The summer lull is over. On Sunday morning in the United States, Formula 1 slams back into top gear at the one circuit that never does half measures: Monza, the Temple of Speed.
The 2026 Italian Grand Prix is set for Sunday, Sept. 6 at 9 a.m. ET, with every inch of the action live on Apple TV, the exclusive home of F1 in the U.S. this season. No cable, no alternative feeds. If you want Monza, you go through Apple.
Mercedes in Control, McLaren Charging
This isn’t just another stop on the calendar. Monza traditionally marks the start of the final sprint in the title fight, and this year it arrives with Mercedes holding the cards.
Kimi Antonelli, the rising Italian star with the weight of a nation on his shoulders, leads the drivers’ standings. He carries a 53-point cushion over teammate George Russell, who in turn is locked level on points with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. The numbers tell the story: it has been all Mercedes so far.
Yet the grid doesn’t feel settled. Not with Lando Norris looming in papaya.
McLaren’s recent upgrades have jolted the championship narrative. Norris, the defending world champion, has reeled off back-to-back Grand Prix victories and dragged McLaren into the conversation at exactly the right time. If that orange car is quick down Monza’s endless straights, the title picture tightens in an instant.
This is what Monza does. It exposes weakness, rewards nerve and speed, and often flips the script.
The Temple of Speed
Monza is unlike anything else on the calendar. The 22-driver field will blast through the Italian pines at speeds well north of 200 mph, trimming the cars to razor-thin downforce levels and hanging on through the chicanes.
Slipstreaming battles, late-braking lunges into the Variante del Rettifilo, the roar of the tifosi in Ferrari red — it’s a race that every driver wants on their résumé and every fan circles on the calendar.
After a week off, the series arrives in Italy with tension baked in. Mercedes trying to protect its advantage. Ferrari desperate to ignite its season on home soil. McLaren sensing opportunity. One mistake at Monza’s ferocious pace, and a championship can tilt.
How to Watch in the U.S.
For American viewers, the route to all of it is simple and singular: Apple TV.
Every session of the 2026 Formula 1 season — practice, qualifying, sprints, and the Grand Prix itself — airs live exclusively on Apple’s platform in the U.S. There’s no secondary broadcast partner, no shared rights. Apple TV is the only way to stream Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix from lights out to the checkered flag.
The service costs $14.99 per month and offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers, which covers not just Monza but every remaining stop on the F1 schedule during that period.
Race Details
- Event: Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio D'Italia 2026
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 6
- Time: 9 a.m. ET (U.S.)
- Circuit: Monza Circuit, Monza, Italy
- Broadcast in U.S.: Live on Apple TV
The stage is set: Antonelli defending a home race with a title lead, Russell and Hamilton locked in a dead heat behind him, Norris and McLaren arriving with momentum and fresh pace.
Monza rarely settles for a quiet afternoon. With the final stretch of the season about to unfold at 200 mph, the question is simple: does the Temple of Speed confirm Mercedes’ authority, or blow the championship wide open?
