2026 Italian Grand Prix: Kimi Went From P19 to Hero, Max Led and Ferrari Broke Monza’s Heart

After Max broke my heart at Zandvoort in basically one lap, I came into Monza asking for something very simple from my favourite driver. Max… please just finish the race. Puh-Lease. I wasn’t asking for miracles. A good fight, maybe a podium and preferably no Red Bull deciding to ruin my Sunday again. Instead, Monza gave me, Max in the lead, Ferrari heartbreak, a Pierre Gasly pole that absolutely nobody ordered and Kimi producing one of the craziest drives of the season.

Not at all a boring race at all.

Ferrari had already made the weekend emotional before anyone started racing. Monza became a huge Michael Schumacher tribute, with the SF-26 wearing a special livery inspired by his 1996 Ferrari, including his MS logo and seven stars. Then Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel drove Schumacher’s incredible F2002 around Monza during the weekend. Vettel back in a Ferrari, driving Michael’s car in front of the Tifosi… yeah, that was special. Honestly, if nostalgia could score championship points, Ferrari had already won the race.

Then Ferrari managed to turn its home celebration into pain almost immediately. Hamilton and Leclerc were already fighting each other into the first corner, with Lewis getting pushed wide and dropping places. Then, at the end of Lap 2, Leclerc lost control at Parabolica and hit the barriers hard. That crash looked horrible. Thankfully Charles climbed out and was okay, but come on… Ferrari had brought the Schumacher tribute, the special livery, the entire Tifosi army and all that emotion to Monza, and one of its cars disappeared after two laps.

The red flag reset everything and when racing finally restarted, Max suddenly became the reason I was sitting properly in my chair again.

Then there was Kimi. I’ve spent half this season calling him the 19-year-old kid, and now he has turned 20. Fine. I’ll try to remember. His home weekend looked almost ruined before Sunday even started because Mercedes changed power-unit components and sent him to the back of the grid. He still qualified seventh and, knowing his own starting position was gone anyway, actually gave Russell a tow to help his teammate in qualifying. A championship leader, at his home Grand Prix, sacrificing his own Saturday to help George? hmm Fair Play Kimi.

YES MAX!

After what happened at Zandvoort, watching my favourite actually leading Monza felt like someone had finally apologised to me personally. Max and Russell started fighting, George came back at him, and for a few laps I genuinely thought Max might stay in this race for the win. Then Max came on the radio.

“The car is completely broken on its rear axle.”

Of course it is. Why would Red Bull allow me to enjoy myself for too long?

I actually felt bad for George. At Zandvoort, I watched him give Kimi a position and then fight two Ferraris almost alone to save Mercedes’ podium. That performance really made me appreciate him. This time he had led so much of the race, but Mercedes rolled the strategy dice differently with the two cars and his tyres simply couldn’t survive Kimi’s comeback. Russell still finished second and immediately gave Kimi the credit he deserved. Max finished third. And honestly? I happily took it.

Kimi became the first Italian driver to win at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. it took Sixty years. And he did it from P19. The podium was beautiful. Kimi was visibly emotional during the Italian national anthem while the crowd flooded beneath the podium. Monza was dressed in Ferrari red, but they were screaming for an Italian sitting inside a Mercedes. Back in Monaco, I watched Kimi celebrate with the Italian flag after winning there and wondered what Monza might feel like if he ever did the same at home. Turns out Monaco was only the warm-up.

I rate the 2026 Italian Grand Prix a solid A2W 9.5/10.

Ferrari brought Schumacher memories and then lost Leclerc after two laps. Gasly randomly took pole. Max finally gave me something to celebrate again. Russell fought until his tyres had nothing left. Monza wore red all weekend, but the loudest celebration belonged to a silver car.

aKi Malik