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
With the sun beating down on the track and the track temp reaching 50C, the biggest challenge today will be making the tyres last for the duration.
Going for back-to-back hot laps simply isn't an option on such an energy-starved track like Monza, so traffic and extreme variations in speed are almost certain.
We have 15 minutes remaining before the lights go green for FP3, and in the lead up to everything, we have just had the launch of the latest F2 car.
The headlines are that the chassis remains the same, but it features new F1-style wings, which are hoped to allow for closer racing.
Ferrari is not planning to sacrifice Charles Leclerc to give Formula 1 team-mate Lewis Hamilton a tow in qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.
There has been a lot of chatter about slipstreaming tactics in the build-up to qualifying this weekend, given the heightened advantage a tow can provide along Monza’s long straights.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli said he was ready to help his Mercedes team-mate - and direct title rival - George Russell in qualifying, with the championship leader starting the race from the back due to an engine change.
Speaking on Thursday at Monza, Leclerc appeared to suggest that he was expecting to provide Hamilton a tow in qualifying, having revealed the seven-time world champion will get priority in terms of their running order.
But Ferrari has clarified where it stands when it comes to the tow...
We are less than half an hour away from the start of a crucial final hour of practice running ahead of qualifying at Monza.
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari’s straight-line speed deficit to its Formula 1 rival Mercedes remains “considerable” despite introducing an upgraded engine at the Italian Grand Prix.
Ferrari has lagged behind Mercedes in engine performance all season so far but the Italian team is hopeful that a second permitted upgrade via F1’s Additional Upgrade and Development Opportunities [ADUO] system would help plug the gap and increase its victory hopes at Monza.
Beyond the on-track action, yesterday's main headlines came as Gasly's Monaco penalty was reapplied following an appeal by Red Bull and McLaren. Reacting to the decision, Flavio Briatore went on a bizarre rant in a press conference, accusing one of the judges of bias towards McLaren.
The International Court of Appeal has now issued a response to the allegations.
Hello, and welcome to Monza for qualifying day at the Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari and Mercedes have both shown strong pace so far this weekend, but as things crank up a notch, can McLaren or Red Bull join the party?