2026 Italian Grand Prix – Race Report

Monza, Sunday, 6 September

Find out what happened during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, and get the thoughts of McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Team Principal Andrea Stella.

The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team secured a good points haul at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, making up ground from its starting positions to score a combined 22 points in the Constructors’ Championship. This meant that the papaya team left Monza with the third fastest car, on a circuit that was expected to present a very different challenge to recent races.

Lando Norris produced an impressive drive from eighth on the grid to finish fourth, while Oscar Piastri, making his 81st race start, gained one position to take fifth. It was a busy, action-packed race, with plenty of on-track battles for the fans to get behind at the Temple of Speed.

Lando and Oscar both started the afternoon on Medium tyres and safely made it through the opening laps of the race despite an expected tight pack through the Prima Variante.

However, with just two laps on the board, a Safety Car and then Red Flag was called following Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari going off and hitting the tyre barriers at Parabolica. As Oscar was the following car, the Australian driver had to lift for a moment, presenting an opportunity for Alpine’s Franco Colapinto to pass through into P4 prior to the initial Safety Car being called.

With the race halted, this allowed the two MCL40s to be fitted with new Hard tyres in the pit lane, completing the mandatory change of compound required.

Following the required repairs to the crash barrier and an extra formation lap caused by Yuki Tsunoda being positioned incorrectly in his grid box, the race eventually got back underway with Oscar starting one position up in P5, followed by Lando in P6, who had climbed two positions in the opening laps.

Plenty of action-packed racing was witnessed on the restart before the order partly settled down with Oscar remaining in P5 and Lando dropping to P7. As the Hard tyre came up to temperature, Oscar was in condition to climb up to P3. The regular position swaps between drivers continued as the race developed.

On Lap 28, a Virtual Safety Car was caused by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll stopping on track. With multiple cars pitting under the conditions, Lando and Oscar remained out on track having already changed tyres earlier in the race, allowing them to move up to P2 and P4 respectively.

As the race continued, the order evolved as the different strategies played out with both Mercedes cars showing the leading performance they have had throughout the weekend, followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in P3, who had stopped under the VSC alongside Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

In the closing stages, Lando and Oscar showed good pace with the pair working hard to battle respectfully for fourth and fifth. Lando was able to use the boost from his power-unit on the final lap to gain a position on the Number 81 car. The Australian driver continued closely within striking distance, but Lando held the position to finish P4, just 0.137s ahead of his teammate in P5, securing a combined 22 points for the team.

The team will now take today’s learnings and turn its attention to the next challenge at the new Madring circuit for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix. With Formula 1 preparing to race at the venue for the first time, the weekend will bring several unknowns, including how the track surface evolves and the demands it places on the car and tyres.

Also in Monza, McLaren Driver Development’s Matteo De Palo finished the F3 Feature Race in P16, driving a recovery race after being disqualified from Qualifying P2 after a technical regulation breach by the team.

In British Formula 4 at Croft Circuit, Dries Van Langendonck finished Race 2 in P6 having started in P12 with the reverse grid, and took the win from Pole in Race 3, increasing his Championship lead to a 33-point gap.

Italian Formula 4 saw Christian Costoya finish P5 after starting P5 in Race 2 and P27 after starting P12 in the final race of the round in Imola.

The Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team take to the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey this evening with Christian Lundgaard starting P5, Pato O’Ward in P13 and Nolan Siegel three positions behind in P16.

“I'm happy with the race, finishing fourth was a good result for us today. The race was tough, the car was tricky, and I felt I drove well to maximise what we had. The second half was very strong, using the slipstream brought me back into the fight, and the battles with Lewis [Hamilton] and Oscar on the last lap were enjoyable. It was good, hard racing, and to come out ahead was satisfying.

“Despite the result, it's clear we're not where we need to be. This weekend highlighted our weaknesses - we're lacking in general performance, especially in Qualifying, and our straight-line speed is a disadvantage. Even with recent wins, we still have a lot of work to do as a team. We know our strengths and weaknesses, and the challenge now is to improve for the rest of the year."

“I think this weekend was definitely the strongest I've felt for a while, and my pace was the most encouraging it has been in some time. It was a tough battle out there for sure. The racing was quite tricky with the back-and-forth effect, especially with Lewis [Hamilton] and then Max [Verstappen], which made it difficult to break away. You had to be quite smart in how you played it to avoid losing time.

“Ultimately, we were the third-quickest team today. Mercedes were clearly a lot quicker than everybody, and even Max had more pace than we anticipated. It was a good result for the team and probably the best result we could have got. It was an intense, hot race, but it’s felt much better and hopefully, we can continue this positive momentum going forward."

Andrea Stella

Team Principal

“First of all, congratulations to Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes on their victory today, they did a very good job and fully deserved the result. Overall, it was a positive and strong weekend for the team. The race was incredibly tense and entertaining, and both Lando and Oscar showed the same high level of performance throughout. What we saw today was good, hard racing that delivered an exciting spectacle for the fans. We let them race, and while Lando’s moment on the grass looked dramatic live, our review suggests it was benign. This philosophy can be risky, and we’ll assess it carefully, always prioritising the team’s interests.

“Today’s race was executed at a higher standard than Qualifying, where starting P6 and P8 left us paying a price in a field that’s hard to overtake. The slipstream and energy management here mean even quicker cars struggle to pull away, and with Mercedes holding a clear step advantage, we weren’t in contention for the victory. Looking ahead to the final 10 races, we aim to fight consistently for wins, with circuits like Malaysia, Austin, and Brazil suiting us better, and upgrades coming for Baku.”