Italian Grand Prix 2026: F1 session times, race start and Monza guide

The Italian GP is a special weekend for every team, but it carries an added significance for Ferrari. The Scuderia will compete in front of the passionate Tifosi at its home race with a special Schumacher era inspired livery, while the entire F1 paddock faces the unique challenge of one of the fastest and most demanding circuits in motorsport.

The race begins at 13:00 local track time on Sunday, which is 14:00 BST in the United Kingdom. Qualifying takes place on Saturday, with the fight for pole position set to be crucial at a venue where slipstreaming, low-drag efficiency and braking confidence can transform the competitive order.

Monza’s 5.793km layout is made up of long straights, heavy braking zones and famous corners including the Variante del Rettifilo, the Curva Grande, the Lesmos and Ascari. Drivers spend a significant portion of the lap at full throttle, meaning power-unit performance, aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line speed will be under the spotlight throughout the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

The 2026 Italian Grand Prix weekend starts with Free Practice 1 on Friday, followed later that day by FP2. Teams will use those sessions to finalise their low-downforce packages and assess tyre behaviour over race distances. Saturday begins with FP3 before qualifying determines the grid for Sunday’s 53-lap race.

The full weekend schedule is available here.

Monza has repeatedly produced unpredictable Formula 1 weekends. Qualifying can be affected by tow games, traffic and track evolution, while the race often brings strategic opportunities through tyre degradation, Safety Car periods and the importance of track position.

For fans in the UK, the following Italian GP session times are listed in BST and you can follow all the action here at GPBlog:

The 2026 Italian Grand Prix is expected to be another major moment in the F1 title race. With Monza’s high-speed character offering a different test to Zandvoort, teams will be eager to establish momentum before Formula 1 moves on to Madrid and the very first run around the Madring circuit and the new home for the Spanish GP.