The second half of the season is well and truly underway and the final two European rounds take place over a double-header that kicks off in Italy. With McLaren resurgent but plenty for the home fans to get excited about, there are sure to be a number of talking points when the paddock arrives in Monza.<\/p>\n
Antonelli set for a home race penalty<\/p>\n
Given the support Ferrari<\/a> always receive at Monza, the Italian fans could find themselves slightly torn this weekend, as Kimi Antonelli<\/a> arrives at his home race as the championship leader.<\/p>\n Rewind 12 months and it would have been a surprising prediction to suggest Antonelli would be 59 points clear in the standings in just his second season in Formula 1, even with the expectation that Mercedes<\/a> would deliver a championship-contending car.<\/p>\n Yet as the Silver Arrows continue to prioritise the best approach to the season as a whole \u2013 rather than any individual race \u2013 Antonelli will face a tall order to secure victory in his home Grand Prix due to a planned power unit penalty.<\/p>\n Reliability issues mean Mercedes believe they won\u2019t make it to the end of the season without taking a penalty with each car at some stage, and they also have the potential to upgrade the power unit through the FIA\u2019s Advanced Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) mechanism.<\/p>\n Whether it is a new specification that is introduced at Monza or not, the team have confirmed Antonelli will take a full new power unit and start towards the back of the grid.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Kimi, we’re taking the full thing,\u201d Toto Wolff said in Zandvoort. \u201cOur calculations say that that’s the best track to take it. Obviously, algorithms don’t take their nationality into consideration. We’re here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR.\u201d<\/p>\n Red Bull\u2019s driver situation<\/p>\n The summer shutdown ended with an unexpected driver line-up change \u2013 albeit only a temporary one \u2013 at Red Bull<\/a>, after Isack Hadjar<\/a> injured his wrist ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, ruling him out of the race weekend at Zandvoort.<\/p>\n Liam Lawson<\/a> was promoted in his place, and impressed despite the lack of practice mileage on offer during the Sprint weekend. By Saturday\u2019s Qualifying session, Lawson was able to get close to Max Verstappen<\/a> and secured a spot alongside his team mate on the fourth row, before a solid run to seventh place behind the McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari cars.<\/p>\n With Lawson at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda returned at Racing Bulls and also had a strong weekend, just missing out on points. So both proved to be strong replacements while Hadjar recovers.<\/p>\n It has not yet been confirmed if Hadjar will be fit to return this weekend at Monza, but if not then it is expected that Red Bull will stick with the Zandvoort line-ups, giving both Lawson and Tsunoda another chance to impress. While it will be a race on a very different type of circuit, they would have three practice sessions to help them build on top of their previous weekend\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n Stability in the driver market<\/p>\n In the build-up to the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, three driver contracts were confirmed that suggested there will be little movement across the grid in 2027.<\/p>\n First up was Alex Albon<\/a> remaining with Williams<\/a>, shortly followed by his team mate Carlos Sainz also committing his future<\/a> to the team and ensuring an unchanged driver line-up for James Vowles to work with next year.<\/p>\n Then came the big news of Max Verstappen extending his Red Bull stay<\/a> until at least the end of 2030, as the Dutchman reaffirmed his intention to complete his whole career with the team.<\/p>\n Since leaving the Netherlands, there has been further confirmation of a driver retaining their seat, as Franco Colapinto\u2019s strong season has been rewarded<\/a> with another year at Alpine alongside Pierre Gasly.<\/p>\n As it stands, there have only been extensions and renewals confirmed \u2013 with Lando Norris<\/a> and McLaren<\/a> also committing long-term to each other \u2013 as the driver market has stabilised this year. Aston Martin<\/a> are a team of interest as Fernando Alonso<\/a> has yet to announce his plans for 2027, while there could potentially be movement at Haas<\/a> and Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n Ollie Bearman is expected to continue with Haas, and Esteban Ocon<\/a>\u2019s recent form shows he is doing everything he can to remain alongside him, but both seats are currently still available.<\/p>\n Although unconfirmed at this stage, it would be a major surprise if Isack Hadjar<\/a> and Arvid Lindblad don\u2019t keep their seats at Red Bull and Racing Bulls respectively, while Lawson\u2019s substitute appearance keeps him in the mix for another season despite the emergence of Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov.<\/a><\/p>\n The Tifosi<\/p>\n Sure, Kimi Antonelli is leading the Drivers\u2019 Championship, but you can still expect to see a sea of red at Monza as the Tifosi come out in force.<\/p>\n Although McLaren have won the past two races, Ferrari have been Mercedes\u2019 closest challenger on average this season, with Lewis Hamilton<\/a> sitting joint-second in the standings, 59 points adrift of Antonelli.<\/p>\n The expected penalty for Antonelli should only serve to increase Ferrari\u2019s chances of fighting for victory at their home race, as they look to make inroads into Mercedes\u2019 87-point lead in the Constructors\u2019 Championship.<\/p>\n Racing at Monza in front of such a passionate fanbase is always a sight to behold during the year, and if one of Hamilton or Charles Leclerc<\/a> can deliver a win then the atmosphere underneath the iconic podium will be something particularly special.<\/p>\n Celebrating a legend<\/p>\n Aside from Ferrari\u2019s own hopes of victory, they will be paying tribute to one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history this coming weekend.<\/p>\n