Why is it that whenever F1 goes to monza they (usually TV presenters, commentators and ex-driver muppets, err, sorry, pundits) are always talking about the "Historic" Monza banking? The banking is a curiosity for sure and the fact that its been disused for the last 43 years (the last race to use it was a 1000km sportscar race in 1969) and left to rot away gently gives it a rustic appearance, the truth of the matter is that the banking is actually one of the newest parts of the track, the only parts that are newer are the chicanes! The banking was built in 1955 and whilst its true that a banked circuit featured in the original layout in the 1920s, this original banking was shallower and had been decommissioned and dismantled by the 1940s due to safety concerns. The parts of the track that existed in 1950 when the World Championship made it's first visit that are still used today are the pits straight, curve grande, the Lesmos (though Lesmo 2 was reprofiled in 1997 to slow it down), the straight down to Ascari and the back straight that these days leads to Parabolica. Parabolica it's self wasnt part of this layout, instead the straight went straight on, beyond where the banking now is into a sharp right hander followed by a very short straight into a less sharp but just as abrupt right hander leading onto the start/finish straight. If you look at the News Reel footage of these early 50's Italian GPs (search Youtube) you can clearly see that the start finished straight is much longer and both the Parabolica and the banking simply don't exist! Also if you look at Monza today you can see that going onto the pits stright there are 3 roads coming onto it, looking back at the final corner from the Start / Finish line the left most is obviously Parabolica, then you have the banking and to the right of that is the remains of the pre-1955 straight that linked the pit area to the old last turn. The fact of the matter is that the banking was a bit of a white elephant, seldom used and abandoned for good just 14 years after it's completion, but its main legacy today is that the building of the banking forced the circuit owners into creating a new last corner, and the magnificant Parabolica was built at a same time.

On Google Maps you can clearly see what remains of the old longer start finish straight coming in to the left of the Banking and Parabolica: Monza Grand Prix, Monza, Italy - Google Maps