Pierre Gasly’s pole position was unquestionably the biggest surprise of Saturday at Monza, introducing a variable that had been difficult to imagine before the weekend into the battle between Formula 1’s leading contenders. Behind the Mercedes-powered Alpine, however, the competitive picture that emerged across the weekend is particularly interesting ahead of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, especially for Ferrari.
George Russell has been the benchmark for practically the entire weekend, with Mercedes confirming in qualifying the competitiveness it had already displayed on Friday. However, Oscar Piastri’s grid penalty has promoted Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton onto an all-Ferrari second row, effectively leaving George Russell in a two-against-one situation if the order remains unchanged at the start. Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, has an Alpine whose race pace is not expected to fully match that of the usual leading teams over a Grand Prix distance.
Ferrari ADUO 2 delivers the response expected at Monza
Beyond the final qualifying positions, one of the most important technical conclusions from Saturday concerns Ferrari’s new ADUO 2 Power Unit specification. Its first verdict at Monza has been encouraging, with the upgrade delivering the response Ferrari had expected before arriving at its home Grand Prix.
The development represents a step of around 10 horsepower, with approximately another five horsepower coming through software improvements. On a circuit such as Monza, where Power Unit performance carries particular weight, that additional performance has helped compensate for some of Ferrari’s clear shortcomings compared with Mercedes.
ADUO 2 was one of the most important elements of the package prepared by Maranello for the Italian Grand Prix, and the feedback from the track has been consistent with the expectations formed before the weekend. Ferrari was never expecting one development to suddenly transform the competitive order on its own. Instead, the objective was to recover performance in an area that becomes especially important at Monza.
That is precisely what Ferrari has seen so far. The SF-26 has looked competitive since Friday on a circuit that, on paper, appeared particularly challenging for the car. The significance of the development also extends beyond a simple horsepower figure, with the complete Ferrari SF-26 Power Unit package relying on combustion performance, hybrid deployment and software management to deliver lap time.
Ferrari chooses its rear wing with Sunday’s race in mind
Ferrari has retained the same rear-wing specification on the SF-26 that it used at Zandvoort, including the hanger flaps. Before the weekend, the team had considered removing those elements in an attempt to reduce drag even further.
Instead of pursuing maximum straight-line speed at all costs, Ferrari chose to accept a degree of additional drag in exchange for retaining more local downforce and, crucially, greater protection for the rear of the car. It is a decision aimed particularly at Sunday and at giving Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton a more stable rear axle on a circuit that is clearly rear-limited.
That extra stability should help both Ferrari drivers manage rear sliding more effectively, especially through the two Lesmo corners and Ascari, where confidence at the rear of the SF-26 is particularly important.
The compromise has also been made possible by work elsewhere on the car. Ferrari has attempted to find part of the required drag reduction through its Monza-specific floor configuration, which is an evolution of the solution introduced at Zandvoort. The approach allowed the team to avoid excessively unloading the rear wing while still improving the overall efficiency of the SF-26. Charles Leclerc had already discussed Ferrari’s engine and floor developments for Monza before the weekend began.
Ferrari and Mercedes closely matched: can George Russell be attacked?
Despite Ferrari’s encouraging signs, George Russell remains the main performance reference. With Kimi Antonelli starting from the back of the grid, George Russell has an important opportunity to take the full 25 points available for victory. Mercedes has shown significant speed since free practice, although Saturday was not completely straightforward for the W17.
Andrew Shovlin explained that George Russell began suffering repeated brake lock-ups during qualifying, a behaviour that had not appeared during FP3. Mercedes attempted to address the problem using the adjustments available on the car, but could not eliminate it completely. That was particularly costly around Monza, where the major chicanes demand some of the heaviest braking of the entire season.
With Kimi Antonelli already destined to start from the rear because of his Power Unit penalty, Mercedes used the Italian driver to provide George Russell with a tow in qualifying, as had been agreed beforehand.
During his final attempt, George Russell then found himself too close to Max Verstappen while preparing the lap. Despite the compromised build-up, the Mercedes driver still improved and finished only 0.060 seconds behind Pierre Gasly. Mercedes therefore probably left some performance on the table during qualifying.
That is also what makes the outlook for the race particularly interesting. The W17 is fast and may have been the car to show the most consistent performance across the entire Monza weekend, but it has not looked untouchable. Ferrari’s qualifying was not completely clean either, with the team encountering several issues during a session in which the SF-26 still secured a strong position for the Italian Grand Prix.
Pierre Gasly remains the biggest unknown ahead of the Italian GP
Pierre Gasly represents the major question mark at the front. Alpine’s pole position was fully deserved and built around an excellent qualifying lap, but the A526’s pace over a full race distance against Mercedes and Ferrari remains to be established.
Monza is also not a circuit where Saturday’s grid positions necessarily decide the outcome. The powerful slipstream effect, the long acceleration towards the Prima Variante and the opportunities for overtaking make the opening phase of the race particularly important.
Much will therefore depend on how long Pierre Gasly can genuinely sustain the pace of the leading contenders. For Ferrari, the first indications from ADUO 2 are positive, while the aerodynamic compromise chosen for the SF-26 has deliberately placed greater emphasis on Sunday rather than simply chasing maximum straight-line speed in qualifying.
But the main performance benchmark remains George Russell. With Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton directly behind him on the grid, Ferrari will have an opportunity to discover just how close the SF-26 really is to Mercedes when the 2026 Italian Grand Prix begins.
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