The next morning we were once again up bright and early to head back to the track. The party atmosphere was in full swing and the walk in was entertaining enough to keep us from thinking about the blisters on our feet.
This time when we arrived at our stand we realised that the Ferrari Supporters club was directly behind it. Sneaking a peek through some gaps in the fence, we realised that having money makes Grands Prix so much more comfortable - a pool, a bar, proper toilets and a chance to lie out in the sun and relax - some day we’ll get there!
Shortly before this Grand Prix, it had been revealed in the press that Fernando Alonso and several other McLaren team members had been aware of and discussed the confidential information that Nigel Stepney had brought from Ferrari. Fernando had only confessed this information after being given assurance that no proceedings would be taken personally against him. We felt that taking such a public plea bargain was detrimental to the sport and hoped that he would not qualify on pole position, but alas, we didn’t get our wishes there…
As for the race on the Sunday, it was true to say that Alonso once again dominated, taking the win from pole. His team mate Lewis Hamilton took second place 6 seconds behind, followed by Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari in third - 27.3 seconds behind the leader.
As soon as the flag was waved, the typical track invasion occurred and we followed quickly, but not quickly enough as the trophy presentation and traditional champagne was all over by the time we reached the podium. Still, we soaked up the atmosphere as we strolled the main straight in the company of thousands of Tifosi. Once we had all the photos we wanted, we headed down towards Parabolica to exit the track.
But wait, I had mentioned the old banking - there was no way we were going to leave Monza before we had tried to get onto it for some photos. We headed back through the inside of the track, to some of the ‘general’ viewing areas and aimed for where we thought the old track was. We soon spotted it, but getting down there was a problem, it was a 20 foot drop when you found a gap in the fence, and there were marshals everywhere!
Eventually George managed to find a quiet spot and slid down to take some photos. The shot below gives an idea of just how steep it is - every time he set the camera down on the ground and let go, it just started to slide!
Upon leaving Monza on the Sunday, we drove the traditional route down to Maranello, home of the Ferrari factory. In olden days, Ferrari supporters would race the telegraph along this route to try and be the first to bring home news of a Ferrari victory.
We planned to spend a few days in Maranello, at the Planet Hotel, which faces the main gates of the Ferrari factory on one side and Ferrari’s private test track, Fiorano, on the other - not to mention the official Ferrari shop on the ground floor.
Franco, who runs the Planet Hotel, is world-renowned for his local knowledge and hospitality. He went ‘above and beyond’ several times during our stay to help us out and ensure we had everything we needed. Upon arrival he quickly recognised me from the emails that we had traded back and forth and settled us into our room on the fourth floor, with a view of the Fiorano test track from our balcony.
As we had arrived late the first evening, we opted for a quick take-out pizza delivered to our room and soon collapsed into bed.
