The layout of the Monza circuit

In order to increase the selection in the race, in 1972 a chicane was built at the height of the junior variant , to reduce the speed of entry into the following Biassono curve . In 1976, it became a variant formed by the succession of two left and two right curves , in order to further lower the speeds. Another change occurred in 2000 when it was redesigned with a sharp right-hand bend, which breaks the long finish straight, and then joins towards the next hairpin.

The Prima Variante or Variante del Rettifilo therefore presents itself as a very tight right bend of 90 degrees , followed by an equally tight left elbow bend . From the straight of the pits you get launched at over 370 km / h and, with a very long braking, you decelerate to just 70-80 km / h to face this “esse”.

The wide radius and its length originally earned it the name of Curva Grande, but in 1972 it was renamed Curva Biassono due to its proximity to the town of the same name. It is a long curve to the right with a radius of about 300 meters which can be reached in full acceleration from the First Variante and followed in full with a good dose of courage.

Born as Curva della Roggia, due to a small stream that rose nearby, its design was modified in 1976, to reduce the ever-higher averages. Thus it became the Second Variante or Variante della Roggia . It too is located at the end of a long straight (over 1 km with the accelerator at the bottom, including the Biassono curve) on which you reach 335 km / h. With a very long braking, you decelerate to 110-120 km / h to face a very narrow left-right “S” , modified in 2000.

Surrounded by the woods, it was originally the Curva delle Querce . Then, from the chronicles of ’27, we learn that it changed its name to Curvetta di Lesmo , given its short length and location near the town. Located just 200 meters from the exit of the Second Variant , it can be reached at not too high speeds and it is a right-hand bend with a radius of 75 meters that runs at about 180 km / h.

Located 200 meters from the First Curve of Lesmo, the Second Curva of Lesmo is also located among the thick vegetation. In 1922 it was known as the Curva dei 100 Metri , due to the distance that separated the entry point from the exit point, while in 1927 it became the Curva del bosco dei Cervi . The park, in fact, was populated by a varied fauna. Only later did it definitively take its current name.
In the past, it was one of the legendary points of the circuit: it was reached under full acceleration and entered corners at almost 300 km / h. Only the best drivers were able to cover it in full. With the modifications of 1994-95 it was slowed down a lot and today it has only 35 meters of radius and runs at around 160 km / h .

The name of the curve derives from the presence in the immediate vicinity of the Seraglio. It was the King’s hunting lodge, where animals were also kept. It is a very slight left bend with an extremely wide radius of over 600 meters. The next straight crosses, with an underpass, the North bank curve of the high-speed loop.

Originally it was called Curva del Platano or del Vialone, because it passed over the large access road to the Autodrome. From 1955 it changes its name and is dedicated to Alberto Ascari . The reason brings us back to May 26 of that same year. While completing a few laps with a Ferrari Sport, the Milanese champion loses his life due to an off road at that point. To slow down the high speeds, in 1972 a chicane was built at the entry point which two years later was further modified in terms of width and in the exit stretch, thus taking on the definitive name of variant. You can get there by holding down the accelerator from the second of Lesmo and even here you reach 330 km / h . After braking, three left-right-left curves face in rapid succession, leading to the straight opposite the pits. They are curves with a fairly wide radius that are traveled at speeds of around 200 km / h.

In the year of construction of the plant, there is no trace of a precise name, we only speak of Curvetta. In 1927 they began to be called Curvette. In reality, they were two hairpin bends characterized by a radius of 60 meters and an amplitude of 90 °, joined by a very short straight line. Given the particularity of the pavement, made up of many porphyry cubes, it became famous for being the Curva del Porfido. Rebuilt in 1955 , when the track returned to its original setting, it was called the Parabolic Curve for the design and the trajectory it described.

On the straight that leads to this corner, you hit 330 km / h again, then you brake to enter the curve at around 180 km / h. The curve is very long and with a gradually increasing radius : after passing the narrowest part, the final stretch can be covered in full acceleration, sliding outwards and taking the finish straight at already very high speeds.

The starting straight line runs from the end of the Parabolic Curve to the beginning of the First Variant and is 1194.40 meters long.