Research Takes to the Track at Monza

I would not underestimate the contribution that Politecnico, and certain disciplines in particular, such as architecture, can make to developing a culture of leisure. Leisure is one of the goals of our lives: having space to devote to passions that are consistent with contemporary paradigms, from sustainability to well-being, from health to culture.

Within this culture, sport plays a fundamental role. Not only for those who practise it professionally, who represent a minority, but also because of its educational, social, economic and cultural value. We have seen this during both the Summer and Winter Olympics: when sport sets a good example for young people, it performs an extraordinary educational function. It teaches team spirit, hard work, the value of defeat and the ability to build a victory precisely by starting from a defeat. It is a powerful metaphor, both for private life and for the world of work.

In recent years, we have invested heavily in sport, which did not have the same central role until a decade ago. There is also a reason connected with the international university market: many students who come from other countries have a strong relationship between study and physical activity in their cultural DNA. When they apply to come to Politecnico, they ask whether they can practise different sports, from polo to cricket. We need to be ready to tell them that sport has taken on an important presence on our campuses.

At the Leonardo Campus, there is the Giuriati Sports Center, a historic place for Milan and for rugby. In Bovisa, we are building something extraordinary: one of the gasometers, which we call the “Sports Factory”, will be devoted to sports activities on several levels, including a swimming pool. For those who experience our campuses, sport is and will continue to be an important component of university life.

The well-being of our students is not only physical, but also psychophysical. Sport helps those who study, those who spend many hours sitting down and those who undertake intense intellectual effort. In this sense, as a university, we also teach a lifestyle, not only academic subjects.

Yes. The Master in Sport Design and Management has reached its tenth edition, while the course in Design, Construction and Management of Sports Infrastructure, which I teach at both Bachelor’s and Master’s level, has been running for twenty years. On average, it has between 70 and 100 students a year, which means that at least 1,500 students have taken the course. It has also become a sort of gateway to the Master.

The Master is multidisciplinary and cross-cutting. It is not concerned solely with sports infrastructure, but places sport at the centre of a reflection on the physical and social regeneration of territories and cities. There are modules addressing cultural, economic, social, managerial and inclusion-related aspects. It is designed for those who, after graduating, want to enter the world of sports management: economists, legal experts, architects, engineers and professionals with different skills.

I have always enjoyed sport. When I was younger, I played football and tennis, and I still practise sport today. For me, it is not an obligation, but a pleasure.

From an academic perspective, it all began with a conversation with Michele Uva, a major sports executive. He told me that the world of sport lacked a culture of infrastructure and education. So, in 2001, we organised a continuing education course on football stadiums, together with the CNR, Lega Calcio and many institutions. That gave rise to my passion for transferring methods and knowledge to a world that had often developed in an empirical and self-referential way.

For a long time, careers in the world of sport were internal: a footballer became a commentator, the commentator became a coach, and the executive progressed within the same environment. We sought to educate people who did not necessarily come from competitive sport, but who had the passion and skills needed to work in that sector.

There are three circuits in the world that occupy a special place in the collective imagination: Silverstone, Monaco and Monza. Monaco is the icon of the urban circuit, Silverstone has played a central role in the history of motorsport, and Monza is the temple of speed. But Monza is also something else: it is a circuit within a protected park of great quality; it is a symbolic place of innovation; it is an infrastructure where research can have an impact on everyday life.

Few sports have such a clear connection between extreme innovation and everyday use as motor racing and motorcycle racing. Speed was once the dominant topic. Today, the priorities are safety, reducing environmental impact, limiting noise pollution, the relationship with the landscape and crowd management during major events. These are all topics addressed by Politecnico through its departments.

Bringing the Circuit and Politecnico together means creating a dialogue between two centres of excellence: on the one hand, an open-air laboratory; on the other, a system of research, professors, students, expertise and laboratories. Monza is close to Milan, almost an extension of it, which makes the collaboration even more natural.

It means being able to apply different areas of expertise to a real and complex context. Politecnico has twelve departments, and I find it difficult to imagine one that could not contribute to a topic such as this. I am thinking of mechanics, energy, computer science and electronics, but also urban planning, architecture, design, management engineering, physics and mathematics.

A circuit is a place where materials, systems, processes and infrastructure are pushed to their limits, so that the resulting knowledge can then be transferred to the ordinary world. A less effective tyre can lose a race. An electronic component can stop a car just a few metres from the finish line. An aerodynamic choice can change performance. But what is learned under extreme conditions can have an impact on the automotive sector, everyday mobility, road safety, data management and the organisation of major events.

Safety is the first topic. The safety of objects, drivers and the public. When a vehicle is travelling at 300 kilometres per hour, even a screw can become a projectile. Everything must be conceived, designed and checked.

Then there are materials, simulation, mechanics, energy, telemetry and digital technologies. There is also the management of major events: during the Grand Prix, Monza and its surrounding area are placed under stress by an enormous influx of people. This means studying flows, access, mobility, safety, services and the impact on the city.

There is also the relationship with the park and the landscape. The circuit coexists with a delicate environment and with citizens who live nearby. There must be no conflict between the sports facility and the ordinary life of the city. On the contrary, safeguards and conditions must be established so that citizens are involved and can be proud of a facility that produces sport, culture and innovation.

Exactly. Today, we cannot teach the myth of speed as a value in itself. We need to talk about safety, safe driving, environmental sustainability and responsibility. The circuit can become a metaphor for the city: a complex system made up of performance, risks, rules, technologies, behaviours and impacts.

I would even introduce a compulsory safe-driving course, even if only lasting one day, for those who obtain their driving licence at the age of eighteen. Simply telling young people to drive slowly is pointless. It would be much more effective to take them to a safe place, such as a circuit, and help them understand the real dangers and the available countermeasures. A car is not simply a means of transport: it can become a projectile. Knowing how to drive well cannot be taken for granted.

Precisely because these sports are potentially dangerous, the standards must be raised. Research must move towards safety, protecting people and respecting the environment. This is not an issue that concerns motor racing alone. All sport must question its own ethical limits: consider tennis played in very high temperatures, or more generally the extreme pressure to which athletes may be subjected.

Sport cannot be pushed to the point where those who cannot cope are excluded or are forced to exceed their limits in an unhealthy way. It must remain a system of values.

Absolutely. Sport is one of the areas in which technology can help overcome disabilities. I am thinking of the work of biomedical engineering and of solutions that allow girls and boys with disabilities to practise sport and compete. I am also thinking of the dual-career pathway, which enables student-athletes to combine study and sporting activities through greater flexibility in the organisation of examinations.

Sport shows us that technology does not replace the person, but can enable them to express abilities that would otherwise remain limited. It is an enormously important cultural issue.

There is also a great deal to be done there. I am thinking, for example, of female participation. Today, starting grids are still predominantly male, but in the past some women have reached Formula 1, and I believe there is enormous room for growth in the future. The ability to concentrate, organise and be precise does not belong to one gender. In other sports, from tennis to volleyball, the women’s level is extremely high and now fully recognised. The world of speed must reflect on this.

It is not a specific task for Politecnico, but as a university we are committed to increasing the presence of women in engineering as well, year after year. Sport and motorsport should ask themselves a similar question.

I believe that motor racing and motorcycle racing are sports in every respect. It is true that they involve a vehicle, a car or a motorcycle, but the physical performance required is enormous. Taking a corner at very high speed involves stress, physical forces, reflexes, concentration, and training of both body and mind. A driver must be an athlete.

Sport is not only about muscular effort. It is also about control, clarity of thought and the ability to make decisions under extreme conditions. The point is not the presence of a tool, but the relationship between physical performance, mental ability and strategy.

There were already good relations and synergies, including in teaching. Our Master, for example, includes a module connected with speed and visits to racing circuits. The framework agreement, however, serves to bring these relationships together within a coordinated system. It is a non-financial relationship between two institutions, within which projects, activities, internships, research and educational pathways can be developed.

That is precisely the difference: moving from individual collaborations to a stable framework capable of systematically bringing topics and opportunities to light.

I would like the relationship to work in both directions. On the one hand, people working in the world of sport and speed could come to Politecnico to teach, bring their experience and contribute to research. On the other, our students could increasingly attend these open-air laboratories through work placements, internships and applied activities.

I am thinking of the departments most closely involved: Mechanical Engineering, Energy, Computer Science and Electronics, but not only these. I am also thinking of safe-driving courses, given the age of our students, many of whom begin driving precisely during their university years. And I am thinking of experiences already present at Politecnico, such as DynamiΣ PRC, the team that builds racing cars for university competitions, as well as our expertise in materials, wind tunnels, testing and safety.

The world of motorsport is already present within Politecnico. The agreement with Monza has not emerged from nowhere, but it can provide a stronger and more visible framework for a set of skills that have existed for a long time.

Yes. I would like to see more and more students approach sport and motorsport out of passion, but also for research, design and innovation. Always with a focus on safety, sustainability, respect for the environment and the protection of people.

A racing circuit can be many things at once: a symbolic place, a sports infrastructure, an urban system under stress, a technological testing ground, an educational laboratory. For a university such as Politecnico, it is an ideal context in which to experience first-hand what is studied, designed and imagined.

Seen in this way, speed ceases to be merely spectacle. It becomes responsibility. And the track, rather than being a place separated from the city, can become a space in which research tests its ability to have an impact on everyday life.