Thursday was busy in Formula 1 before the start of activities for the Italian GP. Rafael Câmara returned to the center of the driver market after Haas admitted it has not yet decided its duo for 2027, while the teams approved a 5% reduction in race distance for next season and Kimi Antonelli revealed he may help George Russell in qualifying at Monza.
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Câmara is competing for the possible seat currently held by Esteban Ocon with Leonardo Fornaroli and Ryo Hirakawa. Ayao Komatsu stated that the decision is not close yet, but acknowledged that the team has made progress in recent weeks. The three participated in the test with the VF-25 in Portimão, and information from ge points out that the Brazilian was the closest to Oliver Bearman’s reference, although the rain affected part of the comparison.
Outside the driver market, an important change for 2027 gained momentum. According to AutoRacer, the teams voted unanimously to reduce the standard race distance by 5%, from 305 to about 290 kilometers, except for Monaco. The measure is linked to discussions to increase the participation of the combustion engine, avoiding the need for larger tanks and significant changes to the cars due to increased consumption.
At Mercedes, Antonelli arrives at the home race knowing he will start from the back of the grid due to a penalty related to the power unit. For this reason, the championship leader confirmed that he has already talked with the team about helping Russell during qualifying, even offering a slipstream to his teammate if necessary. “If the team asks me to do this, I will,” said the Italian.
Ferrari also defined part of its strategy for Saturday. Charles Leclerc confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will have priority in choosing position to seek slipstream during qualifying, following an alternating system between the two drivers. The decision does not mean Leclerc will sacrifice his own session, but the team intends to coordinate the cars to try to put both in the best possible situation.
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McLaren arrives buoyed by two consecutive wins from Lando Norris, but the Briton issued a warning about Monza. He pointed to the chicanes and low-speed corners as the current biggest weakness of the car and admitted there is little room for an immediate solution, with the team possibly compromising some high-speed performance to try to improve in these areas. Norris is 83 points behind Antonelli in the championship.
Max Verstappen, in turn, arrived recovered from the illness that affected him throughout the Dutch GP weekend. The Red Bull driver said he still felt the effects of the problem for a few days after Zandvoort, but is now again in full physical condition for Monza, although he admitted not knowing what the competitiveness level of the RB22 will be at the Italian round.
Formula 1 returns to the track this Friday, the 4th, with the first two free practice sessions of the Italian GP. The race takes place on Sunday, the 6th, in Monza.
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