Italian Grand Prix, Monza: When Lewis Hamilton dreamt of a return to the banked corners

They are usually only visible when we’re enjoying helicopter shots of Monza: the magnificent banked corners in the Royal Park.

It was a close call – the breathtaking high-speed bends at Monza, known as ‘sopraelevate’ in Italian, were on the verge of falling victim to the wrecking ball. It took a petition to save these sections.

The result: the high-speed circuit (two 320-metre-long bends with up to 80 per cent camber, linked by two 875-metre-long straights) remained – but was left to fall into disrepair.

When security personnel were momentarily inattentive during the Monza Grand Prix, I managed to slip past a checkpoint and take a close look at the magnificent bends in the editorial team’s car at the time.

Presumably, the venerable concrete surface hadn’t often hosted a Volvo estate car.

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FIA Formula One World Championship

04.09.2026 - 12:15

A ten-kilometre circuit, including the oval, hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1955 and 1956, as well as in 1960 and 1961. In 1957 and 1958, the oval became the stage for an unusual showdown: in the ‘Race of the Two Worlds’ – jokingly dubbed ‘Monzanapolis’ – heroes of the Indy 500 were invited to Monza to compete against the European drivers.

Der Vergleich zwischen IndyCars und GP-Rennwagen in den 50er Jahren

Foto: McLaren

The full-throttle veterans from the New World certainly put on a show: Bob Veith set the fastest practice lap at an average speed of 283 km/h! Jim Rathman’s race speed was also impressive – over 268 km/h. Rathman’s Watson-Offenhauser, officially named the ‘John Zink Leader Card Monza Special’, is now on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

The entry fee was paid out in cash back then; one of the American veterans had simply stuffed the wads of cash into his overalls, whereupon they flew away in the strong slipstream. And then this: the driver stopped and fished the banknotes out of the concrete!

Although the 1958 race was a hit with the crowds, internal problems at the Milan Automobile Club meant that it remained at just these two races.

After the 1961 Grand Prix, the undulating section of the oval was deemed too dangerous, and Formula 1 would never race on the Italian oval again.

From 1965, the oval was used for the Monza 1,000-kilometre race, but as sports cars became ever faster, the oval was eventually abandoned in this category too; from 1970, the 1,000-kilometre race took place on the standard Grand Prix circuit.

For a while longer, smaller races or record attempts were held on the oval, but eventually its condition became so precarious that even these had to be stopped.

For several years, there were plans to turn part of the grandstands into a museum. These had to be scrapped for financial reasons.

Once it became clear that demolition was out of the question, a group from the Polytechnic University of Milan drew up a plan for how the bends could be restored. The track has since been resurfaced.

However, there are no plans for races to ever take place on the circuit again. Instead, the oval track is to be allowed to look as attractive as possible.

Even the construction of the concrete track, built on stilts, was no mean feat: the contractor had to throw in the towel, yet the work, which began in March 1955, was completed in August.

Although Formula 1 will be racing on banked bends in 2026 at Zandvoort and soon at the Spanish circuit of Madring, a return of the premier class to the Steilwand at Monza is out of the question for several reasons: There is no run-off area, and there are also strict regulations regarding the banking of the corners for Grand Prix cars. Moreover, the construction of the corners does not meet today’s standards.

Most of the time, the magnificent steep walls are closed off; occasionally, spectators are allowed to marvel at the sections, or teams such as Ferrari use them as a backdrop for photo shoots.

Nevertheless, every now and then one or two Formula 1 drivers find themselves on the steep wall. Most simply want to see just how steep it really is. In the most extreme sections, they can’t even make it to the top on foot. And then they’re absolutely flabbergasted that Grand Prix aces used to race here.

Stirling Moss und Lewis Hamilton mit 50er Jahre-Mercedes 2015 in Monza

Foto: Mercedes

For a feature by Mercedes in collaboration with our colleagues at *auto, motor und sport*, the two British racing legends, Sir Stirling Moss and Lewis Hamilton, took to the Steilwand in 2015.

After his stint in the Mercedes W196, Hamilton was flabbergasted and raved: “Can you imagine what a race that would be with our cars today? It would be an incredible spectacle!”

Unfortunately, that will remain a dream.