6 Hours of Monza 2026

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza, set in the Royal Park north-east of Milan, is one of the oldest permanent racing circuits in the world. Built in just around 110 days, the facility opened as early as 1922, commissioned by the Automobile Club di Milano to mark the 25th anniversary of Italy’s national automobile club. This makes Monza one of the oldest circuits still in use anywhere, after Indianapolis and Brooklands, and it remains the cradle of Italian motorsport to this day.

In its early years, Monza also featured a steeply banked oval combined with the road course, used regularly until 1961 before disappearing from competitive use due to the immense strain it placed on drivers and machinery and several serious accidents. Remnants of the banking survive on the grounds today as a quiet monument to the circuit’s most dangerous era.

The current layout measures 5.793 kilometres with 11 corners, four left-handers and seven right-handers. Long straights such as those leading into the Rettifilo chicane and the Parabolica produce the highest top speeds anywhere on the calendar, which is why Monza has long been known as the “Tempio della Velocità”, the Temple of Speed.

Since 1950, Monza has hosted the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix every year with a single exception (1980, when the race moved to Imola while Monza underwent track modifications), making it one of the most historic venues on the calendar. Legendary sections such as the Lesmo corners, the Ascari chicane and the closing Parabolica have been etched into motorsport’s collective memory for decades.

Monza is no stranger to endurance racing either: between 2021 and 2023 the circuit hosted the 6 Hours of Monza as part of the FIA WEC. The classic returns for the 2026 season after the originally planned 8 Hours of Bahrain had to be cancelled due to the tense security situation in the Middle East. Together with the debut in Barcelona, Monza forms the European season finale for 2026 in place of the two Gulf rounds.