Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane has set out the target of getting both cars into Q3 during Saturday’s Qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, following on from a solid start for the squad in Friday’s practice sessions. On a weekend in which Yuki Tsunoda is again standing in for Liam Lawson as the New Zealander deputises at Red Bull, Arvid Lindblad hinted at Racing Bulls' potential by going seventh fastest in both practice hours - with only the Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren cars quicker in Free Practice 2....

Okay, you’ve got my attention. How good is the Ferrari pace? George Russell kicked off his Italian Grand Prix weekend on the front foot as the Mercedes driver set the pace in second practice, but Ferrari were lurking and could well spring a surprise this weekend… Well, Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord reckons Ferrari are favourites based on what he saw on Friday, where the Scuderia were quickest in first practice and only a fraction off Russell’s leading time in FP2....

Mercedes Kimi Antonelli dipped a wheel in the gravel in a reasonably uneventful first session for Mercedes, who ran the medium and soft tyres. But they looked much faster in the second session, with George Russell finishing on top and Antonelli close behind in third. That puts the team in a good position heading into tomorrow, especially given Antonelli can offer his team mate a tow in Q3, which will enhance Russell’s chances of grabbing pole....

Lewis Hamilton admits the prospect of pole position for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix in front of Ferrari’s home fans is “the ultimate dream”, as he and team mate Charles Leclerc enjoyed a strong Friday. The Tifosi were left thrilled after the opening hour of practice at Monza, as Leclerc headed Hamilton at the top of the times, before the pair slipped to P2 and P5 respectively in the second session....

Liam Lawson believes Red Bull had a “productive day” during Friday practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, despite neither himself nor team mate Max Verstappen challenging the leading contenders. The New Zealander will race for Red Bull again this weekend having competed with the team in Zandvoort as a stand-in for Isack Hadjar, who continues to recover from a broken wrist. Lawson managed to finish Free Practice 1 fourth in Italy, four tenths adrift of the top time, before only finishing P12 later in the afternoon as he focused on long runs....

The Italian Grand Prix weekend was always going to be a big test for Aston Martin and Honda given the obvious focus on straight line performance, and after the boost of Fernando Alonso’s hard-earned P9 in Zandvoort everyone in the camp was aware that Monza could be something of a reality check. Indeed at the end of Friday’s FP2 session the quickest AMR26 of Alonso was down in P19, 2.468s off the quickest time of George Russell....

Twenty years ago, as the sounds of the Tifosi could be heard from outside of the press conference walls, Michael Schumacher announced his (first) retirement from Formula 1, fresh from winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix. It was an emotional and defining moment, as the seven-time World Champion made a heartfelt statement to fans after lots of speculation, bringing an end to the most successful partnership F1 fans had ever seen at that point....

Formula 2 has unveiled its latest challenger for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 seasons in a bespoke event held in the paddock at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The support championship has offered many drivers the opportunity to showcase their talents with the ambition of landing a full-time seat in Formula 1, with recent graduates including current standings leader Kimi Antonelli, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad. F2 has fully embraced that role through the creation of its new car, which features redesigned front and rear wings and the addition of an on-board starter to further evolve the championship, prepare racers for the top tier and encourage closer racing....

Taito Kato went from ninth on the grid to victory with a brilliant drive in the Formula 3 Monza Sprint Race. The ART Grand Prix driver picked off his rivals one by one before holding off TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater for the final two laps to win at the Temple of Speed. Championship leader Slater went from 12th on the grid to second, as he extends his lead to 17 points going into the Feature Race....

George Russell ended a busy final practice session at the Italian Grand Prix on top of the timesheets, the Mercedes driver going fastest ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. In what would prove to be an action-packed hour, Russell worked his way down to a 1m 22.219s to maintain his momentum after leading the way in Friday’s second practice. It was a quiet start to Saturday’s session when the green light appeared at 1230 local time, with the Audi pair of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg initially having the track to themselves during the opening moments before the Alpines joined the action soon afterwards....

For every driver who reaches Formula 1, there are countless others whose journey through the junior ranks ends somewhere along the way. For those who have spent almost their entire lives racing, stepping away can mean figuring out not only what comes next, but who they are without it. Throughout much of Max Fewtrell’s childhood, life followed the rhythm of a racing calendar. There was always another weekend to prepare for, another result to chase and, ultimately, one destination in mind - Formula 1....

George Russell has revealed that Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli is primed to help him with a tow during Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, despite their respective quests for the 2026 world title. Russell arrives at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza 59 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers' Championship standings, having claimed two Grand Prix victories to the Italian’s six so far this season. Antonelli, however, will drop to the back of the grid for his home race due to a full power unit change, ruling him out of pole position contention before the weekend has even started....

Oscar Piastri believes he and McLaren have “got ideas on how we can make things better” ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, after the Australian has struggled for performance in recent races. Team mate and reigning World Champion Lando Norris has put McLaren back on top in Formula 1 after winning the two previous races in Hungary and the Netherlands. Although Piastri fought for the win in the former before retiring, he was noticeably lacking pace compared with Norris at Zandvoort, finishing 32 seconds adrift of the race winner....

Max Verstappen has admitted that he and Red Bull “need to be realistic” about their chances at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman setting out the aim of “just trying to have a good weekend”. Verstappen’s home event last time out in Zandvoort ended in disappointing fashion after he suffered a crash at the end of the first lap, putting him out of the running while stand-in team mate Liam Lawson salvaged points for the squad in P7....

The Italian Grand Prix is a big weekend for Haas as the team brings its first major upgrade package since Canada back in May. The VF-26 has slipped towards the tail of the midfield pack in recent races, having been jumped by Aston Martin’s AMR26. There’s also been a rollercoaster of form between Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, with typically one struggling and the other a lot happier on a given weekend....

When Yuki Tsunoda was told he would be driving for Racing Bulls at the Dutch Grand Prix, he was on holiday on a beach in Greece and had to rush to prepare for the outing at Zandvoort. He felt so unprepared that he approached the weekend like a rookie. By the time the Italian Grand Prix came around, Tsunoda had already been working in the simulator in case Isack Hadjar remained sidelined....