Max Verstappen has won three of the last four Italian Grands Prix
Audi have had a car finish in the points in four successive races
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With the European leg of the 2026 Formula 1 season drawing to a close, the F1 roadshow touches down at the iconic Monza circuit for this year’s Italian Grand Prix this weekend.
Home favourite and World Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will be yearning for a win in his home Grand Prix, but the Mercedes man is set to start from the back after taking a new power unit, resulting in a grid penalty.
Meanwhile, defending world champion Lando Norris will be targeting a third successive race win, while fellow contenders George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to cut their deficit to Antonelli.
The stats
Max Verstappen has finished on the podium in three of the last five Grands Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg has finished in the points in five Italian Grands Prix.
World Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start towards the back of the grid on Sunday.
The last six Grands Prix have been won by five different drivers.
Prediction
Antonelli’s grid penalty, confirmed by Mercedes’ Team Principal Toto Wolff, has blown the betting wide open for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, with Norris, the winner of the last two races, being installed as the pre-race favourite for the first time this season.
But another previous world champion is backed to upset the odds at Monza, with Verstappen looking to return to form following an uncharacteristic early crash in the Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen has won the Italian Grand Prix in three of the last four years and while he has had his issues with the Red Bull package this season, one area they do not struggle with is pure horsepower.
Monza is the fastest circuit on the calendar as drivers spend up to 80 per cent of their lap time at full throttle, and Red Bull’s internal combustion engine is ranked as the benchmark for performance by the FIA.
That could be a huge benefit for the team this weekend and with Verstappen claiming a podium spot in three of the last five Grands Prix, he looks a good bet for a top-three finish again.
Further down the pecking order, Nico Hulkenberg could make good use of his improving Audi to continue his resurgence.
After a slow start to the season, Hulkenberg has finished in the top 10 in each of the last two races and Audi have had a car in the points in four successive events.
The veteran has five points finishes to his name at the Italian Grand Prix, and a sixth may be on the cards.
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