The Formula 1 edit

Article by Lucy Do

It’s race week! This weekend we go to Italy for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, home to the current championship leader Kimi Antonelli, Ferrari, and the Tifosi. Following a Sprint Weekend in the Netherlands, this weekend will follow a normal schedule with three practice sessions, qualifying, and the race on Sunday. This weekend will not only feature one of motorsport’s most historic circuits (which was built over a century ago!), but we will get to see Sebastian Vettel driving Michael Schumacher’s car, Lightning McQueen taking an honorary lap around the circuit, and Yuki Tsunoda for another weekend as Isack Hadjar continues to recover. For now, let’s look at the strategy options for this weekend to make sure you know everything you need to know before the lights go out at the Temple of Speed.

Rain or Shine?

The weather will be relatively consistent throughout the weekend, bringing the teams more stable conditions to work with compared to the famously rainy race at Zandvoort that we saw just two weeks ago. On Friday, there will be a 0% chance of rain with a high of 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and a low of 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Saturday will see a 0% chance of rain as well as a high of 34 degrees Celsius and a low of 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Sunday will also have a high of 34 degrees Celsius and a slightly higher low of 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 degrees Fahrenheit), with a 10% chance of rain mostly after sunset. It will be clear, sunny skies, warm temperatures, and light winds for the teams this weekend, so expect similar tyre performance across the weekend as nature and the track take their tolls on them. However, with the high heat comes a heat hazard declaration for this weekend, as the heat index is above 31 degrees Celsius. This means that all cars are to be fitted with the Drive Cooling System, which includes plumbing and thermal store and a pump to deliver cold fluid through a fireproof vest with tubes. A 0.5kg of ballast will be fitted in the cockpits as well to compensate for “the difference in mass between the drivers’ personal equipment normally used and any items of a drivers’ personal equipment that form part of the system.” (As per article B1.5.10 of the sporting regulations). While all cars are required to be fitted with this system according to regulations, drivers may not opt out of wearing the vest.

Track Conditions at the Temple of Speed

Autodromo Nationale Monza is a 5.793km (~3.6 mi) track with a total race distance of 306.72km (~190.6 mi) throughout its 11 turns and 53 laps. This circuit is a quick one, with the cars on full throttle 80% of the average lap (assuming there’s no extra lifting of coasting) and tight chicanes that force the drivers to make good use of the brakes.

Lap times are predicted to be 2 seconds quicker than last year based on recent team simulations, so we could see a new lap record set this coming weekend. This track is also notably shaped similarly to an iconic Italian hand gesture as pictured below, making this track and location very easy to remember!

Former F1 Renault driver Jolyon Palmer notes that this circuit “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 in the chicane for Sector 1 and getting your car to stop as nicely as you can for Turn 1” (which I found out the hard way playing F125). Monza offers a decent level of grip and traction and will require drivers to focus on braking before the circuit’s many sharp turns.

There are 4 straight mode zones: Turn 11 to Turn 1, Turn 3 to Turn 4, Turn 7 to Turn 8, and Turn 10 to Turn 11. Overtake detection is right before Turn 11, and Overtake Activation is upon exit. The average pit stop time loss is 24.14 seconds, and the odds of a Safety Car is 50% while the VSC probability is 38%. This year, because the Italian Grand Prix is an overtaking heavy race, the pole to win conversion rate is low, but as Max Verstappen proved last year, it’s definitely not impossible.

Tyres

The tyre compounds chosen by Pirelli are identical to last year’s picks and are as follows: C5 for the soft, C4 for the medium, and C5 for the hard, which is the softest compound from their 2026 range. Each driver will receive two sets of hards, 3 sets of mediums, and 8 sets of softs (an extra set of softs are allotted to the drivers who make it to Q3), plus intermediates and full wets just in case things take a turn.

Although Monza sees plenty of overtaking, a one-stop should prove feasible and is the most likely options for the teams on Sunday, anything more than a two-stop is highly unlikely. Drivers tend to approach the braking zones in Monza at lower speeds, so the front axle will face the brute of the track as the full power from the power unit is deployed. This means that drivers and teams will need to focus on managing rear axle overheating on race day, especially in the higher temperatures expected.

Reminiscing Last Year

Last year in Monza was a race weekend for breaking records, as Lando Norris set the current lap record and Max Verstappen set the fastest average speed lap in Formula 1 history during Qualifying (an average of 264.682 kph!). Verstappen dominated the race, taking the top step by a 19 second margin. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished behind, respectively, to paint the last two steps of the podium Papaya. However, this came after a difficult case of team orders due to a slow pitstop for Norris that called Piastri to give up P2.

Nico Hulkenberg did not start due to a hydraulics issue and Fernando Alonso DNF’d on lap 24 due to suspension failure, which rounds out the retirees.

At Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar’s finish was a very welcome surprise as he turned a pitlane start (due to taking on new power unit elements that pushed him over the allowed allocations for the season) into a point finish of P10. 2025 saw 47 overtakes and drivers mostly starting on medium tyres, apart from 5 drivers who opted for hards and Liam Lawson who started on softs.

The Italian Grand Prix is always an exciting race to watch, giving us F1 fans plenty to look forward to before any of this year’s twists. Managing heat will become a key point of the weekend and drivers regulate the car and themselves through the heat hazard declaration. Will the championship leader manage success starting from the back of the grid? Can Ferrari add to the list of 20 victories for the Tifosi at home with their new engine? Can Lando Norris continue his run of back-to-back wins for a hat-trick? All will be revealed come Sunday, so sit back and enjoy the race! Buona Settimana di Gara!