F1 Friday Fun, Classic Monza moments

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Written by Kate Walker

Friday, 03 September 2010 15:30

One of the highlights of the 2009 season was Lewis Hamilton’s Monza charge, which saw the young Brit hot on the heels of Jenson Button until he crashed out on the penultimate lap.

The crash itself was heart-breaking, but Hamilton’s drive until that point was enthralling – pure racing, in a season that had seen cars lead from the front for months on end.

The classic Italian circuit is one of the favourites on the Formula 1 calendar, a 306.720km battle through the Villa Reale parkland that never fails to thrill. Monza has been home to a host of legendary races over the years, and a selection of clips is below.

1931 Italian Grand Prix

Below are highlights from the 1931 Italian Grand Prix, won by Alfa Corse, with the driving shared between Tazio Nuvolari and Guiseppe Campari. Campari took pole, set the fastest lap, and claimed the chequred flag behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 in a 1,550km race that spanned 155 laps.

1951 Italian Grand Prix

In 1951, the Italian race was the penultimate of the season. Alfa Romeo driver and F1 legend Jean Manuel Fangio arrived in Italy hot on the heels of back-to-back wins, strengthening the Argentine’s championship campaign. Defending the crown was 1950 champion Alberto Ascari, behind the wheel of a Ferrari 375.

Fangio and Ascari lined up on the front row of the grid with Guiseppe Farina and Froilan Gonzalez. Initially, Fangio took the lead. But he was soon overtaken by Ascari, opening the door for a battle for position between the two title favourites. On lap 39 engine failure drove Fangio to retire, leaving the championship wide open.

1957 Italian Grand Prix

At first glance, the race looked like a Vanwall walkover. Stewart Lewis-Evans claimed pole, with teammates Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks alongside. But all was not as it seemed – Ferrari and Maserati were both competitive, and the fourth man on the front row was Jean-Manuel Fangio.

But the race began with instant jostling for position, and fans were treated to a five-way slipstreaming battle that saw Moss and Jean Behra duking it out for the lead. Brooks and Lewis-Evans suffered mechanical troubles, and lost their place among the leaders. Behra pitted for new tyres, and Moss and Fangio were left to fight to the finish.

1971 Italian Grand Prix

The 1971 race at Monza is one of F1’s greatest, and it is cited often. Peter Gethin crossed the finishing line a mere 0.01s ahead of Ronnie Peterson. The gap back to P5 was 0.61s, the closest result in Formula 1 history.

The World Championship had already been won when the drivers lined up on the grid, so the race was an all-out battle, points-harvesting unnecessary. In the end, there were 14 retirements from accidents, engine failure, and a mix of other mechanical issues, and only ten classified finishers. Mike Hailwood briefly led the race on his Formula 1 debut.