After a wet and wild Dutch GP, Max Verstappen delighted his home fans with a ninth victory in a row – putting him alongside Sebastian Vettel’s all-time record of most consecutive F1 wins.
Therefore the Red Bull driver has the opportunity to take the record outright this weekend with a 10th straight triumph.
Verstappen remains the firm favourite after team-mate Sergio Perez’s rollercoaster Dutch GP, which saw him make the perfect early pitstop call to vault into the lead, only to lose out on pace and then an off in the late-race downpour.
To make matters worse, the Mexican clattered into the pitwall after his off, meaning he broke the pitlane speed limit and the resulting penalty pushed him off the podium.
While Aston Martin looked back on fine form with Fernando Alonso second and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly profiting from Perez’s penalty to take third, it was another dismal weekend for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc retired with damage and Carlos Sainz could only salvage fifth.
Mercedes also endured a tough Dutch GP, largely through poor strategy calls in the early rain shower, with Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth and George Russell 17th albeit due to a late puncture that pushed him down the order.
Liam Lawson will continue to stand in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri at the Italian GP after the Australian broke his hand in a crash during practice at Zandvoort.
Full 2023 Italian GP session timings
Friday 1 September 2023
Free Practice 1: 12:30pm-1:30pm BST (1:30pm-2:30pm local)
Free Practice 2: 4:00pm-5:00pm BST (5:00pm-6:00pm local)
Saturday 2 September 2023
Free Practice 3: 11:30am-12:30pm BST (12:30pm-1:30pm local)
Qualifying: 3:00pm-4:00pm BST (4:00pm-5:00pm local)
Sunday 3 September 2023
Race: 2:00pm BST (3:00pm local)
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is only broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.
Fans wanting to watch highlights of the race for free will have to wait until the Saturday night (qualifying) or Sunday night (grand prix) on Channel 4.
How can I watch the Italian GP?
- Channel: Sky Sports F1
- Channel numbers - Sky: 406
- Channel numbers - Virgin Media: 506
Sky Sports has live broadcasting rights in the United Kingdom, with the build-up to the F1 Italian GP race starting from 12:30pm on Sky Sports F1 ahead of lights out at 2:00pm.
When can I watch the Italian GP highlights?
- Channel: Channel 4
- Start time: Qualifying – 7:50pm Saturday, Race – 6:30pm Sunday
Channel 4 has the rights to show the Italian GP highlights of the qualifying and the full grand prix.
Will the Italian GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live or 5 Live Sports Extra stations and via the BBC Sport website.
Coverage of the Italian GP will start at 2:00pm BST on the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the Italian GP
Monza is set for sunny and warm conditions throughout the race weekend, with a very small chance of rain on each day. Highs of 26 degrees Celsius are predicted on Sunday for the start of the race, with bright and sunny conditions.
Most F1 Italian GP wins
Michael Schumacher: 5 wins (1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006)
Lewis Hamilton: 5 wins (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)
Nelson Piquet: 4 wins (1980, 1983, 1986, 1987)
