Good afternoon and welcome back, ScuderiaFans.com readers. The start of 2026 Italian Grand Prix qualifying is almost here, with Ferrari preparing for what could be a very close battle against Mercedes at Monza. George Russell currently appears to be the main reference for the German team, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will attempt to put the SF-26 into the fight for the front rows in front of the Tifosi.
Judging by Friday’s running, Ferrari may have looked slightly stronger over a single lap. However, the picture changed somewhat after FP3, when the SF-26 appeared to lose some performance relative to Mercedes. That does not mean the outcome is already decided. As became apparent during third practice, the two Ferrari drivers may also have been experimenting with different ways of managing electrical energy over the lap, completing numerous attempts that did not ultimately translate into an overall improvement in lap time.
2026 Italian GP qualifying live: Ferrari faces Mercedes at Monza
The main expectation heading into qualifying is therefore a close fight involving George Russell and the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The Scuderia’s objective is clear: beat Mercedes if possible, or at the very least secure positions on the first or second row of the grid.
Ferrari enters the decisive session after a weekend in which extracting the maximum from the SF-26 has required careful work on both set-up and energy deployment. The team has already focused on technical adjustments to maximise the SF-26, with Monza demanding a particularly delicate compromise between straight-line performance and confidence through the braking zones.
For Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, qualifying will therefore be about converting the potential seen earlier in the weekend into a complete lap when it matters most. Friday suggested that the Ferrari could be highly competitive, while FP3 provided a more complicated picture and left the Maranello team with further details to optimise.
Kimi Antonelli out of the main battle after Power Unit replacement
Kimi Antonelli will unfortunately be out of this particular fight following a Power Unit replacement. That leaves George Russell as Mercedes’ main contender against Ferrari at the sharp end of the qualifying battle.
McLaren is not expected to have the pace required to seriously trouble the leading teams based on the current picture, while Red Bull with Max Verstappen appears to be in a similar position. The principal focus therefore remains on whether Ferrari can recover the stronger single-lap performance suggested on Friday and challenge George Russell when the decisive runs begin.
For the Scuderia, the stakes are particularly high at its home Grand Prix. Expectations surrounding Ferrari at Monza have grown throughout the weekend, with the team aiming to convert its technical work into a strong qualifying result. The possibility of starting from the first two rows remains the minimum target, while beating Mercedes would represent the ideal outcome.
The pit lane opens at 16:00, with our live coverage beginning at 15:45. Stay with ScuderiaFans.com as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc begin their battle for the best possible starting positions at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix.
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