Italian Grand Prix: Key Points

The temple of speed holds a large number of stories, more or less happy.

They make history, the legend of this circuit and F1. Let’s go back to four of them.

Jochen Rindt, mowed down in full ascent towards the title

In 1970, the Austrian driver drives the famous Lotus 72. A single-seater as revolutionary as it is fast, it is nonetheless not very reliable.

“Light is right”, the famous concept guiding Colin Chapman’s life leads to enormous disasters.

Since 1969, Jochen Rindt has been in disagreement with his engineer boss.

Indeed, the latter is pushing his concept further and further, risking to lose reliability. Thus, at the Spanish Grand Prix, Hill’s and Rindt’s Lotus both suffer the same breakdown: the rear wing breaking. Crashing into a guardrail, the Austrian had to be hospitalized urgently.

But in 1970, it was Rindt who, when about to take off for the last free practice session, opted for an offensive strategy: he decided to remove his rear wing to compensate for his lack of top speed.

Unfortunately, at the braking point of the parabolic corner, he loses control of his car and crashes into the safety barrier. This time, death was waiting for him.

Having a comfortable lead in the championship before this crash, no driver had the opportunity to catch up.

Death lurking at every race weekend, Jochen Rindt had decided to hang up his gloves once the world title was in his pocket…

First race victory for many drivers.

We cannot forget the famous race that took place last year and saw Pierre Gasly’s consecration on his AlphaTauri at the end of a Grand Prix marked by many twists and turns.

If this thoroughly deserved victory allows him to strengthen his aura with the public, he still has to wait before joining a top team.

Sebastian Vettel also experienced his first success on this track at Monza. In 2008, the qualifying session took place in the rain and caught title contenders: Hamilton, Massa, Kubica, and Räikkönen.

The Toro Rosso drivers are doing well: Bourdais is in 4th place, while Sebastian Vettel secures his first pole position.

In racing, the start is given under safety car conditions. The German driver is having a solid race. And even as the track gradually dries up, he holds on to his lead without faltering.

He thus becomes the youngest winner in a Grand Prix, as well as the youngest poleman.

Going back a little further in time, the 1971 Italian Grand Prix sees the first victory of Peter Gethin. The first and only victory for this English driver who, however, leaves his mark on Formula 1 history.

Qualified in eleventh position, the British driver races boldly, climbing up the ranks throughout the race. In the final lap, approaching the parabolic turn, he is in fourth place.

But there are four of them who can win, because they all approach this last turn together.

He is the first to be able to dive on the rope, which allows him to cross the finish line as the winner. And this with a hundredth of a second ahead of his runner-up. He thus wins the closest finish in history.

He sets another symbolic record: that of the fastest race. Achieved at an average speed of 242.62 km/h, this record will only be broken in 2003 by Michael Schumacher.

Jean Alesi and the impossible victory of the heart

Pilot with enormous talent and exceptional speed which allowed him to fight against Ayrton Senna in Phoenix with his modest Tyrrell, has always been unlucky on his favorite circuit.

Since 1993, he has had a single-seater in his hands that allows him to play the win.

That year, a technical failure forced him to settle for second place while a little earlier in the race an onboard camera detached from his car and hit the suspension of his teammate Gerhard Berger. A wasted double win.

The following year, he achieves the pole position. In fact, the first row is all red, with his Austrian teammate in second place.

Solid leader, he must give up on the 14th lap, his gearbox having let him down.

In 1995, buoyed by a victory in Canada, our French driver can truly believe in his chances. Even though he is qualified 5th, misfortune strikes others and takes advantage of race incidents to take the lead.

He is betrayed eight laps from the checkered flag by a wheel bearing failure…

In 1996, Alesi left Ferrari for Benetton. Powered by a Renault engine, reliability must be ensured.

Despite starting in 6th position, the king of quick starts quickly maneuvers his way to the first place.

Unfortunately, a defect in his airbox will prevent him from reaching the finish line in first place.

To finish, in 1997, he secures the pole position. Author of a phenomenal new start, he is a solid leader until the pit stops. This time, the mechanics of his rival David Coulthard on Williams are quicker than those of Benetton, and victory escapes him one last time.

He has never been rewarded for his efforts. Nevertheless, he remains one of the favorites of the tifosi for all the battles he has fought for them.