Monza is not just the “Temple of Speed.” Monza is also the symbol of a titanic achievement that still leaves people speechless: the construction of the entire racetrack in just one hundred and ten days. A number that, even today, feels almost unbelievable.
It was 1922, more than a century ago. There were no modern machines, no digital design software, and yet in less than four months a circuit more than six miles long came to life - complete with straights, sweeping curves, grandstands, and infrastructure that was considered state-of-the-art at the time. Work began on May 15, and by September 3, before an enthusiastic crowd, the first official race was already underway. To call the birth of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza a record in engineering, organization, and determination is no exaggeration.
Think about what “110 days” really means. Today, building a Formula 1 circuit takes years: endless studies, red tape, and construction projects that seem to drag on forever. At Monza, in 1922, men turned a dream into reality in just over three months, coordinating thousands of workers, architects, and engineers with near-military precision. It was postwar Italy, eager for redemption and modernization. The project of the racetrack was a way to show the world that the country could run fast not only on the track but also in real life.
Speed was already part of Monza’s DNA before the first line of asphalt was ever laid down. Each day, hundreds of meters of track were paved, grandstands rose from the ground, and tunnels and service roads took shape. The site never stopped, with relentless shifts and an organization that anticipated modern industrial methods. It was a collective effort that combined the strength of manual labor with the vision of those who imagined a circuit worthy of international prestige.
When the first race began on September 3, Monza was already a legend. Not only because it was the third racetrack in the world after Brooklands and Indianapolis, but because no other had been built with such speed. The 110 days remain an unwritten record, one that will likely never be broken. No other sporting facility - let alone one of global stature - has ever been created with such urgency and precision.
From that moment on, Monza became synonymous with records: the fastest laps in Formula 1 history, top speeds that reached over 230 miles per hour, and pole positions decided by thousandths of a second. But if today the circuit is universally known as the “Temple of Speed,” it is because its very first record was its construction. Without those 110 days of sacrifice and ingenuity, there would have been no legendary victories, no roaring engines shaking the forests of Brianza every September.
Monza is, in truth, a double temple: a temple of speed and a temple of rapid creation. Its birth was itself a race against time. And that record, set in 1922, still stands unchallenged - a monument to the courage and efficiency of those who knew how to turn dreams into reality.
