The Autodromo Nazionale Monza has a long history with endurance racing, having previously hosted rounds of the Le Mans Series under the banner of the 1000 km of Monza as recently as 2008. When the ELMS chose to return to Monza for its 2017 season, it marked the circuit's first appearance on the series calendar in nearly a decade. The four-hour format reflects the ELMS standard for its sprint-endurance events, offering a compact but demanding test for LMP2 and GT machinery across Monza's high-speed layout.
The inaugural 2017 race was won by Memo Rojas, Léo Roussel, and Ryo Hirakawa, driving for G-Drive Racing. The Russian-backed outfit proved dominant in the event's early years, claiming the top step again in both 2018 and 2019 with varying driver combinations. Roman Rusinov was the only driver to appear in the winning seat in both of those follow-up victories, underlining G-Drive's consistency at this venue. The 2019 win was also notable as the first victory for the rebranded Aurus 01 LMP2 prototype, which had replaced the Oreca 07 under a Russian state-backed rebadging program.
The 2020 edition saw United Autosports assert dominance, with Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson taking the win in commanding fashion. The pair also clinched the ELMS drivers' championship at that same round, making the Monza race doubly significant for the British squad. The 2021 race delivered a milestone for Panis Racing, which claimed its first-ever ELMS victory through James Allen, Julien Canal, and Will Stevens.
The most recent edition in 2022 was won by IDEC Sport, with Paul-Loup Chatin, Paul Lafargue, and Patrick Pilet recovering from a 20-second time penalty to take the race honors. The result marked IDEC Sport's first win at Monza in three years of ELMS competition at the circuit, and it highlighted the competitive depth typical of the LMP2 category, where strategy, penalty management, and driver consistency often prove as decisive as outright pace.
The 4 Hours of Monza has established itself as one of the more prestigious rounds on the European Le Mans Series schedule, owing to Monza's stature as a historic grand prix and endurance venue. The circuit's distinctive combination of long straights, heavy braking zones, and the Lesmo and Ascari complexes places specific demands on prototype and GT machinery, with slipstream tactics playing a significant role in qualifying and race strategy. Unlike the slower, more technical circuits on the ELMS calendar, Monza tends to favour aerodynamically efficient cars and disciplined pit-stop execution.
The race also serves as a points flashpoint, with the ELMS drivers' and teams' championships occasionally decided — or significantly shaped — at this round, as the 2020 edition demonstrated.
Since its first running in 2017, the race has been won by G-Drive Racing on three occasions, making it the most successful constructor at this event. United Autosports, Panis Racing, and IDEC Sport each hold one victory. The winning machinery has predominantly been LMP2 prototypes; the Oreca 07 and its Aurus 01 derivative have featured prominently across multiple winning campaigns.