Image via Red Bull Media
In recent days noises coming from F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone have pointed towards this September’s Italian Grand Prix being the last at the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
The sound of F1 cars screaming down the straights in the Royal Park in the suburbs of Milan have been heard every year but one since the sport began in 1950, so, unsurprisingly, the seemingly inevitable loss of such a famous circuit at the end of this year has been met with a strong opposition.
Add the loss of Germany from the schedule this year for the first in over half a century amid the ongoing wrangling between Ecclestone andrace organisers in Italy many believe the 84-year-old is disrespecting the traditional base of F1.
The issue is a common one, money. Despite its history Ecclestone sees no reason to give Monza some special privileges as some classic races receive, instead the demise of the Italian race will likely allow for the scheduled debut of Azerbaijan in 2016 as the Eurasian country is prepared to pay a much higher price to host a Grand Prix on the streets of Baku than those in the homeland of Ferrari.
As fellow Formula Update writer Derek Conley described it, it’s as if the man who built the sport at some of Europe’s finest circuits “couldn’t give a s**t” about F1’s most iconic venues.
But what would the end of Monza’s 65-year association with F1 really mean for the sport going forward?
What is clear is that certain races become synonymous with certain venues, the thought of a Belgian Grand Prix not at Spa would be strange as would as a British Grand Prix away from Silverstone.
There had been rumours of a potential move from Monza to Mugello, a circuit owned by Ferrari, to ensure the Italian Grand Prix remained on the calendar. If that is potentially the case then perhaps the loss of Monza would be slightly more palatable but I fear that should it be as simple as Baku in place of Italy then the race, regardless of how good it is, will find it very hard to win over fans at least in the first year or two.
Germany’s loss hasn’t been quite as devastating because Nurburgring and Hockenheim have been sharing the race for a few years now and there is the expectation that this is just a temporary absence with Hockenheim in a position to welcome F1 back next year. But with Monza it is different, with the contract ending and so many other countries wanting a place on the schedule, it would likely be much harder for Italy to make a quick return.
Much of that would depend on interest picking up again, with Ferrari struggling and a lack of Italian drivers, viewership has dropped significantly but with the Scuderia back towards the front it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the tifosi gain a few more followers as the year progresses.
Then there is the mystique of Monza something that makes it one of the truly unique circuits on the calendar. A place where a F1 car is capable of reaching its limit as was shown by Daniel Ricciardo as he clocked 224mph last year in his Red Bull thanks to DRS and a double slipstream. Those incredible speeds are not seen anywhere else and that figure had not seen since the V10 days when the cars were surpassing 230mph en route to the first chicane.
It’s the last true temple of speed, a place where the numbers amaze and without it all F1 has left is circuits where corners and downforce dominate when sometimes the blur of colour as a V6 rocket flashes by that can be the most impressive sight of all.
Finally its about ensuring the history of the sport is maintained and keeping the great traditional circuits is one of the easiest ways of doing so. Generations of future fans can compare the cars of their time and think back to Ayrton Senna sliding a McLaren through the streets of Monte Carlo or Michael Schumacher sending the Ferrari fans wild under the podium at Monza as the racing drivers of their day create their own page in history at these legendary venues.
I’m all for taking the sport to pastures new and I accept that sometimes the new has to be at the expense of the old, but for goodness sake Bernie when the only overriding factor in a crucial decision like this isn’t even associated with the racing I wonder how you built the sport we love in the first place.
