2026 Italian Grand Prix - Preview

Flying the flag for the Audi Driver Development Programme, Freddie Slater will also be back on track with Formula 3, arriving to Italy at the top of the championship standings with two rounds to go.

Allan McNish, Racing Director: “We showed good pace in Zandvoort and came away with points for the fourth race in a row, which is always encouraging, although there is always room for improvement. Monza is always a special place to go racing, with so much history in and around the circuit. This weekend will be a different challenge, on a track layout that could make it difficult to maintain the run of points we had in the last races. Our focus, however, will remain on execution and on making the most of what we have to start this final European back-to-back on a positive note.”

Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27): "The Sunday in Zandvoort ended up again in a satisfying way for us. We came away with another points finish and, just as importantly, confirmed that we're moving in the right direction as a team. The goal now is to continue that level of execution over the next races.

“It's always good to be back at Monza. One of the real classics with so many passionate Tifosi around and a place where you really enjoy driving a Formula One car. The midfield is still incredibly close, so the focus is on putting together another tidy weekend and seeing where that leaves us."

Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5): “Even if the result on Sunday in Zandvoort wasn’t what I wanted, I felt good with the car and we had good pace, which were definitely positives coming back from the break. Monza is always a weekend with special meaning for me: I lived in Italy throughout my junior career and also enjoyed good results here in recent years. Overall, racing at the Temple of Speed is always something you cannot help but look forward to. We’ve been competitive over the last few races, so hopefully we can carry that into this weekend and put together a strong result.”