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.
Antonelli celebrates at Monza
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Monza LIVE: Reaction after astonishing Antonelli fightback to Italian GP victory
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
14:01
Formation lap
Here we go. The formation lap begins!
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
© 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.
13:43
If the safety car does come out early doors, it is entirely possible that we will see a driver pit for hard tyres that they may try to coax to the end of the race.
Monza is almost always a one-stop race, so a cheap stop cannot be given up at all.
13:40
However you look at it, this race should be a thriller. Monza almost always has some form of drama, but with Antonelli and Lawson battling through the pack from the back of the grid and the pit lane, respectively, there will be no shortage of drama.
But before all of that really begins, just look at lap one. We have the Rettifilo chicane followed by the Roggia chicane, and both are always lap one flashpoints before things generally calm down a little - if there isn't an early safety car.
13:33
Less than half an hour before lights out, and Alpine is gearing up for its first pole position start since 2009.
13:27
Sebastian Vettel thrills Monza crowd on F1 return in Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel thrills Monza crowd on F1 return in Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel thrilled the Monza crowd as he completed a demonstration run in one of Michael Schumacher’s Ferraris.
Vettel made a welcome return to the F1 paddock at Monza ahead of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, and piloted Schumacher’s iconic Ferrari F2002 for an honorary lap in tribute to the legendary driver. The German even treated the crowd to some donuts.
Vettel drove Schumacher's F2002 at Monza (image: Ferrari, F1)
13:23
Speaking of those demonstration laps, here that drive is. What we would give to hear a full grid of those cars once more.
13:20
Seriously, if we want to improve the sound of weekends, give us more laps of Vettel in Schumacher's 2002 Ferrari. The pit lane is now open, and this nonsense is continuing.
13:17
Go figure why, but we now have 'Grid Gigs'. Not sure anyone asked for this, not sure anyone will remember it.
Lightning McQueen being sat behind on the grid is quite cool, though.
13:05
Speaking of which, we have Pierre Gasly on pole! A 1000/1 shot ahead of the session, he goes from the front for the very first time on the only track where he has taken a victory.
After his Monaco podium was ripped away on Friday, something would seem right if he could score his second-ever win today.
13:00
Good afternoon!
Good afternoon and welcome to race day at the Italian Grand Prix. The grid has taken a rather peculiar shape, so who knows what we could be set for today!