The Italian Grand Prix is expected to take place under intense heat, with temperatures up to 34° expected in Monza and no rain forecast for the weekend: the drivers will suffer in the furnace!
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Formula 1 drivers should be hot this weekend in Monza. The latest weather forecasts predict particularly high temperatures for the Italian Grand Prix, with the thermometer likely to exceed 30° during each of the three days of track activity.
Rain is not expected to disrupt the schedule, however. At this stage, forecasts predict a completely dry weekend, suggesting relatively stable weather conditions despite significant changes in wind direction.
Up to 34° on Saturday in Monza
From Friday, drivers should operate under a maximum temperature of about 33° during the first two practice sessions. Heat that could already complicate tire management and the cooling of various car components.
Conditions are expected to become even more difficult on Saturday. Qualifying day promises to be the hottest of the weekend, with a maximum forecast of 34°. Such a high ambient temperature should naturally translate into a particularly hot track under the Italian sun.
On Sunday, temperatures should slightly drop, but without real relief as the thermometer could still reach 33° at the time of the Grand Prix.
Friday: 33° and changing wind
While temperatures should remain relatively constant, wind direction will change significantly over the weekend. An element far from trivial in Monza, where drivers reach extremely high speeds before several particularly heavy braking zones.
On Friday, the wind should initially blow from the east and southeast before shifting more towards the south in the afternoon. This change should notably cause a tailwind in the long pit straight.
In Monza, this phenomenon can directly influence car behavior under braking. A headwind generally helps drivers brake later thanks to the additional aerodynamic downforce, while a tailwind can make the braking phase more delicate.
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Saturday: qualifying under 34°
Wind direction will change again on Saturday. For qualifying, it should blow relatively steadily from the west.
This orientation should notably create a headwind approaching the Ascari chicane, potentially allowing drivers to benefit from better stability under braking. The situation will be reversed at the Variante della Roggia, where they should rather face a tailwind.
These differences could be important in the search for the last hundredths on a circuit where gaps are traditionally very small in qualifying.
Sunday: conditions favorable to attacks at Roggia?
For the race, the wind should finally come back from the east. This orientation could offer drivers a valuable headwind at the entrance of the Variante della Roggia.
This is one of the main overtaking zones on the circuit, along with the first chicane of the Rettifilo. The presence of a headwind could allow drivers to delay their braking further when attempting an attack.
The weather should therefore not reserve any bad surprises for the teams in terms of rain, but the combination of temperatures exceeding 30° and changing wind throughout the weekend could still play an important role in tire management, setup, and battles on track.
Weather forecast for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix
- Friday: dry, up to 33°, east/southeast wind then south
- Saturday: dry, up to 34°, west wind
- Sunday: dry, up to 33°, east wind
Everything therefore indicates that the 2026 Italian Grand Prix will be held under a blazing sun and in particularly challenging heat in Monza.
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