If you're like me, when you watched yesterday's thrilling F1 race, your first thought was "holy crap, Monza still uses a Ferrari 348 as a course car?"
Yes indeed, the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza has been using the same old Ferrari course car for the past few decades. Despite F1's high-tech image, if you keep a keen eye you can spot some of the sport's more down-to-earth moments in the form of obsolete course cars.
Top Gear scribe Sniff Petrol also thought this was rather silly, and tried (with difficulty) to imagine a more absurd course car the Italian Grand Prix could keep around.
Also, 20 year old Ferrari as course car? Is that WISE?
— Sniff Petrol (@sniffpetrol) September 8, 2013
Note also the mkI Freelander lurking in a gap in the barriers. Next up, AMG safety car replaced by Alfa GTV6.
— Sniff Petrol (@sniffpetrol) September 8, 2013
Car out. Quick! Mobilise the rescue Lancia Dedra turbo!
— Sniff Petrol (@sniffpetrol) September 8, 2013
Alonso said "quadrifoglio verde". He was referring to the high performance Alfa 33 marshals' car at turn 2.
— Sniff Petrol (@sniffpetrol) September 8, 2013
Anyone at Monza confirm that the medical car is a Fiat Regatta Weekend?
— Sniff Petrol (@sniffpetrol) September 8, 2013
Emergency at turn 3. Marshal tried to move his Alfa 6 and flooded the engine.
— Sniff Petrol (@sniffpetrol) September 8, 2013
My personal favorite old course car (that actually exists) is probably the old Tatra 613s that so famously broke Taki Inoue's leg at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but Monza having a car that predates the original NSX is pretty fantastic.
The Italian Grand Prix Still Uses A 1990s Ferrari Course Car