This weekend brings another back-to-back round, as F1 heads to the home of the Scuderia Ferrari—the legendary Temple of Speed. Monza, a circuit present on the calendar since the very beginning of Formula 1, has long been beloved by both fans and drivers. Whether it’s the highest average speeds or the fastest top speeds on the straights, Monza is undoubtedly one of the quickest circuits of the year.
The circuit measures 5.793 km and features 11 corners with two DRS zones. High-speed sections make up nearly 40% of the track, and full-throttle zones account for almost 80% of the lap. As a result, all F1 cars run with the lowest downforce setups here, making engine performance absolutely critical.
From a data perspective, Hamilton—now with Ferrari—is the only active driver to have scored a Grand Slam at Monza and has won more than five races here. He also holds the most pole positions at the circuit, with 7 in total. The current fastest lap remains 1:18.887, set in 2020 by Hamilton in the Mercedes W11. Last year, Norris took his first pole position at Monza with a 1:19.327, though interestingly, Monza has a low pole-to-win conversion rate—in the past five years, no driver has managed to win from pole, with only a 33% conversion rate overall.
On the strategy side, tire compounds remain the same as last year: C3, C4, and C5. While Pirelli’s theoretical fastest plan is a two-stop (yellow–white–white), last year Leclerc pushed to the limit with a one-stop. Therefore, the mainstream strategy this year is also expected to be a yellow–white one-stop.
In terms of weather, the Italian GP weekend is forecast to be mostly cloudy across all three days, with a peak of 28°C and just a 3% chance of rain, meaning we can almost certainly expect a dry race. Monza also marks the true European finale of the F1 season. The session times are familiar to Chinese fans: qualifying at 10 p.m. Saturday and the race at 9 p.m. Sunday local time in China.
Looking at the key storylines: Mercedes’ young talent Antonelli, from Bologna, will experience his first true home race in F1. He’ll be hoping to shake off the shadows of recent European rounds and deliver a strong performance in front of his home crowd. Given Monza’s relatively simple layout, often described as a test of “raw power over finesse,” the likely battle for victory once again comes down to McLaren’s two young stars.
As for Ferrari at their home race, a realistic best outcome would be defending P4 and fighting for P3 in the Constructors’ standings.
So, who do you think will stand on the top step of the podium at Monza this weekend? Share your predictions in the comments below!
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