Monza start
Monza start
© XPB Images
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F1 Monza LIVE: Russell leads after heavy Leclerc Italian GP crash

Live coverage of Sunday at the F1 Italian Grand Prix

KEY MOMENTS

  • Gasly starts from shock maiden pole
  • Antonelli and Lawson face back-of-the-grid starts
  • Hamilton seeking Ferrari home win 

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.

Despite Russell having the pace for most of qualifying, it was Pierre Gasly who stunned on Saturday with a late effort to secure his first F1 pole position. The Alpine driver won at Monza in 2020 with AlphaTauri, and is keen to repeat the feat. 

2026 Italian Grand Prix Sunday schedule

Grand Prix: 2:00pm BST - 4:00pm BST

06 Sep 2026
14:28

Antonelli might not be massively pleased by this stoppage. Having started on the hard tyres, like Tsunoda and Alonso, he will not be able to switch tyres to complete the distance without a further stop. 

14:27

No indication yet of when there could be a restart. The incident involving Hamilton and Leclerc on lap one has been reviewed, and no further action will be taken. 

14:23

Footage of Leclerc's crash. You can see the forces involved in that one. 

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14:21

It looks like we'll have at least 15 more minutes of delay as the barriers are repaired. If it's only the tyres, it won't be too bad. But if there's structural damage to the barriers behind, that's where the problems come. 

14:20

What a stat this is...

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14:18

Replays show that Leclerc, in his stunning Schumacher helmet, got the left of his car onto the green painted runoff. With far less grip than the asphalt, his Ferrari pitched violently left and into the tyres at very high speed. 

14:16
Top 10

The top 10 after three laps of action: 

  1. Russell
  2. Gasly
  3. Verstappen
  4. Colapinto
  5. Piastri
  6. Norris
  7. Lindblad
  8. Hamilton
  9. Bearman
  10. Ocon
14:15

Before the red flag, Antonelli had recovered back to 12th place. From the pit lane, Lawson was also up to 15th. 

14:12

That was a huge one for Leclerc. Fans are in tears, and Leclerc is now in the medical car after composing himself, sitting with the marshals in the shade. 

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14:08
RED FLAG

The red flags have been thrown and to allow for the recovery and the rebuilding of the tyre barrier. 

14:07

Leclerc is out of the car. He lost it on the marbles and slammed into the barriers. 

14:07
SAFETY CAR

A huge crash for Leclerc and the Safety Car is out. Piastri was passed by Colapinto moments before that. 

14:06

Verstappen now takes P3 from Leclerc. Mighty powerful engine in that Red Bull, eh?

14:06

Russell takes the lead at the start of lap two, and Leclerc also follows through on the Alpine driver. But Gasly comes straight back on the Ferrari. 

He had no electrical power along the start straight. 

14:05

Gasly leads from Russell, Leclerc, Piastri, and Verstappen. Antonelli is already up to P16 and is closing on Tsunoda. 

14:04

Gasly leads and the Ferraris come together. Hamilton is forced out onto the gravel after going hip-to-shoulder with his team-mate earlier on. 

14:03
We are racing!

The revs rise, the light go out, and we are racing!

14:03

Gasly returns to the grid. He will face a severe test on the run to Turn 1. Expect the Ferrari drivers to get a good run on the lead duo. 

14:01
Formation lap

Here we go. The formation lap begins!

14:00

Looking at the tyres, Leclerc, Hamilton, and Verstappen have all fitted the soft tyres. The front two are on mediums. 

Antonelli is looking to go long and has fitted the hard tyre from 19th place on the grid. 

13:59

With extreme speeds, this race - should there be no safety car - will be over in a fraction over an hour. 

13:59

This risk of rain is 0%. And the chance of thrills is 100%. The engines fire up, and we are good to go!

13:52

Less than 10 minutes before we get going now. 

Gasly goes from pole with Russell second, but then come the Ferrari pair, led by Leclerc. 

13:47

That wasn't a great sight, though. We saw the washing-up trophy at the front of the grid. It's safe to say that this one won't go down as a classic. 

The trophies for the Italian Grand Prix have a unique look to them
The trophies for the Italian Grand Prix have a unique look to them
© Pirelli
13:45

National anthem time, as the clock ticks to 15 minutes to lights out. This anthem is always a highlight of the season. No messing about, no funny stuff, just quite possibly the best anthem in the world. 

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