RADICAL £89 MILLION REV AMP EYED FOR MONZA’ S LAYOUT
Italian circuit could be overhauled as it aims for new f1 contract
Monza is considering removing one of its chicanes and reprofiling the second Lesmo corner as part of a proposed £89 million revamp to mark the Formula 1 circuit’s centenary in 2022.
Ahead of discussions to secure the Italian Grand Prix’s future beyond next year, the president of the Italian racing federation the ACI, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, has revealed a host of changes he wants implemented by 2022.
According to a report in Gazzetta dello Sport, Damiani wants a new circuit configuration that will make the track faster and secure its claim to the ‘Temple of Speed’ tag.
An initial suggestion is to remove one of the track’s three chicanes – most likely the second one – and open up the second Lesmo so it returns to being a faster challenge, as it was before it was modified in 1994.
As well as tweaks to the layout, the track would be widened, while the addition of new access roads and a new main grandstand, as well as the possible renovation of the old banking, have been proposed.
Damiani suggests that having a full workable banking could make Monza a unique attraction with, in theory, a eight-mile circuit.
The project has been costed at £89m, but Damiani has not been put off by the amount of money it will take and thinks it can be raised through contributions from the local and national governments.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “The money will be found in some way.”
Key to the project moving forward will be an extension of the Italian Grand Prix contract, which has not yet been renewed as Liberty and race promoters have yet to agree a price, for 2020 and beyond.