NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix

The 2026 Formula 1 season continues this weekend as Monza hosts Round 13 on the calendar, the Italian Grand Prix.

Free Practice 1 and 2 will take place on Friday, September 4, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday, September 5, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, September 6.

Vital statistics

• First Grand Prix – 1950
• Track Length – 5.793km
• Lap record – 1m 20.901s, Lando Norris, McLaren, 2025
• Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton (7)
• Most wins – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (5)
• Trivia – The Italian Grand Prix has featured on the F1 calendar since the inaugural 1950 season, with Monza home to every race apart from 1980, when Imola played host
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 476 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2025 – 47
• Safety Car probability – 50%*
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 38%*
• Pit stop time loss – 24.14 seconds

*From the last eight races at Monza

The driver’s verdict

Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: Monza is one of a kind on the calendar, yet in many ways is the simplest track. It’s low downforce and all begins with braking into the chicane for Sector 1 and getting your car to stop as nicely as you can for Turn 1 – that’s the key.

In the middle sector, the Lesmos are actually more fun to drive than they look, with a slight camber. You can carry a bit of speed in, pick your line for a little brake and again through Lesmo 2 as well.

Gravel can greet you if you carry too much speed into Turn 8/9/10 at Ascari – the first part of the corner is the crucial area – but it’s quite bumpy as well. Then stay pinned through 9 and 10, if you get 8 right, which takes you to Parabolica or Curva Alboreto (renamed after the late Michele Alboreto).

Sadly, they took away the gravel that was the charm of this final corner, but it’s still a cool challenge – attack it, run right around the outside to carry speed, get on the throttle as soon as possible and charge onto the main straight.

It used to be perilous with the gravel on the outside, whereas now a little bit of the exhilaration is maybe taken away with the tarmac run-off, but it’s still possible to crash and Monza is still a fantastic high-speed circuit.

Last five Italian GP polesitters

• 2025 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Last five Italian GP winners

• 2025 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2024 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2021 – Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)

Tyre and strategy insight

“The 5.793 km circuit, featuring 11 corners, is one of the fastest on the Formula 1 calendar, thanks in part to its long straights which, this year, will present an additional challenge for energy management with the new power units,” Pirelli’s weekend preview reads, with the compounds available this weekend being the C3 (as the hard), C4 (as the medium) and C5 (as the soft).

“Team simulations are in fact predicting lap times around two seconds quicker than last year. From a tyre perspective, the front axle should be subjected to lower braking loads, as braking zones are likely to be approached at reduced speeds. By contrast, the rear axle will face greater demands during traction phases, when the full power of the power unit is deployed.

“Braking stability and traction on corner exit, particularly at the First Chicane and Ascari, will be the two key factors in gaining an advantage over rivals on a track that is typically run with a low-downforce aerodynamic set-up, prioritising top speed.

“The circuit generally offers a good level of grip from the opening sessions. No significant modifications have been made since the complete resurfacing carried out in 2024, when a relatively smooth asphalt mixture was laid. This year, the kerbs at Turns 1, 4 and 8 have been rebuilt, while at Turn 5 a gravel area has been replaced with an asphalt run-off section.

“Drivers will likely have to manage rear axle overheating during the race, but degradation should not be severe enough to compromise tyre performance. As a result, a one-stop strategy appears the most likely option for Sunday, despite the fact that overtaking opportunities are far from scarce at Monza.”

Current form

Kimi Antonelli continues to head the drivers’ standings as he arrives into his home race weekend, with the Italian now holding a 59-point margin over Mercedes team mate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

The championship leader took second place last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix, but the Silver Arrows left Zandvoort feeling that they need to improve the pace of their car in order to stay in the battle with their competitors.

One of those rivals to make a key step forward recently is McLaren. Lando Norris claimed his second consecutive victory when the season resumed after the summer break, and the Briton will be keen to extend that run this weekend.

Norris currently sits fourth in the World Championship, meaning that he has some ground to make if he is to defend his title – and with the next driver ahead of him being Hamilton, Ferrari will be hoping to put up a fight themselves in front of the adoring Tifosi at Monza.

Red Bull, meanwhile, faced a challenging outing at Zandvoort, with Max Verstappen suffering an early crash while stand-in Liam Lawson did the best he could en route to P7. Can the Milton Keynes-based outfit bounce back at a venue where Verstappen took victory last year?

Elsewhere, points for Alpine in Zandvoort helped the team to close in on Racing Bulls in the scrap over P6 of the Teams' Championship, while Audi made ground by adding to their tally in eighth and Aston Martin were also bolstered by Fernando Alonso’s P9 finish at the Dutch Grand Prix. Who will have the upper hand in the midfield fight this weekend?

Iconic moment

Following that aforementioned note about Monza featuring on the F1 calendar every year bar one since 1950, it comes as no surprise that our archives are filled with unforgettable moments from decades past.

One particularly special weekend at Monza occurred back in 2008, when a rookie by the name of Sebastian Vettel made quite an impression by clinching his debut pole position and race victory during a rain-soaked event.

Just over a year into his full-time F1 career with the Red Bull-backed Toro Rosso team, Vettel mastered the slippery conditions to upset the establishment not only over one lap but also a race distance.

One of the standout underdog results in recent Grand Prix history, it sent Vettel on his way to a glittering career that included 52 more victories and four world titles.

Relive Vettel and Toro Rosso’s special weekend in the video player below...