Preview of the Italian Grand Prix

Last March, the BBC broadcast a magnificent documentary tracing the darkest hours of F1: Grand Prix – The Killer Years. In this document – which you will find in full and in the original version at the bottom of this article – Emerson Fittipaldi, double world champion of Formula One, declared: « Something was going terribly wrong. I loved this sport but it was going bad. I prayed to God to know if I should continue or not. »

The 1972 and 1974 world champion indeed lived with death as a backdrop throughout his career, witnessing the deaths of 10 of his fellow drivers—out of the 31 drivers who died in F1. The Brazilian also made his major debut under the most tragic circumstances. Indeed, hired by Colin Chapman as the 3rd driver to support Jochen Rindt, the Paulista faced the loss of his leader by his 4th Grand Prix… at Monza.

During this incredibly deadly period of F1, Monza was indeed the scene of the worst tragedies, and it was, symbolically, on the Italian circuit that the only posthumous F1 world champion, Jochen Rindt, disappeared. Other Formula One legends lost their lives on the dreadful racetrack, from Alberto Ascari during testing in 1955, to Ronnie Peterson in 1978, not forgetting Wolfgang Von Trips in 1961.

The accident of the German is still, even today, the one with the worst consequences in Formula One, with 15 spectators killed. For while it is customary to say that the Lombard circuit, in addition to the spirit that inhabits it, boasts an exemplary popularity, of which the almost systematic invasion of the track during the podium ceremony is just the most visible testimony, it is important to remember that Monza is the circuit where spectators have paid the heaviest toll.

Thus, among the 72 victims of fatal accidents, across all competitions, that occurred on the Monza circuit, 38 were spectators. At Nürburgring and Indianapolis – both of which have claimed more F1 drivers’ lives than Monza – there are respectively 63 and 66 victims of fatal accidents where spectators seem to have been relatively spared, with 4 spectators having died on the German circuit and 7 on the legendary 500-mile track. Finally, only the Le Mans circuit was deadlier than Monza with 115 deaths, including 87 spectators, mostly during the 1955 tragedy. Let’s revisit two of the deadliest accidents in the history of motor racing which took place on the legendary Monza circuit.

It was in February 1922 that the Auto Club of Milan, celebrating its 25th anniversary, began constructing a race track. In reality, two intertwined circuits were created: a speed ring and a road circuit that merge on the pit straight. After just over 6 months of work, Monza hosted its first Italian Grand Prix – which had been inaugurated in 1921 at the Brescia circuit. Barely tread by drivers, the Lombard circuit claimed its first victim, the German Gregor Kuhn, while only 3 drivers reached the finish line after just under six hours of racing. The next two editions would each be marked by the death of a driver: the Italian Ugo Sivocci in 1923 and the Polish Louis Zborowski the following year.

But the worst is yet to come. On Tuesday, September 11, 1928, in the afternoon, more than 100,000 people, including Louis Chiron, the winner two days earlier, gather in Monza to attend the funerals of Emilio Materassi and the 22 victims of a horrific accident that occurred on the 17th lap of the race.

Born on October 30, 1894, not far from Mugello—which was not yet a racing circuit—Emilio Materassi, after working for a time as a bus driver, opened an auto repair shop where he developed his first race car: the Itala Special, also nicknamed the Big Canary due to its weight—over two tons—and its yellow livery. In his first race, in 1922 and naturally at Mugello, the Italian finished in 8th place. A skilled driver in both road races and hill climbs, he finished second behind a certain Antonio Ascari—the father of Alberto—during the Parma-Poggio climb in 1924. The following year, he achieved numerous victories, notably at Mugello, and joined the Diatto team for the Italian Grand Prix in 1925. The driver was in 5th place when he suffered a mechanical problem in the 39th lap that forced him to retire.

In 1926, sensing that his Itala was no longer able to compete with its rivals, Materassi entered a Maserati 1500 for the Rimini Flying Kilometer, where he beat Luigi Fagioli in an identical car. In 1927, now with a Bugatti T35C, he went from success to success, from the Tripoli Grand Prix to the San Sebastian Grand Prix, adding the Targa Florio to his record along the way. Ambitious, the Italian driver then considered becoming the team manager of Bugatti but faced Ettore Bugatti’s refusal. Materassi then decided to form his own team by buying out the Talbot-Darracq team. Materassi was also the first to use the name Scuderia, a few months before Tazio Nuvolari and especially a few years before a certain Enzo Ferrari.

The Scuderia Materassi and the Scuderia Nuvolari – which fields Bugattis – soon enter into a rivalry. During the Tripoli Grand Prix, Nuvolari filed a protest and obtained the disqualification of the Talbots of Scuderia Materassi. After his team’s first victory, won by one of his teammates on the Cremona circuit, Materassi claimed another victory in his career at Mugello.

Then comes the 1928 Italian Grand Prix. Qualified in 3rd position, Materassi quickly encounters problems that force him to pit twice early in the race. It’s approximately 11:30 when, in the 17th lap, Materassi attempts to overtake Giulio Foresti’s Bugatti on the main straight. Materassi touches one of the rear wheels of the Bugatti and loses control of his Talbot, which, at full speed, crashes into the stands. In an interview published by Autosprint in 1979, Pasquale Borracci, an engineer and witness to the accident, claims, however, that there was no contact between the two cars, that Materassi’s Talbot did not suffer any mechanical failure, and that he simply lost control while trying to pass Foresti by moving onto the grass.

The fact remains that, almost killed instantly, Materassi took with him about twenty spectators—the newspapers at the time hesitated between 22 and 27 victims. Among them were the Nessi brothers, Luigi and Mario, who had come from Bergamo to watch the race, as well as Luigi Zanoni, Felice Nava (or Nara according to sources), and Mauro Broletti. Coming from Milan, Aldo Pestalozzi and his fiancée, Ida Cavoli, also lost their lives that day while attending the race. Three days after the race, Luigi Perego, 13 years old, succumbed to his injuries, as did Giovanni Brusati, who died nine days after the accident, never having regained consciousness.

Until the 1955 Le Mans disaster, this 1928 Italian Grand Prix remained the most significant in terms of casualties. And yet, as a sign that death was then an integral part of racing, the race continued, with only the Talbot drivers from the Scuderia Materassi withdrawing from the competition. However, the Italian Grand Prix was canceled for the next two years.

Other accidents marred the Lombardy circuit, including the crash of Luigi Arcangeli during the 1931 Italian Grand Prix, instantly killing two spectators situated in a restricted area near Lesmo, followed by the death of three drivers during the 1933 Italian Grand Prix in two separate accidents. This did not prevent Monza from featuring on the calendar of the new Formula One World Championship from its first season, and it must be noted that, although the circuit continued to be the tomb of drivers like Ascari, F1 was spared… until 1961.

Sunday, September 10, 1961, should indeed have been a celebration. Gathered at Monza, the Ferrari family could hope to clinch the world drivers’ championship, contested between the two house drivers, Phil Hill and Wolfgang Von Trips, all in front of a denser crowd than ever, gathered around the circuit. However, when the American crossed the finish line, assured of the world crown, the mood was no longer festive.

A little over two hours earlier, Wolfgang Von Trips launched for the first time in his F1 career from pole position at a Grand Prix where he only needed to win or finish second ahead of Hill to become the first German world champion. The qualifications were dominated by Ferrari, with the first non-Italian car, Graham Hill’s BRM, trailing by two and a half seconds. However, the German had a poor start and, by the end of the first lap—including the oval track—was down to 6th place. Von Trips quickly passed Jack Brabham between the two Lesmos, then overtook Jim Clark at the exit of the second Lesmo to take 4th place… but only temporarily. Indeed, Brabham managed to capitalize on the battle between Clark and Von Trips to snatch 4th place a few hundred meters further on. Approaching the straight leading up to the Parabolica, with a heavier and more powerful car than Clark’s Lotus, Von Trips braked earlier than the Scotsman, who sought to seize this opportunity to retake the lost position by slipping to the outside: « Trips was in front of me, in the middle of the track. Suddenly, he slowed down. As my Lotus was faster, I tried to overtake him. At the same moment, the Ferrari veered left, and the collision was inevitable » Jim Clark would testify after the race.

And indeed, when the German swerved, Clark could not avoid the collision, and Von Trips’ Ferrari, destabilized, crashed into the side embankment, hitting the crowd before falling back onto the track. The other cars avoided the wreckage of the Ferrari Dino 156: that would be the only miracle. As Von Trips was not wearing a safety harness, his body was thrown out of the Ferrari upon the first impact and landed on the roadside. While avoiding hitting the Ferrari lying on the tarmac, Carel Godin de Beaufort recognized the lifeless body of the German at the edge of the track. Moments later, Jim Clark got out of his car and headed towards Von Trips’ body but quickly realized there was no hope.

Once again, however, the tragedy does not stop the race, with drivers having to accommodate the rescuers present on the track. In the crowd, eleven spectators died. The next day, three other spectators succumbed to their injuries, including young Roberto Brambilla, 6 years old. On September 14, the Monza accident claimed a 15th and final victim in the person of Renato Janin.

Crowned in blood, Phil Hill would not receive the honors of going to claim his crown at home, during the closing round of the championship, as Ferrari decided not to go to the United States to observe a period of mourning. The American later admitted that he wanted to win but not at this price. The accident, as well as the acquisition of his first title, had an impact on the approach of the Ferrari driver, as he would confess at Monza in 1962, as he was preparing to leave the Scuderia: I no longer need to race, to win. I’m not as hungry anymore. I no longer want to take the risk of killing myself.

From the day after the race, the press comments on the lack of safety in Formula One and more specifically on the Monza circuit, which will permanently abandon its speed ring. But Jim Clark’s behavior also makes headlines. Initially deemed responsible for the accident, the Scotsman awkwardly left Italy the same day, which did not help his case. In 1963, while winning his first world championship at Monza, the Lotus driver was served with a subpoena as part of the investigation into the incident’s circumstances, the end, according to Jim Clark, rather miserable, of what should have been the happiest day of [his] life. The Scotsman, however, would be cleared of all suspicion by a dismissal in the months that followed.

The Monza circuit is therefore an opportunity to remind us that while the most promising talents have lost their lives there, such as Ascari, Von Trips, Rindt, or Peterson, spectators have also experienced their share of drama, facing a risk that, unlike the drivers, was not necessarily part of their passion. Thus, I dedicate this article to Fritz Kuhn, Enrico Giaccone, Ugo Sivocci, Count Louis Zborowski, Potito Franciosa, Mario Beltrami, Ercole Biroli, Mauro Broletti, Ida Cavoli, Teresina Elrich, Enrico Facolli, Francesco Ferrari, Mario Galbioli, Michelini, Giuseppe Mona, Felica Nava, Luigi Nessi, Mario Nessi, Mario Nobile, (the said) Omenognu, Aldo Pestalozzi, Mario Scioli, Giovanni Vaccari, Luigi Zanoni, Emilio Materassi, Luigi Perogo, Giovanni Brusati, Luigi Arcangeli, Fortunato Ponti, Leone Sartori, Baconin Borzacchini, Giuzeppe Campari, Stanislaus Czaykowski, Rudolf Heydel, Ignazio Radice Fossati, Aldo Marazza, Renzo Cantoni, Emilio Villoresi, Alberto Ascari, Ron Searles, Nino Crivellari, Alfredo Tinazzo, Phil Green, Glicerio Barbolini, Albino Albertini, Mario Brambilla, Franca Duguet, Luigi Fassi, Giuseppina Lenti, Luigi Motta, Paolo Perazzone, Claudia Polognoli, Augusto Camillo Valleise, Franz Waldvogel, Laura Zorzi, Wolfgang von Trips, Roberto Brambilla, Luigi Freschi, Rinaldo Girod, Renato Janin, Marcello de Luca, Norberto Bagnalasta, Tomy Spychiger, Bruno Deserti, Roberto Parodi, Attilio Zuppini, Boley Pittard, Jochen Rindt, David William Bartropp, Silvio Moser, Ronnie Peterson, and Paolo Gislimberti.