Formula 1 arrives at Monza for Round 13 of the 2026 season, marking the first event of a European double-header. Kimi Antonelli leads the championship standings by 59 points as he competes in his home race.
Antonelli's position as championship leader in only his second Formula 1 season was unexpected 12 months ago. Mercedes was anticipated to deliver a championship-contending car, and that expectation has materialized.
Mercedes confirmed Antonelli will receive a full new power unit at Monza, forcing him to start the Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid. The team has experienced reliability issues with its power units and anticipates needing to take a penalty with each car at some point before the season concludes.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, explained the decision in Zandvoort: "With Kimi, we're taking the full thing. Our calculations say that that's the best track to take it. Obviously, algorithms don't take their nationality into consideration. We're here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR."
Red Bull implemented a temporary driver change during the summer shutdown. Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist injury ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, preventing him from competing in the Zandvoort race weekend.
Liam Lawson was promoted to Red Bull in Hadjar's place for Zandvoort. Despite limited practice time during the Sprint weekend, Lawson qualified close to Max Verstappen and finished seventh in the race. Yuki Tsunoda returned to Racing Bulls to fill Lawson's vacated seat and narrowly missed out on points.
Red Bull has not confirmed if Hadjar will return for the Italian Grand Prix. If Hadjar remains sidelined, Red Bull expects to maintain the Zandvoort driver line-ups.
Monza presents a different type of circuit compared to Zandvoort. Drivers stepping into new roles would benefit from three practice sessions to build on their previous weekend's experience.
