F1: Ferrari to celebrate past triumph amid present woes

Ferrari will celebrate past glory, and hope to speed on from current woes, when they close out the European Formula 1 season with their long-suffering home fans at Monza this weekend.

Sunday's Italian Grand Prix marks the 50th anniversary of late Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda's first title, secured at the circuit with Enzo Ferrari's team in front of a huge and passionate crowd.

The cars now raced by seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, last year's winner at the 'Pista Magica', will pay tribute with a special red and white retro livery harking back to the 312T of 1975.

Ferrari fan favourite Jean Alesi, a one-off winner in Canada in 1995, will drive that year's V12-powered Ferrari 412 T2 for a noisy blast from the past around the super-fast track on Sunday morning.

It will all be a welcome distraction from present realities for a team that have not won a title since 2008 and, despite still being second overall, have given their fans a campaign full of pain.

Ferrari have yet to win this year - something lower-ranked rivals Red Bull and Mercedes have managed - and the home return comes hot on the heels of both cars crashing out in the Netherlands last weekend.

To make matters worse, Hamilton - record winner of 105 races who had the fans at fever pitch when he joined from Mercedes in January - will make his first Monza appearance as a Ferrari driver with a five-place grid penalty.

The 40-year-old has yet to stand on the podium in 15 starts in red and the sanction makes that even less likely at the 'Temple of Speed' for the five-times winner with McLaren and Mercedes.

McLaren meanwhile will be chasing their sixth win in a row and 13th in 16 races and are a whopping 324 points clear in the constructors' standings with Australian Oscar Piastri and Britain's Lando Norris in a two-horse title race.

The odds have shifted in Piastri's favour after Norris retired with a smoking car in Zandvoort while in second place but the Briton was on pole at Monza last year and also set fastest lap.

Sunday could see Piastri add to his 34 points lead or Norris claw back a fistful with eight races and three sprints remaining in the Asia, Americas and Middle East legs to come.

Formula 1 statistics for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, round 16 of the 24-race world championship and last of the season in Europe:

• Lap distance: 5.793km. Total distance: 306.720km (53 laps)
• 2024 pole position: Lando Norris (Britain) McLaren one minute 19.327 seconds.
• 2024 race winner: Charles Leclerc (Monaco), Ferrari
• Race lap record: One minute 21.046 seconds, Rubens Barrichello (Brazil), Ferrari 2004.
• Start time: 0100 NZ time Monday (1500 local)

Italy

The race will be the 76th Italian Grand Prix since the championship started in 1950, and 75th at Monza.

Built in 1922, the 'Temple of Speed' has long straights and 11 corners with 76 percent of lap time at full throttle and top speeds of more than 350km/h.

The race can be one of the shortest of the year in total time, due to the high speeds. A one stop strategy is most likely.

Seven-times world champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record of five wins each at Monza.

Other still active past winners are Max Verstappen (2022, 2023), Fernando Alonso (2007, 2010), Leclerc (2019, 2024) and Pierre Gasly (2020).

Hamilton has started on pole seven times at Monza and set Formula 1's fastest ever lap in 2020 qualifying at an average speed of 264.362km/h.

The Italian and British Grands Prix are the only ones to have been on the calendar in every year since 1950. In 1980 the Italian round was held at Imola.

Ferrari have won 20 times at Monza, more than anyone else.

Championship lead

Australian Oscar Piastri leads McLaren teammate Norris by 34 points. Verstappen is third and 104 points off the lead.

In the constructors' standings, McLaren (584 points) are 324 clear of second-placed Ferrari (260), with Mercedes third (248) and Red Bull fourth (214).

Wins

Piastri has won seven of 15 races this season, Norris five, Verstappen two and Mercedes' George Russell one.

Hamilton has not won since his career 105th victory in Belgium on 28 July, 2024.

Verstappen has won 65 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91.

McLaren have had seven one-two finishes this season and won 12 of 15, including the last five in a row.

Pole position

Piastri has been on pole five times this season, Norris and Verstappen four each, Russell and Leclerc once each.

Podium

Piastri has been on the podium 13 times in 2025, Norris 12.

Leclerc's second place in Monaco remains Ferrari's best of the season. The Monegasque now has five podiums for the season. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari.

Points

Piastri is the only driver to have scored in every race this year. The Australian has scored for 41 race weekends in a row, if sprints are included - and in 33 successive grands prix.

Only one driver on the grid has yet to score - Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto, who made his F1 debut at Monza with Williams last year.

Milestone

Ferrari are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the late triple champion Niki Lauda's first title with the team. The Austrian clinched it in Monza on 7 September, 1975.

- Reuters