Formula One: Schumacher to Be Honored at Monza

Monza may be Ferrari’s racing home, but the team has celebrated only three victories there since 2007: Fernando Alonso won in 2010, and Charles Leclerc won in 2019 and 2024. That long drought has sharpened Ferrari’s desire to return to the top, and the Italian Grand Prix offers a prime opportunity.

Ferrari has won at Monza 20 times since 1950. McLaren follows with 11 victories, Mercedes has nine, and Alfa Romeo has eight. In 1988, Gerhard Berger’s win broke McLaren’s run of dominance with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The first Grand Prix at the circuit took place in 1921.

The track’s identity is built around speed. It measures 5,793 meters and has only 11 corners, with three long straights. Drivers spend 14 seconds at full throttle on the main straight, while top speed exceeds 360 kilometers per hour. The article evokes the cheers Ferrari drivers heard on the final lap, including Schumacher in 2006 and Leclerc in 2019.

This year’s race will also honor Schumacher, 30 years after his first season with Ferrari. He joined the team in 1996 and remained at Maranello for 11 seasons, helping return the Scuderia to the top of Formula One. Ferrari also ended its wait for an Italian Grand Prix victory in 1996, winning there for the first time since 1988.

Tributes will extend across Monza throughout the weekend, with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton scheduled to appear at events. Ferrari’s museum in Maranello will honor Schumacher from Sept. 4 to Sept. 30. The article also reports speculation that Hamilton could extend his Ferrari contract through 2028, after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris secured deals with their teams through 2030.