Track officials at Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix, are planning to replace the Rettifilio chicane with a new, high-speed configuration in 2017.
The Rettifilio chicane is the first braking point on the current layout and has existed in various formats since 1972. For next year the track organisers plan to convert it back into a straight.
Instead of negotiating the current Curva Grande, drivers will sweep through a new section including a right-hander and a chicane. The details of this change to the track were revealed in January, however at the time it was expected it would only be used for motorbikes.
But the new track design documents states there will be “no difference between the car and motorcycle configurations”. As the circuit still does not have a contract to hold F1 next year it remains to be seen whether F1 drivers will tackle the new high-speed configuration.
Other minor changes planned for the circuit included revised kerbs and new service lanes to aid the recovery of stranded vehicles and reduce the amount of time lost to red flags at the circuit.
Thanks to Robin Taylor for the tip.
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Kyle (@hammerheadgb)
24th May 2016, 21:29
Nooooo. I won’t especially mourn the loss of the first chicane but Curva Grande would be a huge miss!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
24th May 2016, 21:31
I always thought the chicane they built in 2000 was horrible. I’m not convinced it’s particularly safe either.
While losing Curva Grande is regrettable, this configuration looks like it would raise average speeds at Monza, bringing it closer to its original identity. One which realistically we are never, ever going to get back.
So I’m somewhat in favour of this change. And if in any way it helps keep Monza on the calendar I’m completely behind it.
Arahones
24th May 2016, 21:46
I agree that the current chicane is awful, but I doubt the plans above will make races more spectacular. Not because of the loss of Curva Grande, but because of the new stupidly fast corner. My guess is that it will be flat, but only on the raceline. I think it would kill an opportunity to overtake on Monza. If not, I’m all for it.
Wallbreaker (@wallbreaker)
24th May 2016, 22:23
But why not just get rid of the first chicane and leave the rest unchanged? Instead we get another, seemingly worse chicane which ruins Curva grande and the flow up to the second chicane.
Strontium (@strontium)
24th May 2016, 22:50
The speeds through Curva Grande would be far too high with not enough run-off, without the chicane. That said, I think there ought to be another solution which works better than this.
The chicane doesn’t look like much of a chicane, it’s more of a left jolt then a very slow right turn. It would definitely ruin any overtaking chances, as well as the chances into chicane two, as you point out is now ruined.
Monza is pretty well known for its tendency to produce first corner shunts. The question is, would there be even more with this new turn? It seems far too fast with so many cars heading towards it on the opening lap, nevermind motorbikes.
Personally I cannot see why they cannot do this new configuration, and keep the old one? Seems so logical to me.
markp
24th May 2016, 23:14
More run off than the tunnel at Monaco. Should ask the drivers if they would want Curva Grande flat with no 1st chicane. If the majority say yes then do it.
ChrisP
25th May 2016, 8:42
The tunnel at Monaco isn’t at the end of a mile line straight which already starts fast out of the Parabolica.
markp
25th May 2016, 20:59
But it has more run off than the tunnel to compensate. The new right hander though Iooks more challenging as it is tighter but will be taken flat, thats a huge braking zone for the new chicane, maybe quite good but they might as well get rid of the 2nd chicane as the 1st Lesmahagow would be awesome.
August (@k-august)
24th May 2016, 22:49
The earlier reports were that the old layout would remain for cars, now the tone has changed.
I’m starting to think the Monza organization more or less knows that F1 isn’t their future and are thinking about bikes now.
Radoye (@radoye)
24th May 2016, 23:42
There’s only one real reason they’re doing this – to make room for more stands on the outside of Curva Grande. They will then turn the area into a sea of asphalt and draw the “new” circuit on that, not unlike what they did to Parabolica.
With the current 1st chicane (clumsy as it may be) we had one huge braking zone there and then another high speed section through Curva Grande to Della Roggia where once again there was a heavy braking zone and a good passing opportunity. What this would do is take that away and have cars spread out too much through two chicanes that follow one right after the other. This will effectively kill any passing opportunities at Monza.
If they really wanted to raise speeds – which i doubt, because it goes against the modern philosophy of safety first – then they should’ve either fed the new portion of the track directly into Della Roggia without the new chicane, to make one massive braking zone which would then create overtaking possibilities, or do away with Della Roggia altogether and have the circuit run uninterrupted between the new chicane and Lesmos, having the cars closer together there and maybe create an overtaking chance into Ascari.
Zantkiller (@)
24th May 2016, 23:58
@radoye
They are doing this to get an FIM grade 1 classification. The FIM stripped Monza of it’s homologation a few years ago and with it the WSBK race at Monza. Monza has tried multiple times to get it back (resurfacing bumps, the run off at Parabolica) and this is the final thing they are going to have to do.
If the first chicane was rubbish for F1 it was just flatout dangerous for the bikes with multiple incidents over the years on the opening laps.
If you read the PDF (Which we should incredibly grateful for, we never get stuff like this from Tilke. Tilke is not doing this upgrade but Jarno Zaffelli from Dromo Applied Italian Circuit Design) you will see it is compliant with both FIA and FIM grade 1.
digitalrurouni
25th May 2016, 14:47
Amen on the PDF!
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
25th May 2016, 8:00
The potential for first lap carnage is massive, imagine the speeds the whole field will reach as they start to brake. I watched the race there a few years ago sitting on the main straight watching them approach the first chicane was scary to say the least.
Asanator (@asanator)
25th May 2016, 10:10
I agree as well, the post 2000 Rettifilio chicane is awful (too tight and clumsy) and whilst it does offer one of the few overtaking opportunities on the track it has effectively turned Curva Grande into a ‘straight’ anyway. The new chicane looks similar in profile to Della Roggia with a more open exit so the entry speed will probably be a little higher which should make it less of an overtaking opportunity than Della Roggia, although the longer braking distance from what is likely to be a MASSIVE top speed may turn it into a bit more of an opportunity. Whether we will ever get to see an F1 car on the new layout though is another matter!
Adam
25th May 2016, 12:18
I love the first chicane. I’ve always admired drivers nailing their braking points at over 200mph and wrestling it into that 1st apex. Especially during qualifying. That must be so violent and extreme in the cockpit and hugely satisfying when got right.
I know when I’ve got it right on the playstation I feel like a god.. Lol
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
25th May 2016, 13:17
@keithcollantine I agree, but this chicane placed there, wouldn’t it make Variante Della Roggia a bit pointless?
They could go all the way to Lesmo, really…
Psychotext (@textuality)
24th May 2016, 21:34
Not particularly happy about that. The first chicane is one of the few places on the track where you can actually get a decent view of the cars (and a reasonable chance of seeing an overtake).
Strontium (@strontium)
24th May 2016, 22:53
@textuality And the second chicane, which will also be ruined with a much slower, less opportunistic entry.
Michael Brown (@)
25th May 2016, 16:19
I imagine they’ll build stands around the new chicane.
Matthew Coyne
24th May 2016, 21:41
This is going to bring some crazy speeds and I would think seeing cars going flat out round the kink before the new chicane (Assuming they will be able to do so, I suspect they probably will with all the new downforce!) Will be awe-inspiring.
I’m for the change to be honest, T1 has always been a messy corner that didn’t really fit with the character of the rest of the track it just felt out of place.
petebaldwin (@)
25th May 2016, 12:20
I’m the same. Looks an improvement to me. The first chicane and what has become a flat out Curva Grande aren’t huge losses – I think the new turn 1 will be like turn 1 at Silverstone – fast but easy with modern F1 cars and hopefully they’ll make the new chicane a bit more open and flowing than what we had before.
These changes certainly matter less to me than what they did to Parabolica
Robert (@skylab007)
24th May 2016, 21:43
Racing cars are going to be hitting that new Turn One pretty fast without a chicane on the main straight… And Turn One looks like being nothing more than a vary fast kink. Can’t really see this getting the go ahead for F1 cars from a safety point of view.
AC
25th May 2016, 17:54
Well, this was one of the big points of contention with the contract negotiations.
Sam
24th May 2016, 21:45
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
FormulaLes (@formulales)
25th May 2016, 3:59
I would say that it is broke. The first chicane kills the flow of the whole circuit. Looking at the PDF link in the article, removing the chicane and modifying Curva Grande will result in a circuit that will flow a lot better than the current configuration.
petebaldwin (@)
25th May 2016, 12:23
That’s like saying Mercedes should take a year of from development because they are miles ahead. If you don’t constantly improve, you move backwards. Applies to almost everything.
Alexi
24th May 2016, 21:52
It would be awesome to see motogp bikes race at Monza in replace of Mugello or in addition to.
Asanator (@asanator)
25th May 2016, 10:13
Seriously!!!! Are you Serious??!!! Mugello is probably the best circuit on the MotoGP calendar! and you want to replace it with Monza?! Madness! Utter madness.
CarWars (@maxv)
25th May 2016, 20:19
Formula one is probably better off moving to mugello!
mfreire
25th May 2016, 20:21
Alternating Monza, Imola and Mugello would not be a bad idea…
zomtec (@zomtec)
24th May 2016, 21:56
While the 1st chicane did not suit to the rest of the circuit it was an overtaking spot and the run through curva grande into the 2nd was another opportunity.
I think we’ll loose that because of the shorter straight. Also I don’t think speeds will increase significantly.
CarWars (@maxv)
25th May 2016, 20:21
No more overtaking due to the circuit, more reason to impose random sprinklers and fanboost…
sam3110 (@sam3110)
24th May 2016, 22:03
For those saying you will mourn the loss of Curva Grande, it’s been largely neutered since the introduction of the chicane, and this new layout will bring the track closer to its original very high speed first corner, I mean if they don’t lift at all, even with the speed scrub due to cornering, this has the potential to be a 220mph corner if low downforce configurations are used and the engines get more powerful.
I think this is a case of hating change in general more than hating the actual change here
anon
25th May 2016, 6:11
@sam3110, there has been some form of chicane on the main straight to slow the entry speed into Curva Grande since 1972, so it has been a long, long time since the drivers went into Curva Grande flat out.
sam3110 (@sam3110)
25th May 2016, 7:12
That’s exactly my point though, many of us are too young to know the original Curva Grande, so people complaining about them changing it are misguided, as the version we have seen for the past 40 years is a slower, more tame version, and this change will bring it back closer to the old configuration. The current corner is OK, but it’s an acceleration corner, imagine a similar version but completely flat out at top speed, it’s more exciting
Steffen (@steffeneb)
25th May 2016, 13:06
I agree, it will also be the fastest 1th corner of any GP as far as I can see?
Maximilian Mutch
26th May 2016, 3:35
The Curva Grande as well as the Lesmo 1 and 2 were both completely reprofiled in 1995 due not enough runoff to satisfy safety requirements as a result of the 1994 San Marino GP. As a result, Curva Grande was moved back with the result being a larger radius and the Lesmos were moved back, making both of them tighter. Because of this, I view the Curva Grande as not what it used to be, but rather a modern corner where a legend once stood (much like Stowe at Silverstone). Therefore, it does not bother me at all when they come out and announce that they are going to get rid of a horrible chicane and a modern corner and replace it with a complex more in spirit with the origins of the track. After all, we will now have an effective 1550m straight between the exit of Parabolica and Turn 1, punishing mistakes out of Parabolica even more.
Philip (@philipgb)
24th May 2016, 22:09
So sections of the track which have actually provided some pretty good overtaking over the years are being done away with and replaced with an even longer straight which will likely see some boring straight line cruising passes made instead.
I’m not usually a fan of chicanes plonked onto tracks to slow things down, but the Rettifilio chicane has always seemed to work both in allowing passes, provoking mistakes and setting up passes onto the Curva Grande.
Fast
24th May 2016, 22:24
The 2000 chicane has been a disaster. Not sure this new config will be much better yet it will likely smooth the way to finally close the F1 deal.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
24th May 2016, 22:25
I don’t really know how I feel about this. I’m happy that we are reverting to the old turn one which gave a great sense of speed, but then the equally thrilling Curva Grande is being butchered. Also, the current turn one that we have was a good overtaking spot, and reminded me of Hamilton’s brilliant move on Raikkonen in 2007. Other than that, it didn’t really seem particularly thrilling and has also been quite dangerous in the past. Mixed feelings for me.
xivizmath (@xivizmath)
24th May 2016, 22:38
Not gonna shed a tear after the first chicane. Mixed feelings about Curva Grande though. One part of me wants to see that new first kink tackled by F1 cars at 350 km/h, the other part wants to see the whole field of cars streaming through the old corner.
And how are bikes even going to negotiate that first corner? World Superbikes, had they came back to Monza, would reach speeds of up to 340-350 km/h on the straight. Crazy stuff.
Strontium (@strontium)
24th May 2016, 22:44
In fairness this actually looks okay. Hopefully there will be even higher top speeds down the straight. Revised kerbs is good too, some of the kerbs were okay (and I presume they would be kept), however some of them are very bumpy and look undriveable. Hopefully new kerbs will mean even faster speeds too.
I visited the circuit on an empty day in 2014, and I must say I was surprised by how basic and outdated everything is for an F1 circuit. I noticed that there seemed to be very narrow (or a lack of in some places) access roads as well, so it makes sense what they said.
Chuck
24th May 2016, 22:53
Who cares…Monza is the most boring track on the calendar.
Barely eight corners and zero elevation changes. I just don’t get why you guys go so crazy over this track.
petebaldwin (@)
25th May 2016, 12:29
If you went to watch a Monza GP live and experienced the atmosphere compared to most other races you’d get get it.
As for the track, I like it because it’s different and unique. Millions of corners and elevation changes is great but not for all tracks. Ideally, they’d all be similarly unique all posing different challenges!
Chuck
25th May 2016, 13:46
I honestly think I’d prefer to go to the Mexican GP for the atmosphere. That was the coolest podium celebration I’ve ever seen in the two decades of F1 I’ve watched.
mfreire
25th May 2016, 17:22
Monza is the oldest venue currently used for F1- and also the fastest. And also, as a track- it is different to any of the other circuits used for F1. It is one of the few low downforce circuits still used by F1. Not all F1 circuits have- and should have- to be amazing driver’s circuits- variation of circuits is most important. The old Hockenheim wasn’t much of a driver’s circuit- but it was a great spectator’s circuit- i.e. a great place to watch cars dice with each other.
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
24th May 2016, 22:53
Just no.
I hate that first corner so much but I do not want to see Curva Grande being sacrificed for it’s removal. They are basically destroying all that is good about this track one bit at a time (i.e. nerfing the Parabolica).
Now this?
Just no.
Eoin (@eoin16)
25th May 2016, 19:01
What is being sacrificed??? The Curva Grande is an absolute nothing corner now. It doesn’t even register as a corner to the drivers and hasn’t been a proper corner for at least 2 decades. I really don’t see what you’re moaning about…one horrible chicane is being removed and a corner much more in the spirit of the original Curva Grande is taking its place. Where is the downside??
glynh (@glynh)
24th May 2016, 23:04
Looks like they got angry about Mexico taking the top speed crown. I don’t usually like alterations to tracks but it’s nice to the rare event of a corner being changed to make it faster.
swh1386 (@swh1386)
24th May 2016, 23:17
Current chicane terrible but please leave curve grande alone!
PeterG
24th May 2016, 23:25
For as much as i dislike the 1st chicane i loathe this layout even more because curve grande is one of the most iconic corners on the whole circuit & while it has become easy flat its still a historic bit of tarmac thats been a part of the circuit since the beginning.
Either remove the chicane & have a flat out run through curve grande to the current 2nd chicane or redesign the current 1st chicane to something better in its current location…. Doing anything that butchers curve grande or any of the other ‘classic’ corners is IMO a big no-no!
Turning curve grande into a little kink & rubbish chicane is just as bad as what they did to eau rouge in 1994!
https://youtu.be/32YS7pBHeYU?t=4m40s
Asanator (@asanator)
25th May 2016, 10:20
Wow, I completely forgot about that! No track modification will ever be as bad as that!
Alessandro
24th May 2016, 23:29
Italian here. It’s still not a definitive decision. here a translated excerpt from an italian F1 news site:
“It should, however, said that the new Board of Directors took office after this instance (ie on Monday, 9) and that, given the connotation of the new Board, composed of men belonging to the ACI (who reject those modifications), this instance may not be successful.
But from the words of Dell’Orto (ex president of the track’s managing company), delivered through the local press, it seems that Bernie Ecclestone has softened his position on this redevelopment hypothesis of the area.”
http://www.f1sport.it/2016/05/f1-monza-rispunta-la-modifica-alla-curva-grande/
Michael Brown (@)
25th May 2016, 0:48
I agree with this change, but remove Della Roggia. I think it’s very likely that overtaking going into that corner will suffer as the run from the new chicane to Della Roggia is less than that from the first chicane through Curva Grande to Della Roggia.
In that case, I’m all for making the first Lesmo slower in order to make it easier to overtake at.
I like the new chicane. Unlike the current first one, you can fly through it like you can with Della Roggia and Ascari. And the kink before it – which I suppose we’ll have to call the new Curva Grande – is a kink like the one before the first braking zone at Sochi.
However, while I agree that the first chicane is a pain to drive through, at least it allows for differing lines to set up for Della Roggia.
But one positive for the new chicane, is that it is preceded by a kink. This will play into the hands of anyone who runs a high downforce setup at Monza.
In conclusion, I like the new first chicane, but with it I don’t see a point in Della Roggia (the current second chicane).
Michael Brown (@)
25th May 2016, 16:23
Oh, and they better not make the pit straight a DRS zone. 1: it’s ridiculously long, and 2: the high speed kink with DRS would be dangerous.
Instead, let’s have DRS zones on the straights leading to Ascari and Parabolica.
Newfangled (@newfangled)
25th May 2016, 2:32
Glad to see the back of that chicane. Horrible corner.
Jonesracing82
25th May 2016, 3:05
Curva Grande is a flat blast after the chicane anyway but if they are getting rid of the 1st chicane & having it after a fast 1st turn, then get rid of the 2nd chicane & have the next turn as Lesmo1
Mike
25th May 2016, 4:22
I don’t get it. The high speed corner will just spread the cars out before the braking zone. Maybe that’s the point but, we won’t have passes in the new left right I am sure.