Formula One heads to Monza this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix. And the Temple of Speed rarely disappoints when it comes to drama. 

Few venues on the calendar carry the same atmosphere as Monza, where the passionate Italian crowd turns every session into an event of its own. 

However, as the season heads into the final stretch of the 2026 season, the stakes at this year's race feel higher than usual, with championship implications and home-crowd pressure adding extra weight to the weekend. 

Keeping that in mind, here are five storylines the fans can follow at the Italian Grand Prix, according to the article on the Formula One website published on August 31 and written by Chris Medland. 

1. Kimi Antonelli’s race penalty

While the tifosi are famously devoted to Ferrari, some of them might be stuck between a rock and a hard place as another Italian, Kimi Antonelli, arrives at his home race. 

However, Antonelli will be facing a 10-place grid penalty for taking up a new power unit, as Mercedes have exhausted their allocated quota of four power units due to reliability issues earlier in the season. 

2. Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda get a chance to impress 

Red Bull had an unexpected shake-up over the summer break. Isack Hadjar picked up a wrist injury ahead of Zandvoort, ruling him out and pushing Liam Lawson into the seat, while Yuki Tsunoda stepped in at Racing Bulls.

Both drivers put up an impressive performance, with Lawson finishing seventh and Tsunoda narrowly missing the points.

 Hadjar's fitness for Monza is still unconfirmed, so Red Bull may stick with the same line-up, giving Lawson and Tsunoda another shot to build on their strong showing.

3. 2027's grid is taking shape 

The build-up to Zandvoort brought a wave of contract confirmations, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz both staying at Williams, and Max Verstappen extending his Red Bull stay through at least 2030.

Since then, Franco Colapinto has been rewarded with another year at Alpine, and Lando Norris has committed long-term to McLaren, leaving much of the grid settled heading into 2027.

A few question marks remain, though. Fernando Alonso's future at Aston Martin is still unclear, while Haas and Racing Bulls seats haven't been fully locked in either.

4. Monza painted Red

No matter who's topping the standings, Monza belongs to Ferrari on race weekend, and the crowds will make that clear from the moment the gates open.

Ferrari has quietly kept pace with Mercedes for most of the year, and Antonelli's looming penalty hands them an unexpected opening at exactly the right race.

Should Hamilton or Leclerc cross the line first here, it would mark Ferrari's first Monza win since Leclerc's victory in 2024, and the celebrations would be just as loud. 

5. Honoring the Legend

There's more than just points on the line for Ferrari this weekend. The team is also using Monza to pay tribute to one of the greatest drivers to ever sit in one of its cars, Michael Schumacher.

It's been 30 years since Schumacher first joined Ferrari, and 20 years since his last Monza win for the team, which came in the same weekend he announced his first retirement.

Hamilton and Leclerc will be wearing special race suits carrying Schumacher's seven-star emblem representing each of his world titles.

From championship penalties to home-crowd emotion, Monza rarely lets a race weekend pass quietly, and this year's edition looks set to be no exception. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco