2026 Italian Grand Prix Preview: 5 Big Talking Points Heading into the Weekend

Linus O'Howell
5 hours ago
4 min read

Ferrari’s Special Tribute

The Italian Grand Prix is one of the most historic weekends on the entire Formula 1 Calendar, and a large part of that is to do with one team in particular: Ferrari! Ferrari are not only the most famous car brand in the world; they’re also the most successful and decorated team in Formula 1 history! Monza has played a special part in the history of Ferrari, with many of those moments coming from the one and only Michael Schumacher! Michael won 5 Italian Grand Prix’s whilst piloting a scarlet red Ferrari, to go alongside his 5 World Titles for the Scuderia, and Ferrari have decided that this is the weekend where they’re going to do a tribute livery to their most iconic driver! So, with a properly red Ferrari now on track, can Charles Leclerc add to his already iconic 2 Grand Prix victories around the Temple of Speed, or will Lewis Hamilton finally have that ultimate moment?!

Aston Martin Have Something to Build On

Finally, after a horrendous 2026, Aston Martin had something to celebrate as Fernando Alonso came across the line at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix in a season-best 9th-place finish, leaving Zandvoort with 2 very meaningful points! Granted, this wasn’t the first time that Aston or Alonso had appeared in the Top 10 this season, but the point they scored in Monaco was more about everyone else having a bad day rather than anything Aston did well! However, the two big upgrades that Aston Martin brought in both Hungary and Zandvoort have clearly worked (at least in Race trim), and it’s both a positive and a major relief that Fernando and Lance Stroll are actually going to be able to be competitive with other teams and drivers! The one problem for Aston Martin is they’re about to enter the most power-needed circuit on the entire calendar, but hey, at least they won’t be 8 seconds off the pace!

All Smiles at Racing Bulls

In terms of efficiency and consistent results, there’s a fair argument to be made that Racing Bulls have been the team of the season! Miami and Zandvoort are the only two weekends this year where VCARB have failed to score any points, whilst there’s been 5 instances where Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have both scored points on the same Sunday! Now, the main reason why I’m bringing up Racing Bulls is the fact that this is their Home Race, with many people forgetting that they’re in fact an Italian outfit! It’s also been confirmed that Isack Hadjar will miss another weekend, meaning Yuki Tsunoda will partner up with Lindblad again as Lawson remains at Red Bull! There goes my Lawson wins for VCARB prediction!

Colapinto's Contract Extension

Another part of the F1 Driver Market got its conclusion last week as Alpine officially confirmed that Franco Colapinto will be sticking around for another season! After a decent showing at Williams in 2024, Alpine spent a ton of money to bring in Franco as a Reserve Driver, although that didn’t last long as Jack Doohan quickly found himself without a seat! Unfortunately for Colapinto, Alpine were comfortably the worst team in Formula 1 last year, with the Argentine failing to score a single point across the season! However, by dropping the Renault engine for Mercedes power, there was a lot more hope surrounding the Enstone-based team, and that’s sort of come true with them currently sitting 6th in the Constructors’ Championship! Franco is 12th in the Drivers’ Standings with 19 points to his name, having scored 14 points across Miami and Canada! Whilst still a bit off Pierre Gasly in the Alpine head-to-head battle, this year has been a lot better as far as Franco Colapinto is concerned, and knowing his seat is safe for another year should only help!

Italy’s Next World Champion?

For many people who don’t follow sport religiously, it’s a common conception that Italy is one of the best countries when it comes to producing Champions! In the world of motorsport, that is incredibly true, with both Ferrari as a team and Valentino Rossi as a 9-time Motorcycle World Champion! Italy have also won 4 World Cups, so it makes a ton of sense for people to believe that fact! However, a lot of that is in the past, with Ferrari not securing an F1 World Championship since 2008, whilst Italy haven’t even made a FIFA World Cup since 2014! The positive for Italian sports fans is that the tide may well just be starting to turn again, with Jannik Sinner being the World Number 1 in Tennis, having won 5 Major Titles, including 2 at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon! Then there’s this young (now) 20-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who dominated pretty much his entire junior formula career before making his Formula 1 debut at just 18! Now in his second season in the sport, Antonelli has become somewhat of a phenom, winning 6 Races as he currently leads the World Drivers’ Championship by 59 points! In a year that was supposed to be George Russell’s to lose, Kimi Antonelli has usurped him as Mercedes’ Team Leader, and it’s been quite the story! The only negative for Kimi is that an impending grid penalty means the chance of an Italian winning his Home Race for the first time since 1966 is pretty slim, but hey, I’m sure the fans won’t mind if Antonelli ends the year as Champion!