The 2026 Italian Grand Prix represents one of the most important weekends of the season for Ferrari. Monza is the Scuderia’s home race, an opportunity to be surrounded by the Tifosi and experience the extraordinary passion that has always defined Ferrari’s relationship with its supporters.
Expectations remain enormous even after a long wait for another Constructors’ Championship, with Ferrari’s last title dating back to 2008. Whatever frustrations supporters may have endured, Monza speaks for itself: the grandstands will once again be filled with fans eager to show their support for the Maranello team.
Ferrari ADUO-2 upgrade is important, but may not be enough
Ferrari will not arrive at its home Grand Prix unchanged. The second stage of its ADUO development programme is set to debut at Monza, bringing an upgrade to the turbine blade configuration that should allow the Scuderia to take another step forward. The development forms part of Ferrari’s wider ADUO-2 programme for the Italian Grand Prix.
It should be an important improvement, but not necessarily a decisive one. The expectation is that the upgrade will allow both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to reduce Ferrari’s deficit to Mercedes without completely eliminating it. Mercedes itself is also due to introduce an ADUO update affecting the internal combustion engine.
That context is particularly significant given the latest FIA ADUO performance rankings, which confirmed that Ferrari remains more than four per cent behind the benchmark in terms of internal combustion engine output.
Mercedes grid penalties could give Ferrari its biggest Monza chance
Ferrari’s real opportunity may instead come from the grid penalties that Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will have to serve. Those sanctions are not expected to keep the two Mercedes drivers out of contention, because the W17s should still be capable of recovering several positions, but they could provide Ferrari with an important opening at the start of the race.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have already shown that Ferrari can be competitive on fast circuits such as Spain and Silverstone. Monza, however, represents a different challenge. If the Scuderia is to fight for victory, both drivers will need an exceptional qualifying performance before attempting to protect any advantage throughout the Grand Prix.
Mercedes is expected to fight its way back through the field, and any neutralisation or Safety Car period could make that recovery even easier. Ferrari therefore cannot simply rely on starting ahead of its main rivals.
Ferrari must maximise qualifying and protect track position
The biggest opportunity at Monza may therefore come not from ADUO-2 itself, but from Mercedes’ starting-grid penalties. Calling it an assist before knowing how the battle will develop may be premature, but it could nevertheless give Ferrari its clearest chance to exploit track position against its rival.
The technical upgrade will still matter, particularly at a circuit where power and straight-line performance are so important. Ferrari is also evaluating further measures specifically for Monza, including a possible low-downforce rear wing alongside ADUO-2.
Ultimately, the men and women at Maranello will have to extract everything available from the package and make the most of any opportunity created by Mercedes’ penalties. Whatever the final result, Ferrari will arrive at its home Grand Prix determined to give everything in front of the Tifosi and avoid disappointing the supporters who continue to fill Monza year after year.
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