At the same time, reigning world champion Lando Norris arrives in Italy on the back of two consecutive victories, Ferrari is bringing a power-unit upgrade for its home event, and Max Verstappen returns to a circuit where he has won three of the past four races. All the ingredients are there for Monza to produce one of the most open weekends of the season so far.
Italian Grand Prix schedule
The 5.793-kilometre circuit in Monza’s royal park has been an almost permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar since 1950. Sunday’s race will be held over 53 laps, covering a total distance of 306.72 kilometres.
All times are CEST:
- Friday, September 4: Free Practice 1 at 12:30, Free Practice 2 at 16:00
- Saturday, September 5: Free Practice 3 at 12:30, Qualifying at 16:00
- Sunday, September 6: Race at 15:00
Monza remains a circuit of extremes: long flat-out sections, minimal downforce and heavy braking zones into the chicanes. However, the new technical regulations have changed the character of the “Temple of Speed”. Because relatively little electrical energy can be recovered on its long straights, the FIA has reduced the harvesting limit to five megajoules for this weekend.
Top speeds are therefore expected to be lower than in previous years, while slipstreaming and the efficient deployment of available electrical energy could play an even more important role.
Antonelli’s championship lead – and a major handicap
Kimi Antonelli arrives in Monza with 242 points. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are tied behind him on 183, with Lando Norris on 159 and Charles Leclerc on 155. Max Verstappen, on 112 points, has already fallen some way behind in the championship race. Mercedes also leads the Constructors’ Championship with 425 points, ahead of Ferrari on 338 and McLaren on 263.
For Antonelli, however, his home race may become an exercise in damage limitation. After several power-unit issues, Mercedes is fitting a fifth unit to his car in Monza. As this exceeds the permitted allocation, the 20-year-old will be sent to the back of the grid regardless of where he qualifies.
Mercedes deliberately chose Monza to take the penalty because overtaking is considerably easier here than at many other circuits.
Antonelli is therefore placing most of his focus on Sunday. “I have nothing to lose,” said the Italian, who believes a recovery drive into the top five is even possible. In qualifying, he could also use his session to provide Russell with a valuable tow.
Norris and Russell head the list of favourites
On current form, there is a strong case for Lando Norris. The reigning world champion won both in Hungary and most recently at Zandvoort, helping McLaren recover after a difficult start to the season. In the Netherlands, Norris finished ahead of Antonelli and Russell.
Monza, however, presents McLaren with a very different challenge. The team is bringing a special low-drag rear wing, internally referred to as the “H-Wing”, designed to reduce aerodynamic resistance on the straights. Straight-line speed has not been the MCL40’s greatest strength so far this season.
Russell therefore deserves to be rated at least as highly. Mercedes continues to possess what is arguably the strongest overall package, and the Briton has the chance to take full advantage of Antonelli’s grid penalty and significantly reduce the gap in the championship. His recent form has also improved after a Sprint victory and third place at Zandvoort.
Ferrari targets home success with a new engine upgrade
For Ferrari, Monza is traditionally far more than just another race, and the pressure is even greater in 2026. Hamilton is level with Russell in second place in the championship and remains within striking distance of Antonelli, while Leclerc’s victory at Silverstone showed that Ferrari can win when it puts together a perfect weekend.
For the high-speed demands of Monza, Ferrari will introduce the second performance upgrade of its power unit under the new ADUO system. The Scuderia is also bringing an aerodynamic package specifically designed for low-downforce conditions.
Team principal Fred Vasseur described the new engine specification as a step in the right direction, but also warned in comments to Gazzetta dello Sport: “In Monza, we need a perfect race.”
Leclerc still sees Mercedes as the benchmark, but believes the situation is open. Ferrari has prepared several new components that could help close the gap. The Monegasque also knows exactly what it takes to win in front of the Tifosi: he claimed his first Monza victory for Ferrari in 2019 and repeated the feat in 2024 with a bold one-stop strategy.
Ferrari will also race with a special livery paying tribute to Michael Schumacher’s first season with the Scuderia and his Monza victory in 1996.
Verstappen as the dangerous outsider
The most prominent dark horse is Max Verstappen. Red Bull was not quite on the pace of the leading teams in either Hungary or Zandvoort, but Monza has traditionally been one of Verstappen’s strongest circuits.
He won here in 2022 and 2023, was beaten only by Leclerc in 2024 and dominated again in 2025, finishing more than 19 seconds ahead of Norris.
Red Bull’s power unit was also designated by the FIA as the benchmark unit during the course of the season, which could make Monza’s long straights more favourable terrain for the RB22.
Verstappen himself remains cautious, particularly because of the energy-management challenges posed by the new generation of cars. The four-time world champion said Monza could be “pretty painful” in that respect.
Oscar Piastri should not be completely discounted either. The McLaren driver finished second at Monza in 2024 and third in 2025. If the team’s new aerodynamic package delivers as hoped, McLaren could have two drivers capable of fighting for victory.
The key question, however, is how much Antonelli’s rivals can capitalise on his grid penalty. After twelve race weekends, the Italian still holds a comfortable championship lead, but Monza offers Russell, Hamilton and the increasingly impressive Norris their best opportunity so far to make the title battle considerably tighter.
