Leo Turini recalls events from 50 years ago.

      In the first 12 rounds of the 2026 championship, Ferrari achieved two victories, but there is hope that the upgraded SF-26 car will allow Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton to replicate that success in Monza, the home Grand Prix for Scuderia.

      Whether these hopes of the fans will come true is hard to say, but Leo Turini, a veteran of Italian motorsport journalism, recalls events that took place decades ago at this legendary racetrack and became significant in their own way...

      From friends who share my passionate love for Ferrari, I often hear the question of which Sunday in Monza I can recall as the greatest day.

      It is simply impossible to recount all the emotions associated with this place to which I am so attached, so I am ready to choose a few stories, and you can add your own memories to them. Of course, I exclude sad and tragic events from this list, as well as episodes I have only heard about from others.

      So…

      Without a doubt, I place 1976 in first place. I was only 16 years old at the time, and I wasn't even at the racetrack that weekend, yet the memories of that September weekend are etched in my mind forever.

      A few days earlier, Niki Lauda had appeared at Fiorano for the first time, and I saw with my own eyes the poor physical condition he was in. Yet, against all logic, he was preparing to return to the track, even though it had been less than two months since the horrific fire at the Nürburgring.

      I remember that he still had open burns, and then I watched the Italian Grand Prix on a black-and-white television with my father… My father was not a racing fan; he was born into a very poor family and deep down considered motorsport to be little more than a frivolous pastime.

      However, he idolized Enzo Ferrari, and there was no contradiction in that – my father admired the willpower and determination of the Commendatore. And I remember that feeling of shared excitement, as if fate had given us the chance to witness the resurrection of Lazarus live…

      Lauda did not win that day, finishing fourth, while Ronnie Peterson ascended to the top of the podium, yet it was still a triumph. And that Italian Grand Prix will be remembered forever.

      But I must also mention the race of 2006. Not because Michael Schumacher achieved yet another victory that day, but because of the circumstances surrounding it. I was among those who knew that after the race, regardless of the outcome, the German driver would announce that he would retire from racing at the end of the season.

      Overall, it was a unique moment that can be called the finale of our shared adventure, connected not only with this great driver. So, when Michael took out a piece of paper and began reading the text that officially confirmed that the curtain would soon fall, it felt as if a multitude of different complex emotions merged into one concentrated, powerful feeling, which, of course, also remained in memory.

      Undoubtedly, the event was both sad and beautiful at the same time and definitely deserves a place in the ranking of the most beautiful moments. Ultimately, it is a story of the relationship between a man and a team, a connection of talent and passion, genius and tradition, but this story began, as I have often said, ten years earlier – in 1996.

      Despite a couple of victories in Spain and Belgium, few believed that the beginning of Ferrari's triumphant era was just around the corner. Of course, there were no doubts about Schumacher's abilities – rather, questions arose about the entire structure of the team from Maranello being able to rise to his level. Moreover, Jean Todt was not yet perceived as the ideal manager, especially since that season, Ferrari's engines were exploding even during the warm-up laps, the F310 had broken drive shafts, and much more was happening.

      Therefore, Michael's very first victory in Monza is so important – not only because that success came eight years after the almost magical winning double of Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix. Their achievement was seen almost as a happy coincidence, a tribute to the memory of the founder of Ferrari, who had passed away shortly before.

      But in 1996, everyone suddenly realized as if the racetrack in Monza itself was blessing Scuderia to embark on a path that would allow them to rewrite history…

      I think I will stop here – also because if I add memories of Leclerc's victory at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix, when he greatly upset Lewis Hamilton, it might irritate those who simply cannot stand Charles – and there are such people.