Monza: All The Upgrades

Formula 1’s return to Monza this weekend has prompted an almost universal scramble for efficiency, with 10 of the 11 teams bringing technical upgrades for the Italian Grand Prix. At the Temple of Speed, where power-unit efficiency is crucial and the long straights punish drag, the development battle at this circuit could be just as important as outright pace.

The home team, Ferrari, arrives under the brightest spotlight; introducing its latest power-unit specification, alongside aerodynamic revisions aimed at improving efficiency around the high-speed circuit.

McLaren has also produced one of the weekend’s most intriguing solutions, with a new rotating rear-wing concept – dubbed the “H-wing” – designed to exploit the 2026 regulations and reduce drag on Monza’s straights, a revision to their previously attempted version of the "Macarena Wing".

Red Bull has taken a broader approach, trimming its front-wing endplate to improve the aerodynamic load generated further downstream, while revising the floor’s bib edge to add local load and improve stability. Changes to the rear suspension-to-wheel bodywork and exhaust tailpipe bracket have also been made for reliability.

Mercedes, meanwhile, is chasing efficiency by removing several winglet devices from its rear wing and trimming back the rear mirror stays to reduce drag, and Williams has added a vertical fence to its halo geometry for improved efficiency, alongside a revised front wing for balance and a floor-board trim.

Further down the field, Aston Martin, Racing Bulls, Alpine and Cadillac have also brought circuit-specific developments, targeting areas including their floors, wings, diffusers and bodywork. The objective is broadly the same: extract maximum performance while keeping the cars as slippery as possible through Monza’s long acceleration zones.

For Haas, however, Monza represents a particularly significant step. The team has introduced its first major upgrade package since Canada, including substantial aerodynamic changes to the VF-26. Both Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman will receive the new aero package, but Bearman has another advantage: he is the sole Haas driver receiving Ferrari’s latest power unit. With Monza’s demands, the team has decided it could not afford to leave the additional performance sitting in the garage.

Only Audi has arrived without a listed upgrade, meaning the entire field is effectively experimenting with different answers to the same Monza question: how can you make a Formula 1 car faster when straight-line efficiency matters more than almost anywhere else?

Free Practice

Ferrari has already made the perfect start to its home Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc leading Lewis Hamilton in a one-two during today's opening practice at Monza. Leclerc’s 1m23.008s was 0.173 seconds clear of his team-mate, while Mercedes’ George Russell was third, three-tenths off the pace. Liam Lawson in Isack Hadjar's Red Bull was fourth, ahead of Kimi Antonelli, with Lando Norris in sixth.

This result has offered an immediate indication that Ferrari’s Monza-specific package is working. The Scuderia introduced its latest Ferrari power-unit specification for the weekend, designed to improve efficiency and performance at a circuit where cars spend around 80% of the lap at full throttle.

Mercedes’ strong FP1 also gave encouragement for its lower-drag philosophy. The team's removal of the rear-wing winglet devices and trimming of its mirror stays, should chase the straight-line efficiency that Monza demands. Russell’s third place suggests the revised package will keep him in contention for a win on Sunday.

Red Bull was similarly within striking distance, with Lawson fourth, although the team’s more subtle aerodynamic changes are aimed at improving the efficiency and stability of the car rather than simply chasing a lower drag figure.

McLaren, meanwhile, had an underwhelming opening session by its recent standards. Norris was sixth, while Oscar Piastri sat outside the top 10, leaving the team work to do as it evaluates its Monza-specific aerodynamic package.

For Haas, today has been less about headline lap time and more about understanding its long-awaited upgrade. Both Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman ran the team’s major new aerodynamic package from FP1. The team itself acknowledged that Monza’s drag sensitivity makes the true benefit of the aero package harder to measure in the long-run.

Friday’s opening session has suggested that Ferrari may have found a particularly strong answer to Monza's challenging layout. But with McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and the rest of the field also bringing their own solutions, the true verdict will come when qualifying and race conditions reveal which upgrades deliver real performance, and which simply look fast on paper.