A record 336,000 for the three days of the Italian GP weekend proved once again the enormous popularity of F1.
But the infrastructure and organization in Monza sometimes struggled to cope with the number of spectators, with numerous complaints about long queues to get to the track and a lack of facilities inside.
There was also disappointment at the lack of displays as the general admission areas were overcrowded, plus the difficulty fans experienced getting food and water due to a token system that created huge queues.
Monza’s leaders have been made aware of the issues and have vowed to investigate the matter to try and work out what could be done better in 2023.
In a social media post on his official Twitter account, Monza said: “Autodromo Nazionale Monza expresses its regret for the inconvenience caused to those who, among the many fans who flocked to the last Italian GP, experienced some inconvenience.
“The structure and its people did their best to create an event that surpassed all previous attendance records.
“For Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the experience of the fans is a priority aspect and therefore a rigorous verification has been launched, including with the partners, to identify and investigate the cause of any critical issues and to take the resulting action so that this will be will not happen again in the future.”
Fan complaints about what happened at the Italian GP come against the backdrop of F1 chiefs making it clear once again that the venue needs to up its game – and cannot rely solely on its history to stay on track in the long run. to stay.
Monza has a contract to host the grand prix until 2025, but F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said progress needs to be made with infrastructure and some political issues that sometimes make running the event need to be put to an end. made it more difficult.
“The Grand Prix deserves to be on the calendar, but as I said before, history is no longer enough to secure your place in the F1 world championship today,” Domenicali told Italian media last weekend.
“We expect that the infrastructure improvement that we have defined, both for the teams and for the public, will be implemented.
“Covid has clearly raised different needs and different priorities, but now there are defined projects to be implemented and time is running out.
“The works are necessary for the modernization of the venue and to help fans experience the Grand Prix in the best possible way.”
Asked if there was a possibility that the race would be scrapped from the calendar if it didn’t come to nil, Domenicali said: “I hope not. I don’t even want to think that we have to come to these kinds of measures.
“But for the sake of a Grand Prix that deserves to be on the calendar, we now need the facts and a definitive and clear plan of when the already defined works will begin. The promoter knows that too.”
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