Italy, so good we go there twice…

That's right, following on from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix earlier in the season, we're set for our second dose of Italian racing heritage. It's the final European round of the season, and what better place to close that chapter than the Temple of Speed?

Home of pizza, pasta and our most recent Formula 1 victory, the Italian Grand Prix is a favourite of ours for more reasons than one. Somehow, it's already been almost a year since Daniel and Lando sealed a historic 1-2 at Monza, so it's about time we pulled out the scrapbooks and revisited our favourite photos and statistics from the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

We've also caught up with three of the key protagonists from that race, with some words from Lando, Daniel and Andreas Seidl ahead of this year's grand prix, as well as our tips on what to watch out for and what to wear.

Key info

Round	16
Where	Autodromo Nazionale Monza
When	9 - 11 September
Follow	TEAMStream and the McLaren App for LIVE commentary and team radio

What they say

“The Italian Grand Prix is always an exciting weekend. My last two trips to Monza have been incredibly positive, with last year being one of my favourite F1 memories, so let’s try and recreate some of that feeling this weekend. It’s likely to be a much trickier weekend for us this year but there is still an opportunity for points and to have an impact on the Constructors’ Championship.

“With it being the Temple of Speed, I’m really looking forward to getting out on track and seeing how far we can push the car. One last big push as we finish up in Europe for the season so let’s give it all we’ve got.”

“Monza will always have a special place in my heart. Whilst another 1-2 isn’t really on the cards this time around, hopefully we can still bring you a little bit of Italian magic. I’m excited for the track, the amazing fans and the incredible food – the key combination for a good weekend.

“Zandvoort was a tough one for me but I’m keeping my head held high. I’ll keep pushing through and try to end the season on a high. We’ve had a good look at the data and had a deep dive into how we can play it for the upcoming weekend to hopefully get back up the pointy end. It’s likely to be another difficult weekend due to the nature of the track and it’s clear we’ve got work to do but I have full confidence in the team as we head towards the last race of this triple-header.”

“It’s great to be back in Monza with the fantastic fans, and the site of our amazing 1-2 last year. This year will be different with the new car and its characteristics. There are plenty of straights with only a few turns to navigate, so we look forward to the challenge and to see how the new cars run here with the overtaking opportunities they will enhance. There’s also a chance of inclement weather, which we’ll need to be ready for in order to maximise our result. As always, we’ll give it our all and push as hard as we can.

“With Monza being the last race in the triple-header, the team are fully focused on the weekend ahead. Special thanks go to the team in the factory for their support over this long triple-header. We go again.”

What the stats say

Well, there's our most recent Formula 1 victory, for starters.

Carlos Sainz had gone oh-so-close the year prior, missing out on victory by just 0.415s in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix but securing a podium in the process. We followed that up with a 1-2 at the same track in 2021, as Daniel sealed a famous victory ahead of Lando.

Lando's Emilia Romagna GP podium in April continued his run of points in Italy, with the British racer never finishing outside of the top 10 while competing at Monza, Mugello or Imola – results that include three podiums. Daniel – whose father was born in Italy – also boasts a strong record, scoring points at an Italian track 11 times in F1.

It's not only in recent times that Italy has been such a happy hunting ground for the team, with 11 wins since it appeared on the very first Formula 1 World Championship calendar in 1952. That puts us second in the list of the track's most prolific teams.

It's some winners' list, too, with eight different victors in addition to Daniel. Denny Hulme (1968), Niki Lauda (1984), Alain Prost (1985, 1989), Ayrton Senna (1990, 1992), David Coulthard (1997), Juan Pablo Montoya (2005), Fernando Alonso (2007) and Lewis Hamilton (2012) have all powered a McLaren to Italian GP victory.

Session times

Free Practice 1	14:00 local / 13:00 BST / 12:00 UTC
Free Practice 2	17:00 local / 16:00 BST / 15:00 UTC
Free Practice 3	13:00 local / 12:00 BST / 11:00 UTC
Qualifying	16:00 local / 15:00 BST / 14:00 UTC
Race	15:00 local / 14:00 BST / 13:00 UTC

What to watch out for

It's not called the Temple of Speed for nothing. The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is a high-octane masterpiece. Made up of long-straights and chicanes, the drivers spend a serious amount of time at full-throttle – 80% of it, to be precise.

With that in mind, keeping drag to a minimum will be important at this low-downforce fan-favourite circuit. Slipstreaming is also likely to play a key role over the weekend, with a tow down the straights particularly effective at Monza.

As one of the most power-sensitive circuits of the season, it will be fascinating to see how the new generation of cars tackle the track, with purpose-built rear-wings and stripped-back cars sported in previous years.

It's a hefty workout for the brakes as well, with several heavy stopping points around the track, including at the first chicane, where cars will need to slow from over 220mph.

And finally, this section wouldn't be complete without a shoutout to Parabolica, one of the finest corners on the F1 calendar. A long right-hander that takes centre-stage as the final turn before the main straight – get a good exit, and it's a great chance to make a move, as you can take a slipstream down the main straight and into the first corner.

McLaren Creators

Every week, our social channels and the MTC post room are chock-a-block with amazing art pieces that our fans have created and sent to us. Going through them always warms our hearts, and so we wanted to share the love.

Whether you're a skilled sketcher, a budding paper mache artist, or prefer to paint by numbers, our new McLaren Creators segment will highlight our favourite pieces from our inspired fanbase.

This week we're spotlighting 19-year-old Fareeda from Egypt.

"I'm studying physical therapy, but drawing has been a hobby of mine since I was young. Getting into F1 made me enjoy art even more because I was combining two of my favourite things! I only got into F1 this season, but Daniel quickly became my favourite driver. This inspired me to draw more and inspired me to keep fighting for my dreams and to never give up."

Want to have your works of art featured in our preview and on our channels? Send us your creations by tagging McLaren and using the hashtag #McLarenCreators.

What to wear

There's no way we could take you so close to Milan and not give you some fresh clobber to cop. It also just so happens to be the start of Fashion Month - the Milan Fashion Week will take place from the 20-26 September - and of course, the anniversary of our victory in Monza last year.

To celebrate, we set Daniel up with our designers, and they got to work on a new range. Launching on Wednesday, the seasonal pack has a real autumn feel to it, making it ideal for the end-of-season run-in, as we approach the home straight of 2022.

Plus one

If that wasn't enough, we've also set a tasty McLaren Plus competition to celebrate the end of the European season. Lando and Daniel have signed some team caps and posters, which are up for grabs. Click here to sign up and be in with a chance of winning. 

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