Piero Ferrari: For father, Monza was the most important thing

On the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, Piero Ferrari, the son of Ferrari’s founder, shared his memories of what the home stage of the World Cup meant for his father, the legendary Enzo Ferrari.

Piero Ferrari: “Monza has always been a special circuit for him. This undoubtedly has to do with its history. She knew him from the pre-war period, but this is also due to the fact that there are long straight lines on this ring, where the capabilities of the engines are manifested. And for the father, the engine was always the most important thing.

I remember numerous meetings with engineers in Maranello: already in the spring, my father began to be interested in the novelties that the team was preparing for Monza. This race was unlike any other and was the most important for him.

It was in Monza that the presence of fans in the stands was felt particularly strongly, as happened historically. Although their response was not always friendly. For example, in 1973, after an extremely unsuccessful race, they came to the paddock to present claims to the team.
There were no campers back then, so the fans came to the team’s location and voiced everything they were cooking about.

But in 1975, Clay Regazzoni won that race and Niki Lauda was third, and that was enough for him to become world champion. After an eleven-year break, the Ferrari racer again won the title, and then the fans simply filled the entire circuit – it was an unforgettable sight, and then we experienced the strongest emotions.

I also remember a phone call with my father, who preferred to stay in Maranello, and although he didn’t come to the circuit, you could feel he was very excited too. However, in the late 1960s, we came to Monza several times with my father, but he only stayed on the track during training.

I remember when the team first tested a moveable rear wing in 1968 – at the time it was a revolutionary idea and another confirmation of how much Monza meant to both my father and the Ferrari team.