NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2025 Italian Grand Prix

Formula 1 moves straight from Zandvoort to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, marking Round 16 on the calendar.

First and second practice will take place on Friday, September 5, followed by final practice and Qualifying on Saturday, September 6 and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, September 7.

Vital statistics

• First Grand Prix – 1950
• Track Length – 5.793km
• Lap record – 1m 21.046s, Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 2004
• Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton (7)
• Most wins – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (5)
• Trivia – The Italian Grand Prix has featured on the F1 calendar since the inaugural 1950 season, with Monza home to every race apart from 1980, when Imola played host
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 472 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2024 – 71
• Safety Car probability – 50%*
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 38%*
• Pit stop time loss – 24.3 seconds

*From the last eight races at Monza

The driver’s verdict

Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: Monza is one of a kind on the calendar, yet in many ways is the simplest track. It’s low downforce and all begins with braking into the chicane for Sector 1 and getting your car to stop as nicely as you can for Turn 1 – that’s the key.

In the middle sector, the Lesmos are actually more fun to drive than they look, with a slight camber. You can carry a bit of speed in, pick your line for a little brake and again through Lesmo 2 as well.

Gravel can greet you if you carry too much speed into Turn 8/9/10 at Ascari – the first part of the corner is the crucial area – but it’s quite bumpy as well. Then stay pinned through 9 and 10, if you get 8 right, which takes you to Parabolica or Curva Alboreto (renamed after the late Michele Alboreto).

Sadly, they took away the gravel that was the charm of this final corner, but it’s still a cool challenge – attack it, run right around the outside to carry speed, get on the throttle as soon as possible and charge onto the main straight.

It used to be perilous with the gravel on the outside, whereas now a little bit of the exhilaration is maybe taken away with the tarmac run-off, but it’s still possible to crash and Monza is still a fantastic high-speed circuit.

Last five Italian GP polesitters

• 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 2023 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
• 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Last five Italian GP winners

• 2024 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2021 – Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
• 2020 – Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)

Tyre and strategy insight

“There is no change in compounds compared to last year, when the track had just been resurfaced for the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza,” Pirelli’s weekend preview reads.

“The C3 is the hard, the C4 medium and the C5 soft. Twelve months on, inevitably the surface will have aged, but it is unlikely to have any significant effect on the range of possible strategies at this circuit, where cars run in the lowest aerodynamic downforce configuration of the season.

“It is likely that the most popular choices for the race itself will be the hard and medium. One can assume that the level of graining will be lower than last year as the track will now be bedded in.

“Time lost in the pit lane for a tyre change is among the longest of the season, so teams will try and run as long a stint as possible, keeping degradation under control, with the aim of only changing tyres once.

“It is difficult to overtake at Monza, primarily because of the reduced effectiveness of the DRS, with the cars running minimum aero downforce levels. This too tends to swing the balance in favour of a one-stop strategy.

“On the other hand, temperature can have the opposite effect given that September in Lombardy can sometimes still feel like the height of summer. This can speed up tyre degradation, which would make a two-stop more competitive.”

Current form

McLaren again had the edge over their competitors last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix, giving them an even stronger lead in the Teams’ Standings – but the Drivers’ Championship battle took a potentially significant turn when Lando Norris retired due to a mechanical issue.

With team mate Oscar Piastri going on to seal a commanding victory, the Australian stretched out his advantage over Norris in the title fight to 34 points. This means that the Briton has a tougher job on his hands when it comes to trying to close the gap.

However, while admitting that the outcome was “frustrating”, Norris conceded that the squad’s strong pace in Zandvoort was “reassuring” as he vowed to look ahead to the next race, so the 25-year-old will be keen to bounce back this weekend.

Piastri, meanwhile, arrives into the event with momentum, not only from extending his championship lead but also from winning last weekend’s race in faultless style. Can the McLaren driver carry that forward at Monza?

The papaya squad will also remain wary of the potential challenge posed by their rivals. This weekend is of course Ferrari’s home event, one in which Charles Leclerc memorably claimed victory last year. After a double DNF in Zandvoort, the Scuderia would relish the chance to have a better outing in front of the Tifosi.

Mercedes, meanwhile, are looking to catch the Italian team in the fight for P2 in the Teams’ Championship, while Max Verstappen can never be ruled out after another podium for the Red Bull man last time out. And with the midfield scrap continuing behind, there is plenty to keep an eye on this weekend.

Iconic moment

Following that aforementioned note about Monza featuring on the F1 calendar every year bar one since 1950, it comes as no surprise that our archives are filled with unforgettable moments from decades past.

One particularly special weekend at Monza occurred back in 2008, when a rookie by the name of Sebastian Vettel made quite an impression by clinching his debut pole position and race victory during a rain-soaked event.

Just over a year into his full-time F1 career with the Red Bull-backed Toro Rosso team, Vettel mastered the slippery conditions to upset the establishment not only over one lap but also a race distance.

One of the standout underdog results in recent Grand Prix history, it sent Vettel on his way to a glittering career that included 52 more victories and four world titles.

Relive Vettel and Toro Rosso’s special weekend in the video player below...