The last 4 F1 drivers to have debuted at Monza

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza, home to the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix every year since 1950 (with the exception of the 1980 Imola edition), is one of, if not the, most iconic track in motorsport history. From incredible wins by legends such as Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher to being the title decider to World Championships won by Giuseppe Farina in 1950 and Jack Brabham in 1960, Monza is host of some of the most emblematic moments in F1 history, with every fan surely looking forward to another show of high-end racing in Lombardy this week.

And whilst Argentina hasn’t had an Italian GP winner since Juan Manuel Fangio (Mercedes) in 1955, many recent fans from the South American country may remember Monza fondly because of Franco Colapinto’s F1 debut there last year. Since the Italian GP has never been the season opener, there hasn’t been that many debuts if we compare to other iconic curtain lifters like Australia’s Melbourne, Bahrain’s Sakhir or Brazil’s Interlagos and Jacarepaguá. However, intra-seasonal driver changes open the possibilities to make a list of the last few drivers to have ever debuted at Monza.

4. Tomáš Enge – 2001 Italian GP (Prost GP)

A serious crash between Prost GP’s Luciano Burti and Jaguar’s Eddie Irvine at the 2001 Belgian GP meant the former suffered some severe injuries that forced him to miss the rest of the season. Formula 3000 title challenger Tomáš Enge made the step up from Coca-Cola Nordic Racing to become the first ever Czech F1 driver at the 2001 Italian GP.

A while was going to be needed to get somewhat used to the backmarker car, however, as the Liberec-born driver spun at the Ascari corner and failed to make a good first impression in practice. A rookie and a struggling car proved not to be the best combo, as Enge qualified in 20^th (out of the then 22-car-grid), just ahead of the two Minardis, bottom of the barrel. Team-mate and 1997 vice-champion Heinz-Harald Frentzen however, qualified a respectable 12^th.

The eventual 24 Hours of Le Mans winner did what he could with a car that was, as well as incredibly slow, mechanically faulty during the weekend. A 12^th position, one lap behind Juan Pablo Montoya’s Williams, was all he could possibly manage in what was arguably the second worst car.

Whilst Enge finished the season, Prost GP’s bankruptcy in early 2002 meant that the 2001 Japanese GP was the last ever F1 race for both the Czech driver and the French team.

3. Alex Yoong – 2001 Italian GP (Minardi)

Another debutant at the same Grand Prix, and for another backmarker. Malaysian Alex Yoong, also the first driver to ever compete for his country, replaced the departing Brazilian Tarso Marques after the latter offered less money to drive the Minardi.

And so, immediately, Yoong got acquitted with the typical Minardi experience. Mechanical problems meant the driver of Chinese descent struggled throughout all practice sessions, including the third where he even failed to set a time.

Things would get even worse in qualifying, as both him and team-mate Fernando Alonso would suffer from terminal gearbox failures. Sharing the spare car, a rule that was allowed at the time, was all Yoong could do to get a lap in. Nevertheless, his time of 1:27.463, which was 5.2 seconds off pole and 1.2 off the Spaniard (21^st), meant he would narrowly avoid the 107% turmoil and start in 22^nd.

His race would be as chaotic as the preceding events however, as he contacted with the Benetton of Jenson Button on the starting lap. The damage contributed to his first big mistake. A spin at Curva di Lesmo meant his race was close to ending as he almost contacted with the lapping cars of Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and Montoya. Another spin sealed the deal. This was his last spin of the race, as his Minardi PS01 remained stalled in the Monza gravel and the Kuala Lumpur-born driver was forced to retire.

Alex Yoong would also finish the season and would manage to race in most Grands Prix of 2002, also with the Italian team. That year’s Japanese round, however, was his last ever, as the now Cosworth-powered constructor chose to field Jos Verstappen and Justin Wilson to start the 2003 season.

While it is expected that the pay driver, especially in the early 2000s, gets the backmarker seat, and that hardly anybody will remember Alex Yoong as the pinnacle of talent gone to waste, it could be said that he faired relatively well, all things considered. His promise largely kept of “don’t crash the car”, as well as the tricky situation of driving unforgiving machinery and partnering future race winner Mark Webber in 2002, and, of course, the all-mighty eventual two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso in 2001, should cut him some slack when compared to some of his fellow pay drivers of the era. After all, no awful driver gets two top 10s in a Minardi.

2. Nyck de Vries – 2022 Italian GP (Williams)

Nyck de Vries actually started his 2022 Italian GP weekend at Aston Martin, replacing four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel during one of the obligatory rookie FP1 sessions. However, the appendicitis suffered by Alexander Albon of Williams meant all eyes turned to the Dutchman, who was also Williams’ test driver. De Vries, whose potential F1 career had been considered a long shot away due to his age (27 as a rookie), finally got his opportunity after test drives at the Grove-based outfit and Mercedes.

With two practice sessions under the belt with Williams, the Formula E graduate managed to qualify 8^th for the grid, partially thanks to many driver power unit penalties, quite common at Monza. Team-mate Nicholas Latifi, already on the verge of a sacking that came true at the end of the season, qualified 10^th.

On Sunday, an incident-free race and a steady rhythm by taking advantage of Williams FW44’s great straight-line speed meant the driver of Indonesian descent obtained his first ever two points by finishing 9^th, as compared to Latifi’s P15 finish.

His change of stock value was impressive, as he ended up in the 2023 Alpha Tauri seat ahead of race winner Daniel Ricciardo. Once the British Grand Prix was done and dusted, however, so was his decent, albeit short F1 career.

1. Franco Colapinto – 2024 Italian GP (Williams)

Franco Colapinto is the only driver of the current grid that made his debut at Monza and the second on this list to make it with Williams. The Argentine made his first F1 start by replacing departing Logan Sargeant at the Grove-based outfit after another no-points finish at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort.

Whilst an unimpressive 18^th place in qualifying didn’t set expectations on fire for driver of Ukrainian descent, a respectable P12 in the race whilst keeping out of trouble meant another driver was, once again, upping his stock because of a stand-in race in Monza, in a Williams. Despite some crashes in the latter parts of the season, Colapinto came back to the grid after his last Williams race in Abu Dhabi 2024 when he replaced Australian Jack Doohan at Alpine for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. And whilst rumours of a sacking always seem to loom the drivers of the French team, he has proved to be, whilst not a stand-out talent, a somewhat solid, yet replaceable, member of the premier class.