Can you overtake at Monza?
Yes, and more easily than almost anywhere on the calendar. Monza's long straights, powerful slipstream and heavy braking zones make it one of the best circuits in Formula 1 for wheel-to-wheel racing. The prime chance is into the Rettifilo chicane at Turn 1 after the start-finish straight, with a second into the Roggia chicane after the back-straight DRS zone. Low downforce and high top speeds let cars follow closely and tow past.
The short answer
Yes. Monza is the fastest circuit in Formula 1 and one of the easiest places to overtake.[1] The layout is a run of long straights broken by only a handful of chicanes and fast corners, so cars reach very high top speeds and can slipstream, or tow, right up behind a rival before braking hard for the next chicane.[2]
Where to overtake at Monza
- Turn 1, the Rettifilo chicane. The main DRS zone runs the length of the start-finish straight into the heaviest braking point on the track, from around 350 kph down to second gear. This is the prime overtaking spot.[1]
- Turn 4, the Roggia chicane. After the second DRS zone along the back straight past the Curva Grande, the Roggia is the next-best place to attack under braking.[1]
- The Ascari chicane and the Parabolica. A clean exit from Lesmo or Ascari, plus the tow onto the straight, can line up a move even without DRS.
Why it is so easy compared with other tracks
Related reading
- [1]Italian Grand Prix, Monza (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-08-27.
- [2]Monza Circuit (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-08-27.