Autodromo Nazionale di Monza

The Autodromo Nazionale Di Monza, "The Temple of Speed," is the oldest racing circuit in Mainland Europe, specifically built for that purpose almost a century ago, in 1922, in Monza, Italy, 16 km (10 miles) north of Milan. The circuit of Monza has been the venue for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix since 1949, and the complex consists of the famous FIA Grade 1, 5.79-km (3.6-mile) road course, a 2.405-km (1.49 mi) Junior track, and a high-banking 4.25-km (2.64-mile) high-speed oval track. The climate in Monza is not the typical Mediterranean type, as it nears the continental, with a wet, rainy, and foggy atmosphere for most of the year, cold snowless winters, and hot summers with high humidity, so the track surface feels always wet. 

There are 11 turns at Monza, 7 of which are part of chicanes or variantes, in Italian. The front straightaway hosts the Start/Finish Line and ends in a 90-degree turn number one, immediately followed by a long left-hand sweeper turn two. These initial turns form the first variante and give way to Curva Biassono (Biassono Curve). The second variante is a left-right combination of short 90-degree turns. The Curve di Lesmo comes next and leads into the long, fast-paced left-hander known as Curva del Serraglio. The velocity increases substantially at this segment, but the Variante Ascari keeps the drivers focused on keeping in control and safe. The circuit of Monza ends in the world-famous Curva Parabolica, one of the most replicated features of any raceway, that closes the loop into the front straightaway.