Italian Grand Prix in Monza Confirmed Until 2024
Formula One and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza have agreed to a five-year deal that will see the race track continue to host the Italian Grand Prix until 2024.
An F1 statement said it had reached “an agreement in principle for a new five-year deal” and that it hoped to formally sign the agreement “as soon as possible.”
No venue has hosted more official F1 championship races than Monza, and long-time fans will be relieved to see the famous race track will continue to appear on the calendar.
Contract negotiations between F1 and global race tracks are a recurring topic in the sport, as hosting an F1 Grand Prix can be quite costly. Historically, only tracks that can consistently draw an audience have been able to maintain a spot on the F1 calendar, which in recent years has become increasingly bloated (we’re now up to 21 races in the year, a joint record).
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Drawing an audience has never been an issue for Monza, which is home to the tifosi, the die-hard Ferrari fans who swarm the track after the race and make the podium ceremony one to remember for any Ferrari driver skillful and lucky enough to finish in the top three.
However, four other significant and historical race tracks all currently have their futures in doubt. Silverstone denied today that it had secured a three-year deal for the British Grand Prix, and the Spanish, German, and Mexican Grands Prix have all yet to renew their contracts, which expire this year.
Meanwhile, Vietnam will debut on the calendar next year and there have been talks that the Zandvoort track, which last hosted a race in 1985, would return to F1 to host the Dutch Grand Prix, perhaps replacing Barcelona in the process.
That would be a shame, as Zandvoort is simply too small and narrow to be well-suited to F1 racing, but F1 commercial rights holders Liberty Media are no doubt keen to profit from the massive Max Verstappen fanbase that has quickly become one of the largest in the sport.
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