The Formula One Review of The Italian Grand Prix

09/09/2026

Key Outcomes

The Davis and Davis Show delivered a comprehensive live review of the 2025 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, covering the full race weekend from practice sessions through race day. Kimi Antonelli won the race — the first Italian driver to win at Monza in approximately 60 years — starting from a heavily penalized grid position and climbing 17+ places during the race. George Russell finished second and Max Verstappen third. Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap 2 at the Parabolica, triggering a red flag and a standing restart that dramatically reshaped the race. The hosts also previewed the upcoming debut Madrid circuit (the Madring) for the Spanish Grand Prix. Scott disclosed he fell out of bed during the night before the show, was unable to get up due to lack of strength, and remained on the floor until approximately 8:00 AM; he eventually crawled to a chair to help himself up.

Race Weekend Context & Pre-Race Notes

Weather: Extreme heat throughout the entire weekend; the FIA issued a heat hazard designation and — unusually — allowed drivers to use cool suits, which are not normally permitted in open-cockpit cars due to ambient airflow.
Track temperature: Up to 132–134°F during practice; air temperature reached 93°F during qualifying and 89–90°F on race day.
Grid penalties (pre-race):
- Kimi Antonelli (Car 12): 30-place grid penalty for an additional power unit element.
- Alexander Albon (Car 23): 20-place grid penalty for an additional power unit element.
- Liam Lawson (Car 30): 35-place grid penalty for an additional power unit element; also required to start from pit lane because the car was modified under Parc Fermé conditions.
- Oscar Piastri (Car 81): 3-place grid penalty for impeding a driver in the pit lane during qualifying.
- Fernando Alonso (Car 14): Required to start from pit lane — car modified under Parc Fermé conditions and additional power unit used.
Monaco Grand Prix appeal resolved: The FIA upheld the original decision; Pierre Gasly was demoted back to 7th place from the Monaco result.
Flavio Briatore controversy: A pre-race principals interview — which the FIA reportedly declined to post publicly — saw Briatore confront a rival team representative (identified as McLaren-connected) by producing photographs allegedly showing that one of the judges had received McLaren cars as gifts in 2017. The exchange nearly came to blows and was described by Scott as "mass hysteria."
Weather: Extreme heat throughout the entire weekend; the FIA issued a heat hazard designation and — unusually — allowed drivers to use cool suits, which are not normally permitted in open-cockpit cars due to ambient airflow.
Track temperature: Up to 132–134°F during practice; air temperature reached 93°F during qualifying and 89–90°F on race day.
Grid penalties (pre-race):
- Kimi Antonelli (Car 12): 30-place grid penalty for an additional power unit element.
- Alexander Albon (Car 23): 20-place grid penalty for an additional power unit element.
- Liam Lawson (Car 30): 35-place grid penalty for an additional power unit element; also required to start from pit lane because the car was modified under Parc Fermé conditions.
- Oscar Piastri (Car 81): 3-place grid penalty for impeding a driver in the pit lane during qualifying.
- Fernando Alonso (Car 14): Required to start from pit lane — car modified under Parc Fermé conditions and additional power unit used.
Monaco Grand Prix appeal resolved: The FIA upheld the original decision; Pierre Gasly was demoted back to 7th place from the Monaco result.
Flavio Briatore controversy: A pre-race principals interview — which the FIA reportedly declined to post publicly — saw Briatore confront a rival team representative (identified as McLaren-connected) by producing photographs allegedly showing that one of the judges had received McLaren cars as gifts in 2017. The exchange nearly came to blows and was described by Scott as "mass hysteria."

Practice Sessions

Practice 1:

Fastest: Leclerc; Hamilton 2nd, Russell 3rd (dipped into gravel), Lawson 4th.
Colton Herta substituted for Sergio Perez (mandatory rookie appearance); stopped after 20 minutes — car stuck in gear, unable to go to neutral. Team received a warning only (no penalty points applicable since it was not a race).
Luke Browning substituted for Albon at Williams.
Ayumu Iwasa drove Verstappen's car for approximately one hour; Paul Aron drove Gasly's car for his fourth appearance.
Aron came in 10th fastest in the session.

Practice 2:

Fastest: Russell; followed by Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Lindblad, Biermann, Verstappen, Tsunoda.
Leclerc had a spin at Turn 5 — performed a 180° at speed with no damage.
Multiple drivers — Albon, Leclerc, Hamilton — locked up at Turn 1 and took the escape route; Turn 1 described as consistently problematic all weekend.
Calapinto went wide into Turn 10, off-track into gravel, recovered without hitting the wall.
Bortoleto went off-track and then suffered engine issues.
Cadillac received a suspended fine for a clutch system failure; if the issue recurs, the team faces a financial penalty of approximately $30,000.

Practice 3:

Fastest: Russell (1:22.219); followed by Hamilton, Verstappen, Antonelli, Norris, Leclerc, Lindblad, Piastri, Gasly, Calapinto.
Tsunoda noted for not using the proper escape route at Turn 4; Albon also noted for the same infringement.
Lawson spun out under a yellow flag; several yellow flag incidents noted.
Lindblad was in 3rd place with 10 minutes remaining — described as impressive.
Stroll was heard complaining at his race engineer on radio.
Tsunoda had a fuel leak during the session and came out late after the team addressed it.
Norris reported no power or brakes yet still posted a 1:23.

Qualifying

Q1:

Top 3: Gasly (1st), Verstappen (2nd), Norris (3rd).
Eliminated: Tsunoda, Albon, Bottas, Perez, Alonso, and Lance Stroll — Scott noting it as Stroll's "100th time not making it into Q2," sarcastically celebrated as a record.
Stroll impeding incident: Stroll stopped on the side of the track at Turn 1 to let Verstappen pass, then pulled back out directly in front of Liam Lawson, impeding him. Described by Scott as blatant and drawing near-universal criticism from paddock figures.
Hamilton nearly eliminated; Scott noted Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur visibly exhaled in relief when Hamilton survived.

Q2:

Hamilton barely advanced — within a thousandth of a second of the 11th-place car.
Verstappen complained about rear axle instability in Turns 2, 4, and 5 despite posting a 1:22.573.
Pit lane infringement: Piastri slowed Lawson on an out-lap; stewards issued a 3-place grid drop for Piastri for the next race.
Lawson unable to improve beyond 13th; Hamilton scraped into P10.
Eliminated: Bortoleto, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Sainz, Ocon.
Antonelli led Q2 with a 1:21.882; Piastri 2nd, Norris 3rd, Gasly 4th, Russell 5th.

Q3:

Gasly took pole position — Alpine's low-downforce rear wing setup paid off in qualifying at the high-speed Monza layout.
Scott explained: Alpine was the only team that invested in a dedicated low-downforce wing; other teams chose not to allocate budget to that development.
Final Q3 order: Gasly, Russell, Piastri, Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen (6th), Antonelli (7th), Calapinto, Norris, Lindblad (10th).
Actual starting grid differed significantly from Q3 results due to all the accumulated penalties.

Race — Lap-by-Lap Highlights

Starting grid (key positions after penalties applied):

Gasly (mediums), Russell (mediums), Leclerc (softs), Hamilton (softs), Verstappen (softs), Piastri (mediums), Calapinto (mediums), Norris (mediums), Lindblad (mediums), Bortoleto (softs); Antonelli 19th, Albon 20th, Alonso starting from pit lane.

Lap 1:

Hamilton pushed off track by Leclerc at the start; dropped approximately 7 places instantly.
Antonelli already up 5 spots from his penalized grid slot.
The Leclerc-Hamilton contact was noted by stewards but no penalty was issued — Scott and Burke attributed this to Ferrari's status at their home race.

Lap 2 — Red Flag:

Leclerc spun out at the Parabolica — the same corner where he crashed in 2020 — hitting the barriers hard, destroying the tire wall, and ending his race. Car came back in three pieces; Leclerc was uninjured.
Scott emphasized the severity: the impact was rear-first rather than head-on, which likely prevented worse injury; the red flag stoppage lasted approximately 30 minutes while the barrier was rebuilt.
During the red flag, Calapinto advanced to P4 before the flag was shown; no penalty resulted.

Standing Restart (after red flag):

Tsunoda out of position — an additional formation lap was required.
Track temperature climbed to 134°F, air to 90°F.
On the restart: Hamilton up one spot, Calapinto up one, Verstappen to P3; Calapinto went into gravel but recovered.
Antonelli continued charging — already P8, then P6 within a few laps.

Mid-Race (Laps 10–20):

Lap 10: Hamilton passes Gasly for P3; Piastri and Antonelli also pass Gasly in quick succession — Gasly's qualifying pace did not translate to race pace.
Lap 12: Verstappen takes the lead; Piastri passes Hamilton for 3rd; Antonelli passes Hamilton for 4th.
Lap 13: Antonelli passes Piastri for 3rd; Lawson pits for mediums.
Lap 15: Russell passes Verstappen.
Lap 16: Hamilton passes Piastri for 4th; Antonelli passes Verstappen for 2nd — having risen 17 places in 16 laps.
Lap 18: Antonelli passes Russell on the straight to take the lead.
Lap 20: Russell reclaims P1 briefly; Antonelli takes it back and builds a 1-second-plus gap over Verstappen, preventing him from using the DRS/boost to close.

VSC Period (Lap 28):

Yellow flag on Stroll; Virtual Safety Car deployed — triggering a pit window.
Sainz, Antonelli, Gasly, Bottas, Verstappen all pit; Antonelli drops to P6, Verstappen to P7.
Scott noted: without this VSC, the race would almost certainly have been a straightforward one-stop with no strategic variation.

Late Race (Laps 30–53):

Lap 30: Antonelli passes Gasly to move into P5.
Sergio Perez — 5-second penalty: Received his third reprimand of the season for failing to complete a practice start and crossing — then re-crossing — the white line at pit exit (equivalent to crossing a solid white line on a highway). Scott noted that six reprimands results in a race ban, putting Perez at the halfway point.
Lap 31: Verstappen passes Gasly; Antonelli passes Norris for P4.
Lap 33: Verstappen passes Norris.
Lap 35: Hamilton suffering brake issues at the chicane, drops to P4, continues complaining about tires.
Lap 36: Antonelli within 1 second of Piastri.
Lap 37: Antonelli passes Piastri on the pit straight; Verstappen passes Hamilton.
Lap 39: Verstappen passes Piastri for 3rd.
Lap 43: Verstappen passes Piastri again (after a lock-up attempt at lap 42) but is 8 seconds behind Antonelli.
Lap 46–47: Both Mercedes and McLaren teams broadcast "play nice" messages to their drivers on team radio as the battle between Antonelli and Russell intensified; Antonelli responded on radio protesting Russell had run him off the road.
Lap 47: Antonelli sets the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, now 1.6 seconds behind Russell.
Lap 49: Russell locks up; Antonelli goes into gravel — both drivers at fault, no protests.
Lap 50: Antonelli passes Russell for the lead and immediately builds a 1-second gap within 3 corners.
Lap 51: Norris attempts to pass Piastri, goes into grass, fails.

Final Classification:

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Isack Hadjar / Lindblad (noted as solid, clean race)
Calapinto
Tsunoda

DNFs: Stroll, Alonso (car issues, lap 26), Leclerc (lap 2 crash).

Post-Race Analysis & Host Commentary

On Antonelli's performance:

Scott and Burke agreed Antonelli was exceptional — described as "flying" and "an aggressive little fucker" — combining a very strong car with genuine skill and sharp reflexes attributed to his youth.
Antonelli's family (mother, father, sister) were in the grandstands; Scott highlighted Max Verstappen walking over to congratulate Antonelli's father as the classiest moment of the day.
Antonelli is the first Italian driver to win at Monza in approximately 60 years — the last being Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.

On Mercedes vs. Red Bull:

Scott argued Mercedes has clearly demonstrated the strongest engine in the field, contradicting the FIA's prior assessment that Oracle Red Bull had the best power unit — Red Bull has not won a race in the current season.
McLaren, running a Mercedes engine, is expected by Scott to reach the top of the standings by season's end, with further improvement projected for 2026.
Red Bull's refusal to pursue engine upgrades, citing confidence in their current unit, was criticized as indefensible given their results.

On driver rankings:

Scott's current top-four drivers: Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton — in terms of pure driving ability.
Hamilton praised specifically for finishing 6th in what Scott characterized as a very average car after being knocked back 7 places at the start.
Alonso rated above Verstappen: Scott argued Alonso manages emotions better, accepts circumstances, and focuses on solutions rather than radio complaints; Verstappen's emotional reactions cited as the primary reason he falls short of the "best driver" label.
Valtteri Bottas discussed as a cautionary example of decline — competitive enough to challenge Hamilton at Mercedes, now a shadow of that form; Scott attributed this partly to relocation to Australia, family priorities, and reduced simulator time.

On historical safety:

Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi identified as the two biggest advocates for driver safety in Formula One history.
Stewart credited with establishing a dedicated Formula One medical doctor — previously, teams relied on local hospitals, which at circuits like Spa could be 50+ miles away.
The Halo cited as the most transformative recent safety development; Formula One now considered among the safest motorsport series.
Felipe Massa's 2009 accident recounted: a suspension spring from the car ahead broke off, bounced, struck Massa's helmet, knocked him unconscious, and he drove straight into the wall without ever braking.

On Gasly's race:

Scott had predicted before the race that Gasly would finish 6th or 7th; he finished 7th.
Both hosts agreed Alpine's low-downforce wing was a qualifying-specific advantage that did not translate to race pace against top-tier machinery.

On Leclerc's crash:

Scott expressed genuine concern about the severity of the impact; relief that Leclerc hit the barrier rear-first rather than head-on.
Fred Vasseur (Ferrari team principal) described as having "both drivers in the room" after the race — Scott speculated he would not have been pleased, characterizing the Ferrari performance as "a monkey fucking a football."

Madrid Circuit (Madring) — Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Next race: Spain (Madrid), scheduled for September 13; Azerbaijan (Baku) follows.
The Madring is a new, purpose-built circuit combined with street sections — similar in concept to Las Vegas, with permanent infrastructure plus sections running through public areas.
Track stats: 5.4 km in length; 22 corners; 57 laps (per Burke's notes); 2 main straightaways with the remainder largely curved.
Key feature — La Monumental: A 550-metre, 270+-degree banked corner at 24 degrees of banking — the second steepest in Formula One after Zandvoort's final corner (32 degrees), and will become the steepest once Zandvoort leaves the calendar. Cars expected to spend approximately 6 seconds traversing this section.
Scott and Burke compared La Monumental to Spa's Eau Rouge or Silverstone's Maggots-Becketts in terms of iconic technical challenge.
Capacity: Designed to accommodate 110,000 spectators per day, with ambitions to expand to 140,000 — which would make it one of the largest races on the calendar.
Economic impact: The race is projected to generate half a billion euros in income for the city of Madrid; the F1 contract runs for 10 years.
Pit lane: Will be the longest pit lane of any Formula One race — estimated at approximately 800 metres; some team members may face walks of up to 800 metres between hospitality suites and garages, requiring golf carts or trail bikes.
Tunnel: The circuit includes a tunnel section — only the second on the F1 calendar after Monaco.
Six roundabouts incorporated into the track layout, visible in satellite imagery.
Construction concerns: Formula 3 pre-testing produced 13–14 red flags; cabling was reportedly stolen from the site; construction is ongoing 24/7 with the race approximately 3 months out at time of recording.
Scott and Burke expressed cautious optimism the track will be ready, drawing parallels to Jeddah and Las Vegas, which also appeared unfinished until days before their debut races.
Barcelona-Catalunya will retain a race but on a biennial (every two years) basis rather than annually; the Madring becomes the official Spanish Grand Prix venue.
Transport: A metro station directly opposite the track entrance connects to the financial district in three stops.
Carlos Sainz is the race's official ambassador; he drove a Ford Mustang around the freshly laid track in May.