The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza hosts the Formula One Italian Grand Prix. It’s a magical circuit home to incredible memories from the sport’s history.
The Italian Grand Prix at Monza has been a mainstay on the Formula One calendar since 1950, and is one of the most iconic racetracks in the world. “The temple of speed” is the fastest circuit in F1, and home to the raucous Ferrari fans, the “tifosi”.
It has also been home to some of the most miraculous results in recent memory, crowning first-time winners from underdog teams. Here are the top three maiden winners at Monza, ranked.
3. Peter Gethin, 1971
The 1971 Italian Grand Prix featured the closest finish in F1 history, with the top five cars separated by just over half a second. It also crowned a first-time winner in Peter Gethin.
The old Monza layout featured no chicanes. It was a high-speed thrill from start to finish. Drivers constantly swapped positions on the straights, and there were more than 25 lead changes in the 1971 race.
In the closing stages, five cars were in contention, including Gethin in the BRM. And on the final lap, each of the five made a move for the lead. Coming out of Parabolica, the final corner Gethin timed his slipstream perfectly. He crossed the line just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ronnie Peterson.
| Position | Driver | Team | Interval |
| 1 | Peter Gethin | BRM | Winner |
| 2 | Ronnie Peterson | March Ford | +0.01s |
| 3 | Francois Cevert | Tyrrell Ford | +0.09s |
| 4 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees-Ford | +0.18s |
| 5 | Howden Ganley | BRM | +0.61s |
The top five finishers were separated by just 0.61 seconds, which remains the closest top-five finish in F1 history. It was Gethin’s first and only F1 win.
2. Pierre Gasly, 2020
Pierre Gasly, demoted from Red Bull to their sister team, Alpha Tauri, made a statement a year later at the Italian Grand Prix with a maiden win. Gasly fell victim to Red Bull’s second seat curse in 2019, but proved Christian Horner immediately wrong with a miracle Monza win in 2020.
Gasly started P10 on the grid, and maintained his position off the start. But the chaos started on lap 20 when Kevin Magnussen’s Haas broke down near the pit entry. The pit lane was closed under the safety car, but Lewis Hamilton pitted and earned a stop-and-go penalty.
Five laps later, Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari to the dismay of the home fans, causing a red flag and putting Gasly in third, behind Hamilton with a penalty, and Lance Stroll.
Gasly overtook Stroll on the restart to take the net lead, and fended off Carlos Sainz’s McLaren to the chequered flag and won by half a second over the Spaniard. It was Gasly’s first F1 victory and Alpha Tauri’s first since Sebastian Vettel’s in 2008. He became the first French winner in F1 since Olivier Panis at Monaco 1996.
1. Sebastian Vettel, 2008
Something about Monza means magic for Red Bull’s second team! One of Sebastian Vettel’s greatest-ever wins came at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.
In only his second full season driving for Toro Rosso, Vettel put on a wet-weather masterclass to take his, and his team’s, maiden victory in F1.
The magic began in qualifying. In wet conditions, Vettel set an incredible lap to claim pole position, making him the youngest polesitter in F1 history.
The race started under the safety car due to the wet conditions, but once the cars were released, Vettel quickly built a comfortable lead.
He showed composure beyond his years to win from start to finish, taking the chequered flag 12.5 seconds before the trailing Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren. He became the youngest-ever race winner in F1 at the time.
The future four-time world champion, and one of Red Bull’s greatest-ever drivers, established himself as one of the sport’s brightest young talents in front of the Italian crowd.