 minutes. Travel to and from Monza takes about 20 minutes.

Once in Monza, signage does not improve, with only one marker to indicate where the Navettas were. There was an adequate number of staff and reasonable wait times. Overall this portion of the journey was run much more smoothly. Travel was 10 minutes once on the bus.

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Tickets for the train can be pre-purchased in tandem with tickets for the Navetta (the shuttles that took fans to and from the train station to the track) or at the train station kiosks.

There is also the option of purchasing a parking pass which can also be bundled with a shuttle pass. There were three different lines with different pick-up and drop-off points.

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Walking to your seats

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Once dropped off at the park, the walk to the track can either be short and pleasant or long and arduous. For those with tickets around The Parabolica, the walk will be on pavement and only 15-20 min. If one has tickets to the main straight, first chicane or di Lesmo, close to or over an hour of a walk is in order.

Carrying full water bottles for this journey is a must. Vendors have set up along the entering walkway with food, drinks and a wide variety of merch available.

For the journey back there is a small convenience store inside the Milan train station with a decent food and drink selection. Good in case one is too tired to go out or to a full grocery store.

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What is the atmosphere of the track?

Monza is a classic, if bare bones, track. The energy that fans bring to the track is infectious, joyful and ever present. Fans with massive flags were all around and countless amounts of stunning homemade merch. We even spotted a Ferrari Teddy Bear and the Ferrari Popes. All of which was heightened by the excitement over Kimi Antonelli.

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Shade, Washrooms, and flow of traffic

Trackside itself is equipped with the bare minimum. The fanzone had two tents, each covering a dozen picnic benches with no other major shaded spots. Most grandstands were bare of any banners, just naked grey steel. Washrooms ran out of toilet paper (bring your own) and most did not have garbage bins (in female stalls and in some cases not at all).

To help with traffic flow most grandstands had entrances and exits but they were not well marked, leading to a fair amount of confusion. The single entrance also led to long lines to sit down for the start of sessions, with many deciding to enter early and hide in the shade below the stand instead.

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Food, Drink and Concessions

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Buying food at this track is very convoluted. To get food or drinks one has to go up to a specific booth to pay and get a receipt. Or scan a QR code to purchase and receive a digital receipt. That receipt then gets brought to the food or drink booth to redeem. Some of the booths will have two lines, one for giving the receipt and another for pick up. Others were allowing people to pay directly. Many fans were getting frustrated with this system, especially when trying to figure it out in the middle of the day when they were overheating and hungry.

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What to bring to the track

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Friday - Free Practice 1 and 2

Traveling to Monza

Our day began with a three hour commute from our hotel to our grandstand. Partially because we were at a far out spot but also due to poor organization and delays. Transportation to the track took ages and once we arrived we went through security and ticket checks multiple times. By the time we arrived at our grandstand we were tired, sweaty and in desperate need of a water refill.

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Sitting in Grandstand 8A on Prima Variante

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After that drastic commute, the view we had was certainly worth it. Our preference at this point is to try different views on each day we attend a race. On this day, we went with the iconic first chicane. We ended up with seats 5 rows from the top and had a great view as the cars started their drive down the straight. I had elected to bring my telephoto lens (as permitted by the track rules) and had a great time snapping pictures.

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During Free Practice 1 cheers were heard each time Antonelli drove by, the joy over the young Italian driver palpable.

This area of the track had a small food zone and picnic tables beneath some trees, as well as a permanent water station. The DJ was doing a great job at keeping the crowd energized and had a fantastic setlist including a number of hits from the early 2000s and iconic movie moments (like the Twilight baseball scene).

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This was by far our longest day.

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Saturday - Free Practice 3 and Qualifying (PLUS F2 and F3)

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Sitting in Grandstand 21A on the Parabolica

For Saturday we elected to get seats just before the Parabolica. They were 4 rows from the bottom so not the preferred bird’s eye view. We walked up to the top during the less busy F3 and F2 sessions, both of which were a delight and very exciting.

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These grandstands had porta-potties right behind them in the area only accessible to those with tickets for the stands. It kept things very convenient and they were relatively clean.

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Monza FanZone

Next we made our way over to the FanZone for the driver appearances at the main stage. The area was filled with Ferrari fans, as expected, but enthusiasm was present for all of the teams. There was no awkwardness for fans of these teams over the weekend (I wore my Red Bull hat most days and cheered for a range of drivers). But if one wants the full, immersive Monza experience cheering for and wearing Ferrari merch is highly recommended.

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Incredible cheers went up when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took the stage, with flags waving all across the crowd. This was also the moment we saw the Ferrari teddy bear and a number of small but very enthusiastic young fans on their parents shoulders.

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The rest of the FanZone had all the usual stations: sim racing, photo stations, reaction time tests and merch tables. There were also a number of special tents with historic cars, the Monza track itself with its racing lessons and rentals on display, and a few other tourism representatives.

This is also the area of the track with the largest food selection and some shaded tables to sit at (though two small tents is nowhere near enough). A larger water station and flush toilets are also available.

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Sunday - RACE DAY

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General Admission at Monza

Our plans for race day all centered around the track invasion. We had GA tickets, since we knew we would be leaving any seats we had early.

We spent the start of the day relaxing in the shade at the FanZone, watching the F3 and F2 feature races on the well placed TV screen nearby. We had initially planned to do a bit more walking around but the day was hotter than expected with no cloud cover.

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Watching the Italian Grand Prix

Eventually the race began. We watched the first few laps from the screen before we started to make our way over to the track invasion point. We knew the best ones would be along the main straight, where we had been on Friday. We did have to stop and ask for directions a few times since signage was minimal and unclear at times. Some staff also claimed to not know where the invasion points were, likely to prevent fans from crowding early on in the race.

We soon found a confirmed entrance, just across from the pits and close to the starting grid. We were some of the first to get this point so waited right up against a small barrier to be let in to the trackside/grandstand area. On the other side we could already see fans with tickets to these grandstands waiting along the trackside barriers.

It is very important to note that we prepared ourselves and our shared backpack for the invasion. We put away everything except our phones into the bag. Our valuables like wallets and hotel keys were at the very bottom. The toggles to open the different pouches were then tied together. These precautions were because of the pickpocketing that can occur.

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Around 10 laps from the end of the race the barrier was pulled away and our group rushed forward into the grandstand area and up to the rest of those waiting by the track barriers. At this point we were within view of a tv screen and could watch as Leclerc went along lap by lap. Each time he passed by (and to a lesser extent when Sainz did) massive cheers erupted, growing in volume the closer we got to the checkered flag.

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Then he won.

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This moment cannot be truly captured in any broadcast or through any words. The entire track truly started vibrating with joy and shaking with all the cries of victory. It was the kind of moment that makes people fall in love with the sport and their team all over again.

As celebrations were starting so was the track invasion. I’m quite short, so I’m not exactly sure of the timing of these next events but before I knew it the crowd shifted forward. We started to move towards the barrier, where the entrance would be. There was a minor crowd crush with nowhere to go and everyone pressing against each other. Eventually we started to funnel onto the track, but it took a moment as people from multiple directions tried to get to the small gap.

Once through the track was right in front of us and people were booking it, jumping over the barrier. Some falling due to a lack of coordination, others due to their intoxicated nature. I ended up running along the grass to a gap in the barrier instead. Nicole and I did get separated at this point but managed to find each other by waiting along the side of the track. After a brisk sprint we were across from the podium and found places along the barrier to sit and see above people’s heads.

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Here we saw red smoke cover the crowd, the massive Ferrari flags right in the middle of it all. We saw the drivers come out and felt our bodies shake as Charles got up on that top step and everyone cheered. Confetti rained down, flying to the ends of the starting straight. We watched, captivated as the Italian anthem played out.

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It really was something out of a dream. A once in a lifetime moment.

Eventually, all that was left was to enjoy being on the track. We danced around under one of the flags. Picked up pieces of tires and confetti. Watched fans go wild as Charles came back out. And take as many pictures as we could.

Monza is a race weekend unlike any other because of the intensity and enthusiasm the Ferrari fans bring. It is also one you have to be well prepared for, without that you will not be able to enjoy the excitement.

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If you want to learn more about Monza check out our other articles!

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Italian Grand Prix FAQ

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Do I need to know Italian?

No, communication is very possible just in English. But knowing a few words like those for ‘exit’ ‘washrooms’ ‘train’ ‘help’ would be sensible.

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Can I cross that bridge?

Some of the bridges that cross the track are only for certain pass holders and are not clearly marked as so on the maps. Track attendants were easy to find for clarification.

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Is the Italian Grand Prix app worth it?

Somewhat. It allows you to save where your seats are and shows where various amenities are. Its schedule is not great and lacks details.

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What should I wear?

‍Red. And things you are alright with getting very dirty. There is so much dust at this track, nothing white came back close to white. 

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