Formula One enters Monza with nine races left, and the on-track battle between McLaren and Red Bull keeps getting closer.
Lando Norris stunned Max Verstappen with his second career victory last weekend at Zandvoort, and Red Bull look to be on the back-foot.
Ferrari also made a step forward with Charles Leclerc finishing on the podium after starting sixth, which sets up this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix to be a potential thriller.
The forecast is set to be red hot with highs of 34°C on Friday, with cloud cover and highs of 33°C thereafter.
2:20
Are McLaren now ‘clear favourites’ to win every F1 race?
Laurence Edmondson and Nate Saunders reflect on Lando Norris’ win at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Latest news
The biggest news of the week is that Williams have dropped Logan Sargeant for the Italian Grand Prix after his heavy crash in final practice at Zandvoort. Was it inevitable?
McLaren boss Zak Brown is convinced Norris has a car capable of overturning Verstappen’s sizeable lead and can make a title fight out of the 2024 season.
A second Norris win blows the constructors’ championship battle wide open, says Toto Wolff.
Haas left the Netherlands a day late on Monday after Uralkali payment was settled.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will drive for Mercedes in Friday’s first practice session at Monza.
Christian Horner admitted the pressure is on at 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 stats and history
Autodromo Nazionale Monza, known as the ‘Temple of Speed’ for its long straights and fast corners, is another classic circuit that has been part of Formula One since the start in 1950. Almost every Italian Grand Prix has been held at Monza, except 1980 which was at Imola.
Monza was built in 1922 as the world’s third purpose-built circuit, and like others had a section (Monza Oval) that featured banked corners. After several incidents and fatalities over the years, it was decommissioned from F1 in the 1960s and is no longer in use.
Laps: 53 laps of 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 on five. Of 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 been on pole at Monza.
What happened last year?
Verstappen continued his run of dominance as Red Bull secured a one-two.
Ferrari drivers Sainz and Leclerc put up a fight against the dominant Red Bulls early in the race but ultimately didn’t have the pace to challenge for victory and ended up in their own battle for third place.
Who’s going to win?
The battle is wide open. McLaren look increasingly like the obvious choice since their car seems to be a good all-rounder, especially with their 22 second victory last week in the Netherlands, but Monza throws up all sorts of victories.
Leclerc’s impressive third place at Zandvoort also shows some progress that could bode well for their home race as they come with an upgrade.
In the last 10 years McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpha Tauri and Red Bull have all won here, so take your pick.
2:41
Do Ferrari stand any chance at Monza?
Laurence Edmondson and Nate Saunders discuss Ferrari’s chances ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
How to watch the GP
Watch on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (U.S. only) — view the schedule.
Live broadcast coverage in the U.K. is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live.
For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with ESPN’s F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in Monza and on social media.
Friday
Free practice one: 12:30-13:30 BST
Free practice two: 16:00-17:00 BST
Saturday
Free practice three: 11:30-12:30 BST
Qualifying: 15:00-16:00 BST
Sunday
Race starts: 14:00 BST.
How the championships look
The points gap of 70 between Verstappen and Norris in the drivers’ championship tells one story, but the performance gap of McLaren becoming the stronger car and winning by over 22 seconds tells another.
In the constructors’ championship, McLaren are successfully eating into the gap, and are now just 30 points behind.
Source: www.espn.com