Formula 1: The Italian Grand Prix experience, from the eyes of a fan

Sunday

Formula 3’s feature race started at 8:35 a.m. and I immediately ruled it out of my daily schedule. There was not a chance I would be waking up at 6:00 a.m. for that. However, I made it just in time for Formula 2’s feature race, and as I got closer to the circuit, I could hear the crowd cheering for Leo Fornaroli, as he was crowned champion of Formula 3.

As all 22 F2 drivers slowly drove past me for the formation lap, I was hoping to see Kimi Antonelli have a good race and be free of any damage. Once the lights went out, the camera panned over to the cars fighting their way forward into the first chicane. A cloud of smoke appeared after a few drivers made contact with each other, and the safety car was quickly deployed. After the restart, another safety car followed shortly thereafter, and many drivers came into the pits.

I saw Gabriel Bortoleto’s name rise on the leaderboard after he boxed at the perfect time, having started from P22 on the grid. The Formula 1 hopeful was rapid on his fresh set of tires and quickly made his way through the field. Soon enough, the Brazilian driver was leading the race. On the other hand, Isack Hadjar was slipping down the order and out of the points. It was certainly not the weekend the French-Algerian driver was hoping for.

Kimi Antonelli was driving superbly toward the end of the race, highlighted with a beautiful overtake on teammate Oliver Bearman. With Bortoleto taking his second feature race victory this season, his deficit in the championship was cut to only 10.5 points behind Hadjar.

I had a few hours of time before the Formula 1 driver parade started, so I decided to seek some shade and charge my phone. On the way to the comfy beanbags, I stopped to buy a glass of the famous Ferrari champagne. Over the next hour and a half, I cooled down and sipped some champagne while listening to music.

When I returned to my seat for the parade, I would say 95% of the seats in my section were full, with about 80% of people wearing red for Ferrari. Though it took a while for the truck with all of the drivers to come by, the crowd cheered for any trackside vehicles that passed, and those drivers seemed to really appreciate the support.

The truck carrying all 20 drivers came into view, and everyone immediately stood up and pulled their phones out. As it came closer, I had a great view of everyone. Despite sitting quite far up in the grandstand, my view of the drivers felt closer than the ones I had in Miami and Zandvoort.

When the steps of the flatbed of the truck unfolded, everyone was quite confused. But then both Ferrari drivers made their way down and a loud eruption occurred. I was amazed, as out of every part of the track they could have stopped at, it turned out to be right in front of my section.

With about an hour and a half to go before the formation lap, I grabbed some lunch and sought some shade until the Grand Prix began. The wait until 3:00 p.m. seemed so long, and my excitement only increased. As I started to hear the Italian national anthem in the background, that was my queue to get back to my seat. By the time I made it back, only a few minutes were left until the formation lap. When the time came, everyone became silent, and the camera panned to the iconic Rolex clock as its minute hand moved.

I was so nervous as all 20 cars made their way by me on the formation lap. Despite the first chicane having been altered slightly, I knew contact was bound to happen. As the lights began to count down and went out, the crowd roared with cheers once again.

I had hoped that George Russell would overtake Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton would overtake Carlos Sainz Jr. However, Russell had contact going into the first turn and took some damage to the end plate of his front wing. I knew right then and there it would hurt his chances of a podium finish. Hamilton, on the other hand, did quite well at the start.

There were lots of cheers for the debut driver, as Franco Colapinto made a few composed overtakes throughout the Grand Prix. Piastri overtaking Lando Norris on the first lap did not surprise me at all, and that resulted in Charles Leclerc passing by the British driver shortly thereafter. The Monegasque had some great race pace, but Piastri seemed to have control while in the lead.

To the misfortune of Mercedes fans, both Hamilton and Russell went for a two-stop strategy, which ultimately knocked them out of contention for podium finishes. Toward the final stage of the race, I am still not quite sure how, but Ferrari’s one-stop strategy worked to the point where Leclerc ended up in front of the Australian driver.

Though Piastri had some blistering pace and was gaining quickly on Leclerc, it was not enough in the end, and Ferrari took victory on home soil in Monza. Before the final lap, many fans rushed toward the gate to get a close-up video of Leclerc as he drove by. The crowd was screaming as Leclerc crossed the finish line. Though I am not a Ferrari fan, the atmosphere was still quite spectacular to be a part of.

As I made my way out of the grandstand, ready to leave, something amazing was about to happen. A large group of people were just standing in front of a gate, and it took me a few minutes to understand why. I figured fans would be let onto the track to get close to the podium.

With this being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I sprinted as fast as I could once the gates were opened. My phone was in one hand and my bag in the other as I made my way around the Parabolica, I hate to say it, but more times than Logan Sargeant did this past weekend.

I was truly in shock at being on a Formula 1 track. There was already a massive crowd on the start/finish straight, and I tried to squeeze through any gap available. In the end, I stood behind the podium, but could still see the edge of the drivers as they popped open the champagne bottles. All of the Italian fans were singing the national anthem with such pride and joy. It was such a great moment that I just had to get it all on camera.

As fans began clearing off the track, many were taking pictures, ripping the Rolex signs off of the walls, picking up some gravel as a souvenir, and signing the curves with markers. In the back of my head, I knew this would probably be the best Grand Prix I ever attend. Italian fans bring a passion like no other, and I was just so glad to be there.