Monza
5.793 km of long straights and short, sharp chicanes in a royal park north of Milan. Monza is the fastest circuit on the Grand Prix calendar, where cars spend most of the lap at full throttle. Learn how the lap works, then open it in the designer and make your own version.
The track at a glance
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a permanent circuit in the park of Monza, just north of Milan in Italy. The Grand Prix circuit is 5.793 km long with 11 turns, runs clockwise, and a Grand Prix there is 53 laps. It opened in 1922, making it one of the oldest purpose-built race tracks in the world.
Monza is known as the “Temple of Speed”. Its long straights are joined by three chicanes and a handful of fast corners, and cars run with as little wing as possible. In 2025 a car took pole with an average speed of more than 264 km/h, the fastest qualifying lap in the history of the World Championship.
The remains of the old banked oval still stand next to the circuit, a reminder of the days when Monza was even faster.
A lap of Monza, corner by corner
The corners at Monza have names, and the official turn numbers count each part of a chicane. Turns 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 11 are marked on the map.
- T1–2Variante del Rettifilo. A tight right-left chicane at the end of the long start straight. The heaviest braking zone on the lap, and chaotic on the first lap.
- T3Curva Grande. A long, flat-out right-hander, taken at full speed in a modern car.
- T4–5Variante della Roggia. A left-right chicane and another big braking zone. A good place to overtake.
- T6Lesmo 1. A fast right-hander, the first of two corners at Lesmo.
- T7Lesmo 2. A slightly slower right that leads onto the run under the old banking.
- T8–10Variante Ascari. A fast left-right-left chicane where a smooth line carries speed onto the back straight.
- T11Curva Alboreto. A long, tightening right-hander, known for years as the Parabolica. A good exit is vital for the start straight.
A century of the Italian Grand Prix
Monza has hosted the Italian Grand Prix in every World Championship season except 1980.
- 1922The circuit opens in the royal park of Monza, with a road course and a banked oval.
- 1955A new, steeper banked oval opens. It is used for Grand Prix racing until 1961.
- 1972Chicanes are added at the Rettifilo and Ascari to slow the cars down.
- 2000The first chicane is rebuilt as a single right-left, giving today’s layout.
- 2021The Parabolica is renamed Curva Alboreto.
- 2025The race lap record is set at 1:20.901, and the pole lap averages more than 264 km/h.
Designed around straights and chicanes
Monza is a lap of straights broken up by chicanes. The chicanes were added to slow the cars down, and they create the big braking zones where most overtaking happens. Between them, a few fast corners decide how much speed a car can carry onto the next straight.
It is the opposite of a twisty circuit like Monaco. For more, read what a chicane is for or our guide to overtaking zones.
Ideas for your remaster
The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:
Lose the chicanes. What happens to the lap time and top speed without them? Where would you overtake?
Bring back the banking. The old oval still stands next to the circuit. Try linking it back in for a longer, faster lap.
Name your turns. Group and name the turns in the designer, and they will show on your exports and share link.
Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs, run-off and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.
When you’re happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Monza circuit?
It is 5.793 km (3.600 miles) long with 11 turns. A Grand Prix there is 53 laps.
Why is Monza called the Temple of Speed?
Because it is the fastest circuit on the Grand Prix calendar. Cars spend most of the lap at full throttle, and in 2025 the pole lap averaged more than 264 km/h.
Which way does the Monza circuit run?
Clockwise. The lap runs from the start straight into the Rettifilo chicane, round Curva Grande, through Roggia and the two Lesmo corners, through Ascari and back round Curva Alboreto.
Is the Monza banking still used?
Not for Grand Prix racing. The banked oval was last used by Grand Prix cars in 1961 and for major racing in 1969. Much of it still stands next to the circuit.
Is the remastered Monza an exact copy?
It is a close trace of the centreline using 53 editable points, within a few metres of the real layout. Track width, kerbs, run-off and the pit lane are left for you to design.
Layout traced from the open circuit data in bacinger/f1-circuits (MIT licence). Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.