The 13th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Italian Grand Prix.
The Temple of Speed will be bathed in Ferrari Rosso for the weekend, but this colouring is likely to be broken up by fans sporting home hero Kimi Antonelli's merchandise.
The Mercedes driver arrives at Monza with a 59-point advantage over both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but faces a tough task on Sunday, as an engine penalty, confirmed by his team, will see him start from the back of the grid.
Ferrari has brought its upgraded power unit to the track for the first time, in a bid to close the gap on front-runners Mercedes and McLaren, with Lando Norris having triumphed on the last two weekends for the latter. McLaren has also debuted its rotating rear wing, which it has called the H-Wing.
Super-clipping is expected to be a significant issue this weekend, especially on the run to Turn 1 in the race, with energy being spent down the back straight, no heavy braking for the Parabolica, and the main straight immediately following. How drivers manage their energy will be more crucial than ever this weekend.
Ferrari set the early pace on Friday with Charles Leclerc leading a Ferrari 1-2 in FP1, before Geroge Russell moved Mercedes to the top in the later session.
FP3 11:30am BST - 12:30pm BST
Qualifying: 3:00pm BST - 4:00pm BST
Verstappen goes to the top with a 1m22.631s, ahead of Hamilton in second. Piastri and Leclerc follow.
Replays of Norris' problems show him unable to slow his car through the first chicane. He goes again and this looks far more like it.
Russell is out on the track on medium tyres.
The majority of the field are out now and Lawson puts in an initial 1m24.103s. It's nothing special, as Sainz and Bearman both go clear of the Red Bull driver.
But horrible news for Norris fans, as the McLaren driver reports a lack of power, and then that his brakes aren't working properly.
Saying that, everyone will complain about traffic as - oh look - they all head out at the same time as each other.
The light has gone green for the start of Q1. However, drivers are in no hurry to get moving right now, because the lap times are so low that there is plenty of time.
Key to this session will be how Red Bull and Mercedes will use Lawson and Antonelli. Both drivers have engine penalties so will start from the back, but they could aid team-mates Verstappen and Russell in bids for pole.
Albon also has an engine penalty, but Williams is likely to drop out in either Q1 or Q2.
Just five minutes before things get underway. The music has played, and the serious part of the weekend is just moments away.
If you're new here, we are about to go into a three-phase qualifying session. In each of the first two phases, the six slowest drivers will be eliminated, leaving us with 10 drivers left to fight it out for pole in Q3.
Father-son bonding in the Formula 1 paddock. Things we love to see.
25 minutes remain before qualifying gets underway.
A key element to keep an eye out for, especially in Q1, is the traffic. Yes, Monza is a relatively long track, but the high-speed nature of it combined with the low speeds used on cooldown laps to recover battery energy, means that traffic is a huge problem.
Drivers have complained repeatedly this weekend.
It is also likely that teams will attempt to use a tow to benefit one driver. This is something that quite often does not go to plan.
Qualifying at Monza may not be the most crucial of the season, but every driver will still want to come out on top in the coming hour of action.
This is despite it probably being the one place you don't want to be when the lights go out, as you provide a powerful tow to the rest of the field into Turn 1.
Good afternoon and welcome back to Monza for qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.
Russell has so far been the driver to beat this weekend, but don't write off Ferrari. The Scuderia have shown strong pace, and if Hamilton and Leclerc can hook it up this afternoon, there could be a result that would send the Tifosi wild.
And with that, it's time to hit pause. We'll be back at 2pm BST to build up to qualifying.
Until then, thank you for joining us this morning!
Leclerc's engineer has conceded to making an error ahead of the final run in FP3, limiting his pace. Leclerc was, however, positive about the Ferrari pace when things are executed properly.
Different plans as Lawson prepares for a back-of-the-grid start. He will need to make Q3 if he is to provide Verstappen with a tow in the final phase of the session.
Saturday has been positive for Mercedes so far, but the next session is the most important.
George Russell continued to set the pace in final practice at Monza for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
Russell continued where he left off on Friday with a 1m22.219s effort that put him to the top of the timesheets, having practised a tow with Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who will start from the back of the grid.
George Russell once again topped the Formula 1 timesheets in final practice at the Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes as he outpaced Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton was in imposing form in FP3 as he ended up 0.226 seconds faster than his former Mercedes team-mate Hamilton, while Max Verstappen took third in his Red Bull, 0.350s adrift.
The top 10 in FP3 are:
Russell is being pushed back down the pit lane after failing to get out in time to make a practice start.
P8 for Piastri. Again, he lost a heap of time at the end of the lap.
There are a few improvements, but Hamilton and Verstappen got in each other's way and ruined any hopes of improved times.
The chequered flag falls on final practice, and the final laps are being completed now.
That wasn't great from Russell and Mercedes. He's caught dawdling at the inside of the Lesmo by Piastri who was on a hot lap. If that was qualifying, he would have a grid penalty for that one.
Antonelli improves to a 1m22.580s, as Russell sets a new best 1m22.219s. Leclerc goes to fifth before Norris pushes him back one place, and Hamilton is second by 0.226s. Verstappen is third.