Formula 1 holds the 13th round of the 2026 season with the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. The race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, the 6th, at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, one of the most emblematic and relevant circuits in the category, totaling 52 laps.
The weekend schedule follows the traditional pattern, comprising three free practice sessions between Friday and Saturday, followed by the qualifying session on Saturday morning. During the free practices, the Ferrari and Mercedes teams demonstrated great dominance. In the first free practice, Charles Leclerc recorded a time of 1min23s008, while George Russell surpassed this mark in the second free practice, achieving 1min22s559. Leclerc and Antonelli finished second and third, respectively, with differences of +0.120 and +0.141.
After the Dutch Grand Prix, the landscape of the drivers' championship changed significantly. George Russell stood out by securing pole position, winning the sprint race, and finishing third on the podium. This achievement put him level with Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' World Championship, both accumulating 183 points, just 59 points behind Kimi Antonelli, who leads the championship.
The Dutch round also brought positive news for Fernando Alonso. In the race held at the end of August, the two-time champion finished in ninth place after starting the race in 18th position, thus scoring two points. With this result, Alonso accumulates three points with Aston Martin and breaks a historical drought in the category, becoming the oldest driver over 45 years old to score in Formula 1 in 52 years.
Despite good performance on the tracks, Kimi Antonelli starts his home weekend under sanction. This penalty was confirmed on Thursday, the 3rd, and will cause the championship leader to start the race from the back of the grid. The punishment resulted from Mercedes exceeding the established limit for power unit changes in the car. Toto Wolff, the team boss, commented that although Monza is a home race for the young Italian, the circuit is ideal for serving the penalty due to its long straights and ample overtaking opportunities.
To celebrate the Monza GP and the 30-year partnership between Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, the team prepared several surprises for Italian fans. The SF-26 model will arrive at Monza with a new, entirely red, retro-style paint job, along with special decals, including the Schumacher logo and seven stars on the nose. These seven stars will also reappear on the backs of Hamilton's and Leclerc's uniforms.
Ferrari also invited Sebastian Vettel to participate in the festivities. The four-time champion will be present in Monza this Sunday to drive the Ferrari F2002, the vehicle that was part of Schumacher's fifth world title win. Vettel will take a commemorative lap around the circuit using this car.
The weekend celebrations extend to the Safety Car. In tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Cars animation launch, the collaboration between F1, Disney, and Mercedes adorned the safety car with a paint job inspired by Lightning McQueen. In addition to the special paint, the seven-time champion Lightning McQueen will take a ceremonial lap on the Italian circuit during the weekend.
To follow the Italian Formula 1 GP, the broadcast in Brazil will be handled by Globo on open television on Sunday. All weekend sessions, including free practices and qualifying, will be available on SporTV 3, Globoplay, and F1 TV.