The 53-lap race was won by British driver Damon Hill, driving a Williams-Renault, with Austria's Gerhard Berger second in a Ferrari and Finland's Mika Häkkinen third in a McLaren-Peugeot.

Lotus had brought an upgraded Mugen engine to Monza, allowing Johnny Herbert to qualify in a season-best fourth place; hopes of a points finish were ended by a first-corner collision with Eddie Irvine's Jordan.

The Grand Prix was originally cancelled on 12 August 1994 when local officials refused a demand to cut down 123 trees for reasons related to safety.

After the announcement, Gianni Letta, an Italian cabinet under-secretary, went to Cannes to meet with FIA president Max Mosley to discuss the issue.

The top ten was completed by Mika Häkkinen in the McLaren, Andrea de Cesaris in the Sauber, Eddie Irvine in the Jordan and Jos Verstappen in the Benetton.

Behind them, Verstappen tangled with Alessandro Zanardi in the second Lotus going into the Curva Grande, also forcing Gianni Morbidelli's Footwork into the outer wall and putting all three drivers out.

[8] Berger inherited the lead until lap 24, when he too ran into trouble during his pit stop: he was about to pull away when the incoming Panis came past, costing him enough time to drop behind Hill and Coulthard and prompting the Tifosi to jeer the Ligier mechanics.