Sunday was without a Formula 1 race, but there was important movement behind the scenes before the Italian GP. Lando Norris reinforced that he still believes in the title fight after two consecutive wins, Lewis Hamilton demanded progress from Ferrari, and Kimi Antonelli assessed how the difficulties of his rookie season prepared him to lead the championship in 2026.
Read more F1: Hamilton points out that Ferrari has «a lot of work ahead» to catch up with Mercedes
Norris arrives in good form for Monza after winning in Hungary and the Netherlands. Fourth in the World Championship, 83 points behind Antonelli, the current champion cited Max Verstappen’s comeback in 2025 as an example to keep believing while there are mathematical chances. The Briton also stated this Sunday that he considers his current performance superior to that shown in the season he won the title.
Antonelli, on the other hand, remains comfortably in the lead. The Mercedes driver has 242 points, 59 more than George Russell and Hamilton, and stated that the difficult moments faced in 2025 made him stronger emotionally and mentally. Even with six wins in 12 rounds, the Italian highlighted that “the work is not over yet.”
At Ferrari, Hamilton acknowledged that the team still has “a lot of work ahead” to reduce the gap to Mercedes. The seven-time champion even led the Dutch GP for a period with an alternative strategy but finished fourth and admitted that the German team’s cars quickly closed in. The management of the duo also continued under discussion, with criticism of the situations involving Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Zandvoort.
Gabriel Bortoleto was also among the day’s highlights when talking about his friendship with Verstappen. The Brazilian said the relationship started back in 2021 through simulator work and revealed that the Dutchman was a “demanding teacher,” as well as having contributed to his development as a driver. According to Bortoleto, the two built a “very beautiful bond” over the years.
Read more F1: Wolff says he is at peace with the controversial end of 2021
At McLaren, Oscar Piastri admitted he is still trying to understand why he cannot extract the same pace from the MCL40 as Norris. The Australian has not been on the podium since Miami and finished 32 seconds behind his teammate in the Netherlands, while Andrea Stella attributed part of the recent difficulties to technical issues, including the performance of the Hard tires and a slow pit stop in Zandvoort.
The driver market also remains active. Sergio Pérez confirmed that there were talks with other teams about 2027 but said he considers Cadillac a long-term project and wants to stay with the team. Fernando Alonso, still without confirming his presence on next year’s grid, stated that his decision will not directly depend on the performance of Honda’s power unit upgrade, giving more importance to the technical direction presented by the project.
Formula 1 returns to the track next weekend. The Italian GP will be held in Monza between September 4 and 6, with the race scheduled for Sunday, the 6th.
Read more F1: Antonelli uses difficulties of 2025 as a drive to pursue the title in 2026
