Motor racing-Italian Grand Prix secure until at least 2024

MILAN, Italy, Sept 4 (Reuters) - The Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Ferrari's home race at one of Formula One's oldest and most atmospheric circuits, will stay on the calendar for five more years after a contract extension was signed on Wednesday.

The formal signing was held in front of a throng of Ferrari fans packed into Milan's cathedral square for an event celebrating the race's 90th edition and Ferrari's 90th anniversary.

"We're very excited," Formula One chairman Chase Carey told reporters after appearing on stage with Italian Automobile Club (ACI) president Angelo Sticchi Damiani and Monza representatives.

"Monza's one of our defining races, our iconic races," added the American. "The Italian fans are second to none, all you have to do is look at that crowd.

"It's a great part of the sport and we couldn't be more excited to have this race in place for the next five years."

Monza agreed a deal in principal back in April but the contract had yet to be signed.

The announcement means all 22 races on what will be the biggest ever calendar next year now have contracts in place.

Italy and Britain are the only two countries to have hosted races in every year since the world championship started in 1950.

Next year will also see the debut of Vietnam and the return of the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, with Germany no longer featuring. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)