Ferrari brings a fresh upgrade package to its home race at the Italian GP, aiming to boost Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as the team tackles Monza’s unique 2026 active aero challenge.
The 5.793-kilometer circuit presents a unique challenge under the 2026 regulations.
Drivers will rely on active aerodynamics to shed drag on the straights before returning to downforce configurations for Monza’s historic chicanes.
Energy recovery, electrical deployment, and Overtake Mode will be pivotal down the long acceleration zones.
Leclerc admitted that simulator runs prepared him for a vastly different feeling behind the wheel, though he remains optimistic following strong outings at other high-speed venues.
“The change will be big. I mean, it will be very big. Seeing the traces, having tried it on the simulator,” Leclerc told media at Monza on Thursday.
“It’s true that if I look at Spa and Silverstone, these were two tracks where the traces and the simulator also made me start the weekend a little bit sceptical about the feeling in the car on those tracks. And it was much better than what I anticipated once on track.”
Unlike previous years, where teams stripped down wing levels specifically for Italy, active aero keeps downforce levels more stable.
“What I think will eventually be the biggest difference is that as drivers, we’ve been used with the previous generations of cars to arrive to Monza and to lose 100 points of downforce,” Leclerc added.
“This year we arrived with a very, very similar car configuration to the rest of the year. So I think that will be probably the biggest difference on a track like this. Other than the obvious one, which is the power unit.”
The team effort for Ferrari
Qualifying slipstream tactics will again play a central role on Saturday, with traffic management during pit exits expected to be crucial. Leclerc confirmed Ferrari will maintain its structured driver priority system.
“For the slipstream, I think we’ve always had kind of the same philosophy over the years,” Leclerc explained.
“Where it’s one time Lewis has the priority to kind of choose where he wants to start, and one weekend is on me. This weekend Lewis will have the priority. So I guess we’ll go for the slipstream.”
Managing the complex 2026 power unit configurations remains essential to extracting single-lap pace.
“Now if you don’t have the perfect engine settings for qualifying or for the race, then you could lose three, four, five tenths,” Leclerc stated.
“In Silverstone and Spa, we just did a really good job in trying to put those parameters as optimum as possible. And by doing that we end up winning Silverstone and having a great weekend in Spa. That’s what we’ll target here.”
Ferrari brings fresh upgrades to its home Grand Prix, aiming to challenge at the front over 53 laps on Sunday.
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