Round twelve brings F1 to Northern Italy and one of the oldest and most prestigious races of the season at Monza; for over a century now, the fastest circuit of the season has played host to more Grands Prix than any other, only not holding one in the championship era.
The drivers and the tosfi love this 3.6-mile circuit, often leading to some of the fastest speeds of the season, the current record in the hybrid era being 224mph. This makes the race one of the shortest races in terms of time, with a race without a red flag being roughly around seventy to eighty minutes.
Monza is a circuit all about high speed and downforce, with the 3.6-mile circuit often leading to some of the fastest speeds of the season, the current record in the hybrid era being 224mph. This makes the race one of the shortest races in terms of time, with a race without a red flag being roughly around seventy to eighty minutes.
The circuit is the third oldest purpose-built circuit in the world, after Brooklands and Indianapolis. The modern Grand Prix circuit currently introduced in 2000, has seen little change since the banking was used last in 1963, caused partly by the threat of industrial action by members of the GPDA.
By its nature and historic prestige, there have been many fatalities during the race’s hundred-year history. One of the deadliest weekends in the history of Grand Prix racing was the 1933 race, when three drivers were killed, more deadly than Spa 1960 and Imola 1994. It became a turning point for Enzo Ferrari, whose friend Baconin Borzacchini, Giuseppe Campari, and Polish aristocrat Count Stanislas Czajkowski.
However, the fact that this is a high-speed and downforce circuit can often lead to crashes, thus safety cars and red flags. The race is often one where you see lots of overtaking because its long straights and hard braking zones create the opportunities. But drivers need to manage their brakes, as the hard stops can wear them down and lead to failures, which have a higher probability here, though reliability has improved in recent years.
Qualifying can also be the scene of drama; the power of the tow often sees drivers jockey for position on out laps, though the FIA has tried to clamp down on this in recent years. This year it could once again be about fine margins as the circuit, as its short nature, lack of technical corners and need for straight-line speed, means qualifying can be close and throw up surprises.
As at Zandvoort, in some areas the mix of grass and gravel acts as a deterrent, though where there isn’t, the stewards often, because of the gains we see from going off-line, take a tough stance on track limits.
But there is only one team that the tifosi want to see win: Ferrari, or the other Italian team Racing Bulls, if the prancing horse can’t. The latter taking there only two wins here, under various different names, with Sebastian Vettel in 2008 and Pierre Gasly in 2020.
Since 1949, except for 1980, the race has always been held at Monza, 1949 saw the introduction of the basis of the Grand Prix circuit. Although there was a period when the Combined Course, the oval and Grand Prix circuit were used. The final championship race of 1950 saw Giuseppe Antonio “Nino” Farina win, thus becoming the first world champion. Ascari would win three in a row and dominate the 1952 season.
1961 saw a return to the combined circuit, but it was to see yet another tragedy. Two Ferrari drivers, Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, came into the race with a chance at winning the championship. Fighting for fourth place while Hill was leading and while von Trips approached the Parabolica.
Jim Clark slightly moved over into the path of the German, and the two collided. Von Trips crashed into an embankment next to the road and then went flying into a crowd of people standing on it. Von Trips was thrown out of his car and was killed, as were 14 spectators. The banking was never used again for a Grand Prix
Ferrari driver John Surtees won in 1964, and Jackie Stewart won his first of 27 Grand Prix victories in 1965, driving for BRM. Against team orders, he fought hard with his teammate Graham Hill, Hill made a mistake at the Parabolica and Stewart was in command; this was all to the chagrin of team boss Tony Rudd. 1966 saw Italian Ludovico Scarfiotti win, and no other Italian has won the race since.
Twelve Italian drivers have won the Italian Grand Prix; ten before World War II and three when it was part of the World Championship; most recently Ludovico Scarfiotti won in 1966. But, that can be made up for by the number of wins which Ferrari has, with twenty-two wins.
1970 saw Rindt’s fatal crash during qualifying at the wheel of his rear wing-less Lotus; his car suffered brake shaft failure, veered off the track, hit and went under the improperly secured guardrail on the left and spun multiple times. Rindt died not because of the impact but because he had not properly secured his seat belts and the buckle had slit his throat. Rindt became the only posthumous world champion, after Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx failed to overhaul Rindt. Ickx’s teammate Clay Regazzoni won the race, which saw 28 lead changes.
1974 saw further changes, with the Vialone chicane changed and renamed Variante Ascari, which was the place where Alberto Ascari was killed in 1955 testing a Ferrari sportscar. Followed by further changes with Two chicanes, called Variante Rettifilo were installed just before the Curva Grande, and another chicane, the Variante della Roggia, was installed just before the Lesmo bends added.
That year’s race saw Niki Lauda’s remarkable comeback following his life-changing accident six weeks earlier at the Nürburgring, finishing fourth. More tragedy would follow in a multi-car crash on the opening lap in 1978, Peterson; his car slammed head-on into the Armco barriers and had caught fire.
Instead of the ill-equipped marshals, James Hunt, with the help of Patrick Depailler and Regazzoni, ran towards Peterson’s aid and pulled him out of the burning Lotus. Peterson suffered severe leg injuries, and he died from embolism complications a day later. With Peterson’s retirement from the race, Andretti won the Drivers’ Championship.
The 1980 race moved to Imola to allow safety improvements to the circuit to be made, the only time since 1949 the race was not held at Monza. Imola stepped in and went on to have its own Grand Prix between 1981 – 2006 and 2020 – 2023.
Alain Prost won on the race’s return to Monza, while John Watson had a huge accident at the second Lesmo, which also took out Italian Michele Alboreto. Watson was uninjured in his carbon-fibre McLaren. 1982 was won by Prost’s teammate René Arnoux; and Prost also won the exciting 1985 event, this time driving a McLaren. Prost’s championship rivals Alboreto (now driving a Ferrari) and Finn Keke Rosberg in a Williams both retired.
1991 saw a battle between Senna and the two Williams drivers Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese. Mansell won, Senna finished second, and Patrese went out with gearbox problems. Senna won again in 1992, and 1993 saw Williams drivers Alain Prost and Damon Hill battle hard, and while leading, Prost’s engine failed, and Hill went on to take victory.
Following the events at Imola, over the following years attempts were made to slow down the cars as well as improve the run-off areas with track modifications made in 2000. But that weekend was marked by a fatal incident as the marshal Paolo Gislimberti was hit on the head by a loose wheel.
The period would be largely dominated by Ferrari, with wins from 2000-2006 with the exception of 2001, which was won by Juan Pablo Montoya, the Colombian’s first win finishing five seconds ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
After winning the 2006 Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher announced his first retirement at the end of the 2006 season. 2008 saw the first win for Sebastian Vettel in wet conditions from pole for Toro Rosso (Now Racing Bulls), taking twelve second win and becoming the then-youngest race winner.
Mercedes dominated this era of hybrid racing, with Lewis Hamilton winning four of five races between 2014 and 2018. Charles Leclerc took Ferrari’s first win in nine years and his second career win, following an emotionally charged win at Spa, after fending off both Mercedes drivers and his future teammate, Hamilton.
2020 saw the now-AlphaTauri team take their second-ever win with Pierre Gasly, the Frenchman, effectively given victory after Hamilton entered the pits under a red flag. The first podium since Budapest 2012 not to feature a Red Bull, Mercedes, or Ferrari driver on the podium, and the first of those podiums to feature three different teams since Montreal 2012.
Gasly’s win was the first of two unexpected winners as Daniel Ricciardo, an Australian of Italian descent, took victory after title rivals Max Verstappen and Hamilton retired after a dramatic crash. As Hamilton re-joined the race following his pit stop, he looked to get alongside Verstappen at Turn One, the Dutchman attempting to go around the outside in the braking zone, which put him on the inside for Turn Two.
Hamilton and Verstappen met in the middle after the Red Bull was launched over the sausage kerb, launching him into Hamilton; the momentum continued, seeing the Red Bull come to rest on the safety roll-hoop and halo head-protection device. Future champion Lando Norris backed off to secure the team’s first win since Sao Paulo 2012 and first one-two since Montreal 2010.
2023, Verstappen took his tenth victory in a row after building pressure on Sainz through the first half of the race, which led to his former teammate making a mistake, locking up and running wide at the dello Roggia chicane. After he passed the Ferrari, the Dutchman went off into the distance as Sergio Perez also passed the Ferrari, but also allowed Leclerc to close up and eventually finish the race a tenth ahead of the Monegasque. It was frantic at times as Sainz hung on with worn tyres, and eventually, the Spaniard pleaded to his team to let him “bring it home”.
Leclerc won his second Monza win in 2024, beating Oscar Piastri by two and a half seconds. The Monegasque pulled off a brilliant one-stop strategy, allowing him to leapfrog both McLarens and take Ferrari’s twenty-first win at Monza after a masterstroke of strategy, his victory coming exactly five years to the day since his first win at the famous Autodromo.
Race & Circuit Guide
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| Round | 12 of 23 | |
| Race | Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d’Italia 2026 | |
| Venue | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Lombardy Province, Monza and Brianza | |
| Configuration | Modern Grand Prix Circuit | |
| Circuit Length | 5.793km (3.600mi) | |
| Laps | 53 | |
| Race Distance | 306.720 km (190.587 mi) | |
| Lap Record | Race | 01:20.901 (Lando Norris, McLaren – Mercedes, MCL39, 2025) |
| Outright | 01:18.792 (Max Verstappen, Red Bull – Honda, RB21, 2025) | |
| Previous Current Winners | Sir Lewis Hamilton (5)
Max Verstappen (3) Fernando Alonso (2) Charles Leclerc Pierre Gasly (1) |
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| Most Wins (Drivers) | Michael Schumacher (5)
Sir Lewis Hamilton |
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| Mot Wins (Constructor) | Ferrari (21) | |
| Most Wins (Engine Manufacture) | Ferrari (22) | |
Fast facts
- At the Italian Grand Prix in 2025, Max Verstappen set the fastest ever lap in a Formula 1 car, with an average speed on his pole lap of 264.682 km/h.
- The Italian Grand Prix is usually the shortest of the season. The 2025 race at Monza holds the record for the shortest F1 race to reach full distance, with Max Verstappen winning in a time of just over 73 minutes.
- The circuit is unique on the current calendar for its mix of long straights and slow chicanes. The low-downforce circuit puts strain on engines, which are on full power for 80% of the lap, and gearboxes, which are used heavily in the chicanes
- Thanks to the fact that it used to be held at the end of the season, 12 World Championships have been settled at the Italian Grand Prix since 1950, most recently in 1979.
Event timetable
Session |
Local (CEST) |
UK (BST) |
Friday |
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| P1 | 12:30-13:30 | 11:30-12:30 |
| P2 | 16:00-17:00 | 15:00-16:00 |
Saturday |
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| P3 | 12:30-13:30 | 11:30-12:30 |
| Qualifying | 16:00-17:00 | 15:00-16:00 |
Sunday |
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| Race | 15:00 | 14:00 |
What happened in 2025?
FP1 saw Lewis Hamilton lead a Ferrari one-two with a 20.177 on the soft tyre, going just over a tenth and a half faster than his teammate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc was just under four-tenths faster than his former teammate Carlos Sainz. Williams go into this weekend expecting a strong result, given their car has appeared quick in a straight line and high-speed corners
FP2, Lando Norris topped the times with a 19.878 to go just under eight and a half hundredths ahead of Leclerc. The session suggested that McLaren had sandbagged during FP1, as Norris only didn’t set the fastest time but also looked the strongest on the long-run pace. Leclerc was just under a tenth faster than his former teammate Carlos Sainz, who once again showed decent pace for Williams at Monza.
FP3, Norris was again fastest with a 19.351, going two hundredths ahead of Leclerc. Norris set his fastest time towards the end of the session to put himself fastest and split the McLarens after going a tenth and a half ahead of Piastri. Max Verstappen put his Red Bull fourth, two thousandths behind Piastri; following Friday practice, the four-time champion suggested that things looked positive for them to be in the mix.
Qualifying saw Verstappen set a new track record with a 18.792 as he beat Norris to pole by just over three-quarters of a tenth. Norris was over a tenth faster than his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and had taken provisional pole before being pushed into second during the final moments of Q3. Piastri was a quarter of a tenth ahead of the Ferraris, which were also in the mix for pole, with Charles Leclerc going over a tenth faster than teammate Hamilton.
Verstappen went on to dominate the race on his way to a nineteen second win as he set a new record for the fastest full-distance Grand Prix in the sports history. The Dutchman converted pole at the start, though he was forced to give the place to Lando Norris after forcing him off through the first chicane.
Verstappen won the early duel on lap four despite McLaren’s dominance this season, which proved key in allowing him to take his fourth win of the season and his first since Imola in May. But the McLaren duo did have their own fight and dispute over team orders.
The situation was created by themselves at the pit stops. Piastri had stopped with eight laps to go, but when Norris came in a lap later, his stop was four seconds longer thanks to a faulty wheel gun. That put him behind Piastri, but the team ordered the championship leader to relinquish the position, arguing that it was “a bit like Hungary last year”.
That was a reference to Norris letting Piastri by to take his first win after team strategy reversed their positions for tactical reasons. Piastri said he disagreed but followed the order anyway. Leclerc finished the race seven seconds ahead of George Russell, who split the Ferraris after he finished four and a half seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton
Pole Position |
Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda RBPT 01:18.792 |
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Podium |
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Po |
Name |
Nat |
Team |
Time |
Points |
|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull – Honda RBPT | 01:13:24.325 | 25 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren – Mercedes | +00:19.207 | 18 | |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren – Mercedes | +00:21.351 | 15 | |
| Fastest
Lap |
Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren – Mercedes | 01:20.901 | 1 | |
Championship Standings
Drivers’ Championship |
Constructors Championship |
|||
Po |
Name |
Points |
Constructor |
Points |
| 1 | Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli | 242 | Mercedes | 425 |
| 2 | George Russell | 183 | Ferrari | 388 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 183 | McLaren – Mercedes | 263 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | 159 | Red Bull – Ford RBPT | 196 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 155 | Racing Bulls – Ford RBPT | 66 |
What to watch for?
After Lando Norris won the last two races, the question has started to become whether he can become a title contender. Though he is eighty-seven points off, the challenge is very much on for anyone in the top five. Mercedes is likely to be the favourites as this is a circuit which plays to power and straight-line speed as it’s like four straights broken up by chicanes, meaning this is a good circuit for them. But their reliability woes could pop up this weekend given the unique challenges of this circuit.
Ferrari always needs a good weekend at Monza; they need to be fighting Mercedes if they are going to keep their slim title hopes alive. They are closing in, but it’s looking like they need serious failures by Mercedes. But they need to be smart, which has been their biggest downfall over the last decade: strategy. Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli are on the rise.
I wonder if Ferrari are going to make the call now that Lewis Hamilton is their big hope for the championship, given he is now tied on points with George Russell, giving him a chance of that eighth championship, but they need to do everything right given how strong Mercedes could be. This race will be a good indicator for Baku and Sepang, which are also high-speed circuits; in Madrid we don’t yet have the data or have seen hard on-track performances.
However, Antonelli needs to be wary, as the majority of drivers have had difficult home races this season, and last year he admitted to overstretching himself at Imola, which became a distraction for him. The pressure is on both as the championship leader and this being his home race; they need to be on it as it’s starting to get serious now, and one slip-up, as we’ve seen in recent seasons, could trigger a downfall and poor results.
Monza on paper looks like a simple circuit, but the hard stops are challenging for the brakes, and this is a power-sensitive circuit, meaning it will expose weaknesses of power units. If we expect the tightening up and Monza being already one of the tightest sessions, it could lead to a close fight; this track gets faster and faster as the rubber goes down. We could see a few surprises, but it will also expose weaknesses on both power and aero; you really need a combination of the two here to have a good weekend.
Qualifying at Monza is a true test for all cars in terms of speed and performance, as we have seen this season, it has been very tight to get the final two spots behind the top four teams in SQ3 or Q3. This could be down to thousandths of a second; given how close it has been this season, it often is one of the closest of the season.
Aston Martin and Honda have a huge test following the recent upgrades; this will show everyone how much progress Honda has made as well as how far they still have to go, given the reasons mentioned above. I’m not expecting a miracle, but we should see them possibly edge towards the midfield.
Behind the top four, the battle between Racing Bulls and Alpine is just three points, which I think is going to become the midfield fight to watch for the best-of-the-rest position this season. We are expecting Isack Hadjar to return to his Red Bull seat, thus Liam Lawson to Racing Bulls. This could be important. Hadjar has been out of the car for seven weeks, and the wrist injury will be on everyone’s mind, so it could take time for him to adjust
2025 vs 2026 Race Data
P1 Fastest |
P2 Fastest |
P3 Fastest |
Q1 Fastest |
Q2 Fastest |
Q3 Fastest |
Race Time |
Fastest Lap |
|
2025 |
01:20.940 | 01:19.878 | 01:19.331 | 01:19.414 | 01:19.140 | 01:18.792 | 01:35:21.231 | 01:20.901 |
Diff |
-00.736 | -00.880 | -00.786 | -00.497 | -00.501 | -00.535 | +21:19.496 | -00.469 |
2024 |
01:21.676 | 01:20.758 | 01:20.117 | 01:19.911 | 01:19.641 | 01:19.327 | 01:14:40.727 | 01:21.432 |
2025 Lap time comparison
FP1 |
FP2 |
FP3 |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Race |
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Team |
Fastest Time |
Gap |
Fastest Time |
Gap |
Fastest Time |
Gap |
Fastest Time |
Gap |
Fastest Time |
Gap |
Fastest Time |
Gap |
Race. Time |
Gap |
Inter |
Mercedes |
01:20.940 | +00.823 | 01:20.276 | +00.398 | 01:19.515 | +00.184 | 01:19.414 | +00.000 | 01:19.245 | +00.105 | 01:19.157 | +00.365 | 01:35:43.147 | +00:21.916 | +00:21.218 |
Red Bull |
01:20.692 | +00.575 | 01:20.077 | +00.199 | 01:19.498 | +00.167 | 01:19.455 | +00.041 | 01:19.140 | +00.000 | 01:18.792 | +00.000 | 01:36:33.876 | +01:12.645 | +00:03.194 |
Ferrari |
01:20.117 | +00.000 | 01:19.691 | +00.085 | 01:19.352 | +00.021 | 01:19.689 | +00.275 | 01:19.310 | +00.170 | 01:19.007 | +00.215 | 01:36.03.791 | +00:42.560 | +00:16.480 |
McLaren |
01:21.021 | +00.904 | 01:19.878 | +00.000 | 01:19.331 | +00.000 | 01:19.517 | +00.103 | 01:19.286 | +00.146 | 01:18.869 | +00.077 | 01:35:21.231 | +00:00.000 | +00:00.000 |
Aston Martin |
01:21.114 | +00.997 | 01:20.528 | +00.650 | 01:19.861 | +00.530 | 01:19.658 | +00.244 | 01:19.362 | +00.222 | 01:19.424 | +00.632 | 01:36:20.271 | +00:58.040 | +00:02.005 |
RB |
01:21.158 | +01.041 | 01:20.383 | +00.525 | 01:19.588 | +00.272 | 01:19.917 | +00.503 | N/A | N/A | 01:36:30.682 | +01:09.451 | +00:01.277 | ||
Alpine |
01:21.658 | +01.536 | 01:21.102 | +01.224 | 01:20.034 | +00.703 | 01:19.992 | +00.578 | N/A | N/A | 01:36:08.601 | + 1 Lap | +00:00.427 | ||
Haas |
01:21.642 | +01.525 | 01:20.607 | +00.729 | 01:20.209 | +00.878 | 01:19.688 | +00.274 | 01:19.446 | +00.306 | N/A | 01:36:04.486 | + 1 Lap | +00:07.147 | |
Sauber |
01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:21.172 | 01:36:27.400 | +01:06.169 | +00:07.129 |
Williams |
+01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | +01.052 | 01:35:54.557 | + 1 Lap | +00:02.058 |
Tyres
| White Hard (C2) | Yellow Medium (C3) | Red Soft (C4) |
