Il Grand Prix d'Italia held on Sunday had an incredible following. Attendance at the Autodromo Nazionale over the weekend reached the threshold of three hundred and fifty thousand people. Even at home, the audience did not disappoint, recording record numbers on television stations.
Monza: a colorful weekend of emotions
The large public of Ferrari fans probably arrived at the racetrack with hopes reduced after the disappointing performance of the Ferrari in Belgium and Holland. However, the Maranello technicians managed to find the right path in what was the weekend at home. There Pole position of Charles Leclerc in qualifying on Saturday exalted the red people, which until the last stages of the race, with the controversial entry of the Safety Car, hoped for a repeat of the legendary 2019. The epilogue was not as hoped for, but the Ferrari people were able to enjoy an extraordinary weekend full of emotions from the early hours of Friday. The fans are reconfirmed (as if it were necessary) the backbone of the Brianza event.
The dark side of the Monza GP
Starting from 'how to reach the Autodromo', you can see the first serious defect of the Monza organization. shuttle service used to transport fans from stations and car parks (the latter easy to reach and well managed) to the entrances to the racetrack, turned out to be incomplete: the amount of rides was sparse to say the least considering the turnout, and this inevitably caused thecrowding of vehicles to avoid waiting in line for Godot for hours.
Once they arrived at the racetrack, there were two main, as well as contradictory, situations that welcomed the public at the gates. Self some fans waited in line for hours, others have found a massive but flowing rowthen meeting again crushed like sardines inside. The other side of the contradiction concerns the controls: some fans have undergone checks beyond the limit of the penalty, finding themselves several times in a day having to prove that they are in good standing; others have suffered a very quick and superficial check of the backpacks, which would have made it possible to carry any type of object on the stands and lawns. In short, something in between would not have hurt.
Stewart, tokens and NFC: unpreparedness prevails
The skills of the personnel as well as the payment services have revealed a certain acerbity. Testimonies have come from many people who while asking various stewarts for information, they were unable to provide answers; for example, the question 'where is the grandstand/lawn x?' was followed by confusion.
As far as payments are concerned, the most painful note comes. The Autodrome has inaugurated a NFC payment system, which allowed the purchase of food and drinks by placing the bracelet equipped with an electronic device at the POS of the stalls. The other experiment was that of exchange of the coin for tokens, to be used as a fictitious currency valid only at the racetrack. Self the NFC system stopped working from the early hours of the weekend, the token system was found to be a congestion factor for the purchase of food and drinks, even making a bottle of water a luxury item that is difficult to find… unfortunate if you consider the heat that covered the Milanese area for the three days of F1.
If theMonza racetrack wishes to remain in such a contested calendar has an obligation to raise the bar of the organization on every front. The event is certainly historic, but with the growing demand for host rinks from around the world, there are standards that must be met to secure a future as guests of the top flight.
