After the Dutch Grand Prix, the Formula One teams travel directly to Monza to finish the next race weekend. This weekend Ferrari and Red Bull Racing will again fight for the front places, with Mercedes as an outsider. Will Max Verstappen be able to strike again?

Italian Grand Prix

The Italian GP has been on the race calendar uninterrupted since the beginning of Formula 1. During the first three seasons only Italians managed to win. While Giuseppe Farina won the first version, Alberto Ascari was the first driver to cross the finish line in both 1951 and 1952.

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher still hold the record for victories at Monza. Both drivers have managed to take the top prize no less than five times in their careers. Verstappen has yet to win a single time.

Last season Hamilton and Verstappen were forced to retire after a collision, giving the other drivers on the track the chance to take victory. In the end, it was Daniel Ricciardo who took the win. For the Australian, who leaves McLaren at the end of the season, it was his only first finish for the British formation.

Autodromo Nazionale Monza

The circuit in Monza is known for the many straights that are present, allowing the drivers to drive a very high speed. With a length of over 5.7 kilometres the drivers will be on a long track. As the Autodromo Nazionale Monza also has many fast bends, the cars can maintain their speed for a long time.

While Ferrari and Mercedes mainly benefit from slow corners, Red Bull has more speed on the straights. The Italian circuit therefore seems to be to the advantage of the Austrian racing team.

Formula 1 in 2022

Last weekend in Zandvoort, Verstappen scored his fourth victory in a row in Formula 1. It is already his tenth victory of the season, which puts him 109 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in the championship. With seven GPs to go, there seems little chance of Ferrari keeping Verstappen from another world title.

Meanwhile Ferrari must look back as the difference with rival Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship is only thirty points in favour of the Italians. On top of this, Leclerc and Sergio Perez both scored 201 points, meaning they are fighting for second place in the standings.

Weather forecast

While it could still rain heavily in Monza with thunderstorms on Friday morning according to Weather.com, the rest of the weekend looks set to remain dry. The teams can prepare for temperatures of around 26 degrees, with most of the race being sunny.

Expectations for the Grand Prix

Verstappen showed at Zandvoort that with Red Bull he is in a form that is hard to beat. The Austrians have everything in order, while the Dutchman is mostly calm after his world title last year in 2022.

For Ferrari, however, there is extra pressure this weekend as the team goes into action in front of their own crowd. It is therefore expected that Mattia Binotto and his drivers will do everything in their power to deliver a top performance, but it remains to be seen whether Ferrari can do so.

Mercedes will again serve as an outsider. In the first half of the season, the German team benefited from the mistakes of the competition on several occasions. Meanwhile, it is capable of reaching podiums on its own. A battle with Verstappen is just too high for the team at the moment.

Schedule for the 2022 Italian Grand Prix

Friday

First free practice: 14:00 - 15:00

Second free practice: 17:00 - 18:00 hours

Saturday

Third free practice: 13:00 - 14:00 hours

Qualification: 16:00 - 17:00 hours

Sunday

Race: 15:00 - 17:00 hours