Readers from around the world share their experience of attending the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Charles Leclerc scored a hugely popular victory for Ferrari.
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Nevena from Poland
This was my first time attending an F1 race at Monza. I’ve attended WEC at the circuit before, so I know the track and the city. I have also attended other F1 races in Europe and the Middle East. Monza scored quite high, maybe because I am a Ferrari fan so everything is more emotional, especially with a Ferrari win. I was prepared for the worst, as I read people’s experience from previous years, but I would give the experience a 9/10.
I took a flight from Kraków (Poland) to Bergamo and stayed in Bergamo the whole time (accommodation is more affordable outside of Milan). I bought the Lombardy Trenord daily ticket which saved a lot of time, but it would be nice if they made it a 3-day ticket next year (you had to buy tickets for each day this year).
Since I follow F2 and F3, I arrived at the circuit quite early (8-9am) which meant no queues for the train, shuttle, entrance or bars, and I left later in the day, as Monza is a nice place to go for a walk and have some dinner. One tip I have for other fans is to purchase your drink vouchers early in the morning and then use them throughout the day. This saves a lot of time, as you don’t have to queue twice each time to buy the voucher and then collect your drink! The organization was quite good. I liked having the QR codes for ordering food, the huge fan zone had lots of activities, there were many food areas around the track and access around the track was good via the bridges and tunnels.
Friday is a good day to familiarize yourself with the track, to find the shortest queues for food and drink, and the best places to get some shade. The trackside views were excellent, and this is the first track I’ve been to where even the general admission areas have viewing platforms. I had tickets for the Parabolica grandstand and I loved the views from there so much that I’ve already bought 2025 tickets for the same area. There’s an entrance gate nearby, it’s close to the fan zone, and there are lots of food and drink stalls nearby.
I loved the historical car demonstrations and the sound of the old engines ringing in my ears. One minus I would mention is the lack of coherent information about the post-race track invasion. I attended races where there was information on the screen which gates would open and it is a brilliant idea. There were also lots of complaints about the long queues and access to water so that is also something for the organizers to improve.
The atmosphere was out of this world. Ferrari winning and singing the Italian anthem (I am not even Italian!), waiting one hour afterwards for Charles and Carlos and celebrating with them. It was an incredible feeling. I have never experienced such passion before on a track and I don’t think many can say they have. It was like a fairytale-like experience, everyone was so excited and the party in Monza went on for many hours after the race finished. I cannot wait to be back and I think I will become a regular. 😄
Delphine from Switzerland
Hello, just a quick look back at our wonderful weekend at Monza. We were four adults and it was our very first grand prix. And I have to say that everything went really well, we were delighted with our experience. F3, F2 and Porsche Supercup were also great to watch!
We had seats almost at the very top of grandstand 8A at the first corner, with a magnificent view that allowed us to see the cars as they braked. For the invasion of the track, they opened the passage to the right of the grandstand. A screen was right in front of the grandstand, perhaps a little too far away, but we didn’t mind. This stand is not equipped with proper seats or shelter. Sitting down is not so comfortable, so remember to take something soft to sit on. Everything was nearby, including WC, food and water fountains.
We stayed on the outskirts of Milan near the San Siro stadium, which we found to be a good location. We had our own car and had reserved the Green car park number 1 for €100 euros for the weekend. It was perfectly located for our grandstand, just a 5-minute walk from Entrance C. Traffic flowed smoothly, except of course on Sunday evening after the race!
We always entered through Gate C. There was virtually no queue or waiting to enter on Saturday and Sunday at around 9am. It was even quieter on Friday. From this entrance, it was barely a 10-minute walk to reach our grandstand. Every evening we were given a free can of Red Bull as we exited.
Like any major event, there were some queues at peak times for food, drinks and toilets. But if you plan your day well, there’s nothing to worry about! For example, we ate at 11:15am on race day and didn’t wait. Remember to purchase several bottles each time to avoid queuing again at peak times. We had 3 x 500ml bottles of water per person for Sunday afternoon.
Christian from Canada
Sharing our experience at Monza. We brought our two kids to their first ever F1 race and I think with decent preparation anyone can make this event enjoyable. I read lots on the F1Destinations Monza Facebook group prior to race weekend and I found many useful tips. I will try to focus here on the things I didn’t read so much about.
Parking/Entrance: I dropped the ball and didn’t purchase parking tickets online in advance. But this was not an issue at all. We found multiple commercial parking lots that offered race weekend parking for less than the official Green/Blue/White lots around Biassono-Lesmo, which were only a 15-20 mins walk to gate D. We paid €20 each day. All in all, it sounded like gate D (right by Biassono-Lesmo station) was one of the easiest to enter from.
Water: Reading about the water station saga, we popped a bunch of 0.5l bottles in the freezer the night before. Took 10 bottles in a knapsack that had an insulated bottom part. Security didn’t bat an eye. We had cold water for the whole afternoon and didn’t need to join the lines, which were often really long and time consuming.
Food/Drink: I found the QR code/on-line order system to be useful, as it cut our line-up time substantially. Buy your beer/drink tickets in one go at the beginning of the day. Buy 4-6-10 or however many you’re planning to smash! Then just pick up your drinks as you go. The lineup is still going to be bad. But not as bad as when you have to queue up twice!
Tickets: We saw people being turned away as they had bought resale tickets that were not valid. Buy your tickets from a legit place. I bought them through TicketOne.
After the Race: Take it easy, chill at one of the local pubs and let the crowds die down. We hung out at this swimming pool/bar that was about 10 minutes walk from gate D.
Overall: We had an amazing time! My son got infected with the F1 bug and now I have an F1 buddy for life.
Hazel from Ireland
Here’s my review and tips for anyone planning to buy General Admission tickets for Monza next year! Firstly, don’t be put off by bad reviews. If you want a comfortable seat, then buy a grandstand ticket!
On Friday, we arrived into Monza station at 9am and took the Black shuttle bus with no issues or queues. But it was a long walk to Gate G after getting off the shuttle bus! We found a spot just before the Parabolica with good views and some trees for shade. At the end of the day, we walked back to take the Black shuttle bus and the queues were a killer! All in, it took around 1 hour from the shuttle bus drop off to get back to Milan Centrale train station.
On Saturday, we decided to take a different route and travelled from Garibaldi train station in Milan to Biassono Lesmo, where we entered through Gate D. We arrived at 11am and got a perfect seat in the GA “grandstand” (viewing platform) on Lesmo 2! Going home was fine too, we only waited for around 10-15 minutes at Biassono Lesmo station before getting a train straight back to Garibaldi in Milan.
On Sunday, we took the 7:20am train from Garibaldi back to Biassono Lesmo, arriving at 8am. There was quite a large crowd waiting at Gate D, but it kept moving and we got through in about 10 minutes. The GA “grandstands” were full already by this time, but we managed to get another good spot at the second Lesmo!
Overall we had an amazing time and would 100% go again! I was worried after the bad GA reviews, but we had an amazing time amongst all of the tifosi 
- If you don’t want a long walk & have GA tickets, the train to Biassono Lesmo is the best option.
- Bring lots of snacks and some 500ml bottles, and fill them up any chance you get
- Bring a small blanket for the grass or grandstands so you’re not burning on the metal!
- Get there early if you want a good spot!!
- Do your research and everything will go great
- Have FUN!
John from USA
Really enjoyed this year, but missed seeing the pre race flyover. We sat in Internal Parabolica, and it was great. Food and drink lines were bearable, better than most NFL games. I still don’t fully understand the buying of tickets for beer, just to get in the line next to you to hand them in for beer. All in all, I thought the track did a good job keeping people moving, both going in and out.
We decided to rent a car this year, and drove to and from Milan. We bought prepaid “Brown” parking, which was probably 1.5 miles from Bate B. It was a bit of a hike, but that’s Monza. Very smooth getting in, but we were stuck in traffic for about an hour getting back on to the autostrada after the race. We stayed to the very end and even went to the podium invasion, which was crazy, but fun! We will likely do the same next year, as transportation goes. It was really nice getting into your own car with air conditioning after a long hot day at the track, even though traffic moved slowly.
One recommendation! We went to the area around Duomo on Sunday night looking for a good Italian restaurant. We had no clue what to expect. We ended up choosing a place called Ristorante Papà Francesco, between Duomo and La Scala. And are we glad we did, because the food, staff and ambience were all perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better end to the weekend. Already looking forward to 2025! Thanks to everyone that chipped in on the Monza Facebook group. Even as a multiple Monza visitor, I always seem to find some new and helpful information. See you next year! Oh, and don’t miss the Alfa Romeo museum!
