F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali sends a clear warning to officials at Monza that circuit must be brought up to scratch.

Those who have visited the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza will tell you that a major part of its charm is its history. Walking through the park in which the circuit is located - the largest walled park in Europe, you can almost hear the engines of Ascari, Fangio, Clark and so many more.

True, some of its facilities, and in all honesty it doesn't have that many, are from that same bygone age, but the fact is that the circuit absolutely oozes history and character.

However, at a time F1 welcomes the likes of Las Vegas, Miami, Qatar and Jeddah, history and character count for nothing, it is style over substance that matters, and, of course, money.

Consequently it comes as no surprise that F1 has sent a clear warning to officials at the Autodromo, to bring the circuit up to date or else.

Among the upgrades being demanded are a new underpass into the paddock, the resurfacing of the entire track and various other logistical updates.

"The work at Monza was supposed to start after the Grand Prix and still hasn't started in December," he told Rai's La Politica nel Pallone. "It should now start in the near future.

"I am in good contact with the motorsport federation in Italy," he added. "We are negotiating, but we need elements to carry this negotiation forward."

Monza, like the similarly historic tracks at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, receive virtually no government help, unlike those in the Middle East where governments are keen to promote their various countries, and then there is the US where backers are almost queuing up in a bid to get on the perceived money making machine that is F1 these days.

"My push is a constructive push," insists Domenicali, who once again warned that Monza cannot rely on its history in order to retain its place on the schedule. "We must keep pace with the times.

"It's all about understanding the desire to invest in F1 as a racing platform," he added. "Entertainment and business can no longer be on a private level. It is our country that must make a precise choice."

However, the F1 CEO had nothing but praise for another Italian track - that situated in the town where he was born and where he first worked as a youth, Imola.

"In 2020, Imola had an extraordinary opportunity and were ready for the unexpected call," he said. The race had to be dropped from this year's schedule at the last minute due to heavy rain in the Emilia Romagna region. The flood tragedy didn't allow us to race there this season, so we can't wait to race there again."

Meanwhile, Zak Brown suggests that those circuits that are struggling financially could be used on a rotating basis as the McLaren boss eyes a 28-race calendar.

"24 races is the max for people's well-being, but we need to continue to expand the sport," said the American. "So I'd like to see a scenario where you maybe have 20 fixed Grands Prix and, say, eight that rotate every other year. So you have a 24-race calendar, but you expand the sport by going into other regions and other countries.

"That being said, I don't know the economics inside out of how it works as a track promoter," he admitted. "So whether an alternating calendar is economically viable for the promoter, but I think that would be the ideal scenario.

"It is easy for me to scratch that out, but more difficult for Formula 1 to put that scenario together. But I think that would be most ideal."

Of course, ignoring the enormous pressure this would put on those working in the sport, the fact is that many of us put quality before quantity.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 03/01/2024 2:02

"The point is, can some of these special tracks remain as viable enterprises with 2 years between drinks? Obviously tracks need to be continually upgrading their fading superstructure in order to remain desirable but unless there is a constant flow of income then the plan looks decidely unworkable...IMO."

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2. Posted by NS Biker, 02/01/2024 4:47

"I think this is in the MBA Investment For-Dummies Book.
Chapter 11, "How To Grow Broke".
Race tracks and promotors need to be profitable. A race every two years just won't cut it.
Relying on financial handouts from the host country (or state) government may work for a while, but at some point the voters will rebel and the gig will be over."

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3. Posted by Pawsche, 30/12/2023 10:35

"F1 will lose a lot by moving away from the historic tracks to the concrete and tall-fence lined "profitable" tracks like Las Vegas. OK, the "glitz is there in the surroundings, but from track-level and drivers-eye view they're about as charismatic as a rentakart track in the local bus-garage. I've been an F1 fan since the early 1960s but the enthusiasm isn't helped by the prospect of losing tracks such as Monza or Spa.

However, it's "all about the money" so I'm just another dinosaur-voice in the wilderness."

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4. Posted by Batman, 29/12/2023 12:44

"For once, I like Zack's idea of a pack of traditional and historic circuits in rotation, providing that the necessary logistic and safety updates and subsequent licences were granted. However, 8 seems too much to me."

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5. Posted by raimon_d, 28/12/2023 8:53

"Brown says: "That being said, I don't know the economics inside out of how it works as a track promoter," he admitted. "So whether an alternating calendar is economically viable for the promoter, but I think that would be the ideal scenario."

Zack Brown talks without any knowledge of the consequences, so his talk is nonsense. In this case, it is better to keep your mouth shut!"

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6. Posted by Tyrbiter, 27/12/2023 20:07

"I quite like Stefano as a person, from what I know of him. However, this attitude towards Monza (and from an Italian) is somewhat depressing.

Please can we return to the days where many things in F1 were decided by a handshake and a shared desire to win? Perhaps I am hopelessly lost in the past and the days of more gentlemanly conduct (even if that wasn't always the case).
"

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7. Posted by JClark-Monza1967, 27/12/2023 19:25

"So discouraging and depressing. though not at all surprising to Domenicali de-emphasizing the history of F1 and iconic tracks. I've been watching F1 since 1962 and this year was the first time that I decided to skip some races and turned off while watching some. It wasn't just that they weren't competitive: it was the mind numbing bore of some of the newer circuits and the focus on the off track glitz being more central than the on track sport. "

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8. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 27/12/2023 15:27

"Drop those historic tracks and F1 loses its soul. Not everything should be about a quick buck."

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9. Posted by KKK, 27/12/2023 10:42

"How much have you been paid to say this ? Just so that yet another featureless, false and boring track emerges out of California ? Only have one sentence to say to you, Domenicali...."Go away please !""

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Domenicali warns Monza

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