Formula One enters Monza with nine races remaining, and the on-track battle between McLaren and Red Bull continues to grow closer.
Lando Norris stunned Max Verstappen with his second career victory last weekend at Zandvoort, and Red Bull are looking to be on the back foot.
Ferrari also made a step forward with Charles Leclerc finishing on the podium after starting sixth, making this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix a potential thriller.
The forecast is set to be red hot with a high of 34°C on Friday, with cloud cover and a high of 33°C afterwards.
2:20
Are McLaren now ‘clear favourites’ to win every F1 race?
Laurence Edmondson and Nate Saunders describe Lando Norris’ victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The latest news
The biggest news this week is that Williams has dropped Logan Sargeant for the Italian Grand Prix after a heavy crash in final practice at Zandvoort. Is it inevitable?
McLaren boss Zak Brown believes Norris has the car to overturn Verstappen’s sizeable lead and set up a title fight for the 2024 season.
Norris’ second win blows up constructors’ championship battle, says Toto Wolff.
Haas left the Netherlands a day late on Monday after Uralkali’s payment was settled.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will drive the Mercedes in the first practice session at Monza on Friday.
Christian Horner admitted the pressure on Red Bull as McLaren won by 22 seconds at Zandvoort.
Latest news on driver changes and Italian GP preview | Listen to the latest podcast episode.
Circuit statistics and history
Autodromo Nazionale Monza, known as the ‘Temple of Speed’ because of its long straights and fast corners, is another classic circuit that has been part of Formula One since the beginning of 1950. Almost every Italian Grand Prix has been held at Monza, except for 1980. which is in Imola.
Monza was built in 1922 as the third destination circuit in the world, and like the others it has a section (Monza Oval) featuring banked corners. After many incidents and fatalities over the years, it was dropped from F1 in the 1960s and is no longer used.
Revolution: 53 laps 5.7km Total distance: 306km
Lap record: 1:21.046 – Rubens Barrichello (2004)
Most wins: Lewis Hamilton (2012, 2014-2015, 2017-2018) and Michael Schumacher (1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006) are tied at five. From the current grid, Fernando Alonso (2007, 2010), Pierre Gasly (2020), Leclerc (2019), Daniel Ricciardo (2021), and Verstappen (2022-2023) have all won here.
Most Poles: Hamilton (2009, 2012, 2014-2017, 2020) has the most poles with seven. Of the current grid, Alonso (2007, 2010), Leclerc (2019, 2022), Verstappen (2021), and Carlos Sainz (2023) have all taken pole at Monza.
What happened last year?
Verstappen continued his dominance as Red Bull went one-two.
Ferrari drivers Sainz and Leclerc battled the dominant Red Bulls early in the race but ultimately lacked the pace to challenge for victory and ended their own battle for third place.
Who will win?
The war is wide open. McLaren seemed like the obvious choice as the car looked very good, especially with its 22nd victory last week in the Netherlands, but Monza threw away a variety of victories.
Leclerc’s impressive third place at Zandvoort also showed some progress which could bode well for his home race thanks to upgrades.
In the last 10 years McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpha Tauri and Red Bull have all won here, so take your pick.
2:41 a.m
Does Ferrari have a chance at Monza?
Laurence Edmondson and Nate Saunders discuss Ferrari’s chances ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
How to watch GP
Watch on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (US only) — see schedule.
Live broadcast coverage in the UK is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live.
For news, analysis and updates, follow our coverage with ESPN’s F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson at Monza and on social media.
Friday
One free practice: 12:30-1:30pm BST
Two free practices: 16:00-17:00 BST
saturday
Three free practices: 11:30-12:30 BST
Qualifying: 15:00-16:00 BST
Week
Race starts: 14:00 BST.
How the champion looks
The gap of 70 points between Verstappen and Norris in the drivers’ championship tells one story, but the performance gap of McLaren is a strong car and won over 22 seconds over the other.
In the constructors’ championship, McLaren managed to eat into the gap, and now only has 30 points.
Dress up Calendar | team
