Our Man in Milan: The Italian GP Experience

A man in Milan
By Phil Huff (23/09/2003)
September 23 2003

Our Man in Milan has (finally) returned from his travels, bringing with him exclusive Lucky Strike BAR Honda images, and his views of the Italian Grand Prix, bacon butty's, celebrity, and the Italian transport system...

Saturday

Got to Milan Central Station in a rather confused state as there where no signs pointing the way for the F1'ers, and some 20 platforms to choose from. It was a case of following a group of red T-shirts to the appropriate platform, assuming they were headed for Monza. If this was Silverstone, Bernie would have a few things to say!

After a slick bus transfer, we eventually arrived at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Practice was already well under way so I hotfooted it into the parkland from the drop-off. Half an hour later I found my way to the Lesmos, eventually nestling next to a group of Dutch people (Verstappen fans, naturally) in one of the very few track-facing areas afforded to the riff raff like myself with a general ticket. At least at Silverstone most of the stands are open.

It was then time to shift to another vantage point for final qualifying, navigating around inside of the circuit. The centre of the track is literally a maze of trees with the display trucks dotted far and wide, but the walk was well worth it. I managed to nestle in to a small stand right by the 80km/h line into the pits – a great photo opportunity (check out the Monza Gallery) and with that vital view of a big screen.

By the time qualifying kicked off my legs were numb, but the pain was soon forgotten as the cars roared through Parabolica into view - Coulthard, M Schumacher, Montoya and Raikkonen all turned off the engine for fuel conservation when exiting Parabolica into the pits - crafty. BAR's new aero elements where clearly evident, with Button making full use of them posting 7th place.

The German fans were a fickle bunch - the two guys in front of me remained seated, peering into their beers until Schumacher put in that storming lap. They then promptly left the stand before Montoya's stormer. The slight loss of grip through Parabolica resulted in P2, and howls of excitement from the stand.

Sunday

No problems this time - again it was a case of playing 'follow the shirts'. However, a special train had been laid on directly to Lesmos station - a mere 10 minutes & we were in.

I had a 'seat' in the left lateral stand (half way between pole position and first chicane), with the seat being nothing more than a concrete step. At least it afforded a decent view, even allowing for the pillar blocking P2, a certain Juan Pablo Montoya.

The clock ticked on towards 14:00, and the only entertainment on offer was the Maserati and Porsche races. Nothing wrong with these, but they’re rarely the most exciting races. Equal cars, often run by the drivers themselves, means they’re all just a bit too careful.

Still, a bacon butty helped pass the time, while the €4 charge helped lighten the wallet.

As the main event got under way, Button followed Villeneuve closely for the opening laps, after losing out in the traffic jam at the first chicane, with Schumacher doing what he needed to do to block an aggressive early attack from Montoya. Villeneuve performed impressively, while Alonso performed stupendously, somehow scoring P8 after doing a Kimi on Verstappen, and removing half the underside of his car on the chicane 'speed bumps'.

There was much groaning when Schumacher looked to come out after stop two behind Montoya. As a closet Juan Pablo fan, it was with a solemn heart that I corrected three Italians sitting in front who had confused Marc Gene with Colombian, resulting in a round of high fives. (You were the only one who didn't make that mistake. Ask James Allen and Martin Brundle – Phil.) So, as it turned out, pole was vital...

Just under 155mph later, the race was over, with a scarlet car winning in Italy. This was going to be fun.

The melee for fans to get on the track to stand under the heroes on the rostrum was frankly dangerous. The charge to the access gate below our stand was getting serious when the army guarding the gate refused to open it. In the end, the fact people where getting flattened persuaded them somewhat to open them, and it then took us until 10 minutes after champagne to get on the circuit. The track surface was the smoothest I've seen on any circuit (it makes Silverstone look like a farmers field!) and was seriously hot, aided by the very high pit wall and natural bowl effect.

There was no 'Status Quo'-esque post race activities, it was just a case of playing sardines back on the return leg at Lesmos station...

A fantastic weekend for any F1 fan, even if it was very tiring, very expensive, and poorly organised. If only I had the 'celebrity' label then I could have actually seen the drivers, wandered the pit lane, and maybe even got in without having to fight for a seat. Still, at least Jodie Kidd, Jeremy Irons and Dennis Hopper had a good time, waiting for the 'take-off', or whatever they call the start now...