SEPTEMBER 5, 2005

The empty grandstands of Monza

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday witnessed a very disappointing crowd of 60,000 people. Worse than that, the three-day figure for the event was only 93,000, a 20% drop on the three-day figure from 2004 and a very long way from the numbers in 2000 when the Autodromo boasted a three-day crowd of 160,000.

The problem appears to be that the tickets are too expensive for the fans, given that the Italian economy is not very healthy at the moment. Ferrari is not winning races and there are no Italian drivers to get really excited about as Giancarlo Fisichella has been majorly overshadowed this year by his team mate Fernando Alonso. Jarno Trulli is the only real hope at the moment because Red Bull Racing continues to waste the opportunities that exist in the unconventional form of Tonio Liuzzi.

Small wonder Ferrari and Formula One Management would like to do something with Valentino Rossi.