Monza waits. The old banking looms beyond the trees, the tifosi are already draping red over every grandstand, and Formula 1 rolls into the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for round 13 of the 2026 season with a home hero starting from the back and a title race suddenly alive.
Antonelli’s Homecoming… From the Back
Kimi Antonelli arrives at his first Italian Grand Prix as a championship leader and as the centre of the story. Twenty years old. In a Mercedes. At Monza. And carrying a 59-point cushion over both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who sit locked together on 183 points.
Yet the script has a brutal twist.
Antonelli will launch his home race from the rear of the grid after taking an engine penalty, having exceeded the season’s allocation of four power units. For a driver chasing a landmark victory, it’s a punishing blow.
This isn’t just any win he’s chasing either. If Antonelli somehow carves through the field and takes the flag, he would become the first Italian to win at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. Sixty years of waiting, weighed on the shoulders of a 20‑year‑old starting in the danger zone of Turn 1 chaos.
The stage is magnificent. The task is enormous.
Norris Surging, Mercedes Sensing Blood
While Antonelli shoulders the expectation, Lando Norris arrives with something more tangible: form.
The McLaren driver has just taken back‑to‑back victories, the latest coming at Zandvoort in the final running of the Dutch Grand Prix, where he beat both Mercedes – Antonelli and Russell – to the line. It was a statement win, and it has put him back in the title conversation.
Norris sits fourth in the standings, 83 points behind Antonelli. That gap looks intimidating on paper. But a third straight win, with the championship leader mired at the back, would slice into that margin and send a very clear message into the final third of the season.
Russell and Hamilton, though, are the ones with the clearest opportunity. With their young team-mate compromised, the Mercedes veterans have a golden chance to haul in a big chunk of that 59‑point deficit. A strong double podium – or better – could turn Antonelli’s comfortable lead into something far more fragile by Sunday night.
Monza doesn’t just reward straight-line speed. It punishes mistakes. One lock-up into the Rettifilo chicane, one misjudged tow in qualifying, and a weekend can unravel in an instant.
The Temple of Speed, By the Numbers
Monza is F1 stripped back to its rawest form. Long straights, heavy braking, and lap times that live on the edge of what a driver can handle.
Key stats for the Autodromo Nazionale Monza:
- First Grand Prix: 1950
- Circuit length: 5.793km (3.600 miles)
- Race distance: 306.72km (190.586 miles)
- Laps: 53
- Turns: 11
The outright fastest race lap belongs to Lando Norris, who clocked a 1:20.901 for McLaren in 2025, a benchmark for just how hard the drivers attack here.
History leans heavily towards Ferrari, even as the modern era has belonged to others:
- Most wins (driver): Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton – 5
- Most wins (constructor): Ferrari – 20
- Most pole positions (driver): Lewis Hamilton – 7
- Most pole positions (constructor): Ferrari – 23
- Most podiums (driver): Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton – 8
- Most podiums (constructor): Ferrari – 72
Last year, it was Max Verstappen and Red Bull who mastered the slipstream and strategy to win in 2025. This time, the narrative is different. The spotlight falls squarely on Mercedes’ internal fight, Norris’ charge, and an Italian prodigy trying to do the impossible.
When to Watch: Italian Grand Prix 2026 Schedule
The weekend builds in classic Monza fashion: practice, qualifying, then a 53‑lap sprint through the pines on Sunday afternoon.
Friday, September 4 – Practice Day (Local time CEST)
- FP1: 12:30 p.m.
- FP2: 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 5 – Final Prep and Qualifying (Local time CEST)
- FP3: 12:30 p.m.
- Qualifying: 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 6 – Race (Local time CEST)
- Race start: 3:00 p.m.
For fans around the world, the key session start times are as follows.
FP1 – Friday
- Local (CEST): 12:30 p.m.
- United States & Canada – EDT: 6:30 a.m.; CDT: 5:30 a.m.; MDT: 4:30 a.m.; PDT: 3:30 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 11:30 a.m.
- Australia – AEST: 8:30 p.m.; AWST: 6:30 p.m.; ACST: 8:00 p.m.
- Brasília: 7:30 a.m.
- Mexico City: 4:30 a.m.
- Riyadh: 1:30 p.m.
- Abu Dhabi: 2:30 p.m.
- Ankara: 1:30 p.m.
- Tokyo (JST): 7:30 p.m.
- Beijing (CST): 6:30 p.m.
- Kuala Lumpur: 6:30 p.m.
- New Delhi (IST): 4:00 p.m.
FP2 – Friday
- Local (CEST): 4:00 p.m.
- United States & Canada – EDT: 10:00 a.m.; CDT: 9:00 a.m.; MDT: 8:00 a.m.; PDT: 7:00 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 3:00 p.m.
- Australia – AEST: 12:00 a.m. on Saturday; AWST: 10:00 p.m.; ACST: 11:30 p.m.
- Brasília: 11:00 a.m.
- Mexico City: 8:00 a.m.
- Riyadh: 5:00 p.m.
- Abu Dhabi: 6:00 p.m.
- Ankara: 5:00 p.m.
- Tokyo (JST): 11:00 p.m.
- Beijing (CST): 10:00 p.m.
- Kuala Lumpur: 10:00 p.m.
- New Delhi (IST): 7:30 p.m.
FP3 – Saturday
- Local (CEST): 12:30 p.m.
- United States & Canada – EDT: 6:30 a.m.; CDT: 5:30 a.m.; MDT: 4:30 a.m.; PDT: 3:30 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 11:30 a.m.
- Australia – AEST: 8:30 p.m.; AWST: 6:30 p.m.; ACST: 8:00 p.m.
- Brasília: 7:30 a.m.
- Mexico City: 4:30 a.m.
- Riyadh: 1:30 p.m.
- Abu Dhabi: 2:30 p.m.
- Ankara: 1:30 p.m.
- Tokyo (JST): 7:30 p.m.
- Beijing (CST): 6:30 p.m.
- Kuala Lumpur: 6:30 p.m.
- New Delhi (IST): 4:00 p.m.
Qualifying – Saturday
- Local (CEST): 4:00 p.m.
- United States & Canada – EDT: 10:00 a.m.; CDT: 9:00 a.m.; MDT: 8:00 a.m.; PDT: 7:00 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 3:00 p.m.
- Australia – AEST: 12:00 a.m. on Sunday; AWST: 10:00 p.m.; ACST: 11:30 p.m.
- Brasília: 11:00 a.m.
- Mexico City: 8:00 a.m.
- Riyadh: 5:00 p.m.
- Abu Dhabi: 6:00 p.m.
- Ankara: 5:00 p.m.
- Tokyo (JST): 11:00 p.m.
- Beijing (CST): 10:00 p.m.
- Kuala Lumpur: 10:00 p.m.
- New Delhi (IST): 7:30 p.m.
Race – Sunday
- Local (CEST): 3:00 p.m.
- United States & Canada – EDT: 9:00 a.m.; CDT: 8:00 a.m.; MDT: 7:00 a.m.; PDT: 6:00 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 2:00 p.m.
- Australia – AEST: 11:00 p.m.; AWST: 9:00 p.m.; ACST: 10:30 p.m.
- Brasília: 10:00 a.m.
- Mexico City: 7:00 a.m.
- Riyadh: 4:00 p.m.
- Abu Dhabi: 5:00 p.m.
- Ankara: 4:00 p.m.
- Tokyo (JST): 10:00 p.m.
- Beijing (CST): 9:00 p.m.
- Kuala Lumpur: 9:00 p.m.
- New Delhi (IST): 6:30 p.m.
How to Watch the 2026 Italian Grand Prix
For viewers in the United States, every session from Monza will be shown live on Apple TV, with full coverage across the weekend.
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will carry extensive live coverage, from practice through to the podium ceremony, while free-to-air highlights will be available on Channel 4.
In selected regions, F1 TV Pro subscribers can stream every session live on multiple devices and access full replays and highlights once the chequered flag falls. Daily highlights from the Italian Grand Prix weekend will also be available on Formula 1’s official YouTube channel.
The Temple of Speed rarely does quiet weekends. With a home favourite starting from the back, a title lead on the line, and a charging Norris hunting a hat-trick, Monza feels ready to decide whether this championship remains under control – or explodes into a four-way fight.
