Will 'Monza Magic' happen this time out for fumbling Ferrari?

Formula 1’s annual pilgrimage to 'La Pista Magica' this week offers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a chance to rebound from race-ending crashes at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday. It was only Ferrari’s second race of the season without scoring points, and Hamilton also picked up a grid penalty for Monza.

The only Italian on the grid, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, wants to “put in the trash” a practice crash at Monza last year and make up for ending Leclerc’s race on Sunday. Success has been rare for Italian drivers at the Temple of Speed.

There is little Hamilton has not achieved in Formula 1, but racing for Ferrari at Monza will be something “unique.” It will be his 19th race at the high-speed Italian circuit, but his first in red.

Hamilton has spoken of wanting to enjoy racing again after a difficult start with Ferrari and insisted on Sunday that he had made progress despite sliding into the barriers at Zandvoort: “So to come away with that is definitely painful.”

Worse was to come later that day, as he was handed a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags before the race.

Hamilton had a taste of racing in red in Italy at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in May, where he finished fourth and dedicated the result to Ferrari fans. He has yet to reach the podium in a Grand Prix for Ferrari.

“The support this team has around the world from the Tifosi is unmatched and so I’m sure it’ll be a unique experience,” Hamilton said last week.

Even in Ferrari’s most troubled F1 seasons, Monza has provided moments of redemption, such as Gerhard Berger’s emotional win in 1988, the first since the death of founder Enzo Ferrari. Leclerc won at Monza in his first Ferrari season in 2019 and again last year.

Leclerc said on Thursday in Italy: “I think our first experiences are going to be very different because Lewis has lived so many incredible moments already. I’m pretty sure that he will still be shocked by how special this week feels, but he’s gone through a lot more than I had back then.

"I just came from Sauber to win in Monza with Ferrari, which was unbelievable. So it was all at once and quite crazy," recalled Leclerc of that famous day.

It has been 20 years since an Italian driver last stood on the Monza podium. Antonelli arrived in F1 with huge hype as Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes. Crashing 10 minutes into his first F1 practice session for the team at Monza last year was a tough introduction.

“I have amazing memories, but also really, really bad ones,” Antonelli said last week. “It’s going to be important to just have a clean weekend, clean sessions and just put in the trash what happened. I think it’s going to be a really special weekend.”

Putting Antonelli in the car a year ago was a gamble and “maybe a mistake,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted Friday, but argued it could have been a major confidence-builder without the crash.

Antonelli has managed two points finishes in his last nine races after a strong start to 2025. He was competitive on pace at Zandvoort, but his attempt to overtake Leclerc ended in disaster when he tipped the Ferrari driver into the barrier. Mercedes has yet to formally confirm Antonelli or George Russell for 2026.