In this article we take you through the F1 news of Friday 4 September 2026, so you are up to speed again. Monza’s practice day produced its usual stopwatch drama, but the loudest arguments came from a Monaco verdict handed down three months late. Ferrari’s home upgrade got a proper answer from Mercedes before the tifosi had even finished their coffee.
Gasly Loses Monaco Podium Again, Briatore Accuses a Judge of Bias
Isack Hadjar has been reinstated to third at Monaco after the FIA’s International Court of Appeal stripped Gasly’s Monaco podium again, closing a saga that ran three months past the actual race. Alpine’s Flavio Briatore reacted by accusing a panel judge of hidden ties to McLaren, a claim Andrea Stella called insulting. The podium question is finally closed; whether Briatore can make an accusation like that without consequence is the row Monza will actually remember.
Russell Tops Leclerc as Ferrari’s Home Pace Gets Answered
George Russell topped a Mercedes-Ferrari session in second practice at Monza, edging Charles Leclerc after Ferrari had led a Ferrari one-two in FP1. A Ferrari upgrade that looked real for one session got answered inside a couple of hours, which is the more honest measure of where these two teams actually stand. Kimi Antonelli starting Sunday from the back means Mercedes’ Monza pace now matters well beyond bragging rights.
Verstappen’s Monza Friday Goes From Bad to Ninth
Max Verstappen managed only ninth in FP2 after sitting out FP1 for Red Bull’s mandatory rookie outing, leaving the team’s balance problems unresolved heading into Saturday. Losing a full hour of track time and finishing behind a Racing Bulls car is the sort of Friday that turns a title outsider into an afterthought. Verstappen already trails the championship lead by 130 points, and Saturday now has to fix problems Friday never found time to.
Norris Calls Stroll ‘Dangerous’ as Stewards Open a Friday Probe
Lando Norris had to take evasive action after Lance Stroll drifted across his braking zone in FP2, and stewards are now investigating the near miss at Turn 1. Practice-session cases rarely bite, and this one looks set to end as a blocking warning rather than anything touching Saturday’s grid. Norris reaching for the radio at all says plenty: a driver 83 points off the championship lead has no patience left for a scare that could have ended his weekend early.
Herta’s Nightmare Friday Ends With Cadillac Summoned by Stewards
Cadillac has been summoned by stewards after Colton Herta’s car stopped on track in FP1 with a clutch disengagement fault. Herta’s day had already gone wrong before that, having binned his F2 car at Lesmo earlier that morning, and reliability keeps producing exactly the headlines a debut team can’t afford.
McLaren Finally Brings Its Trick Rear Wing to Monza
McLaren will run its long-delayed H-wing system at Monza after shelving it back in Hungary. A stalling rear wing on the draggiest chassis on the grid, at the track that punishes drag more than any other, could turn a good MCL40 into the fastest car in a straight line just as Ferrari and Red Bull test their own answers.
Ferrari’s New Engine Fixes a Turbo Flaw, Hamilton Says It’s Not Enough
Ferrari’s second ADUO upgrade quietly admits it built too small a turbo at the start of the year, and Lewis Hamilton says the fix still leaves him losing six tenths on the straights to Russell. An upgrade a seven-time champion openly doubts on its debut weekend is not the vote of confidence Maranello wanted on home soil.
Antonelli and Albon Sent to the Back for the Italian GP
Kimi Antonelli and Alex Albon both face grid penalties for the Italian Grand Prix after exceeding their power unit allocations. Mercedes chose the timing deliberately, taking the hit at the one track built for overtaking rather than saving it for later, while Albon’s penalty carries none of that upside for Williams.
Slater Grabs F3 Pole as Title Rival Ugochukwu Wrecks His Weekend
Freddie Slater took pole for Sunday’s F3 feature race as title rival Ugo Ugochukwu will start both races from the back, and Rafael Camara claimed pole in Formula 2 by a fraction over Joshua Durksen. A scrappy lap for Ugochukwu hands Slater momentum in a title fight that is now his to lose.
Third practice at Monza runs Saturday 5 September at 12:30 CEST (10:30 UTC), with qualifying to follow at 16:00 CEST (14:00 UTC) before the grid for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix is set. Check the F1 calendar for the full weekend schedule.
