Monza Faces Extreme Heat This Weekend for Formula 1

Monza will be an oven this weekend, and Formula 1 has moved to say so officially.

The Italian Grand Prix has been classified a heat‑hazard race, with forecasts showing temperatures climbing beyond 31C at some stage during Sunday’s running. Around Monza, north‑east of Milan, the air is expected to sit stubbornly in the mid‑30s throughout the weekend, after a searing week that saw the mercury hit 36C near Milan’s Linate airport on Wednesday afternoon.

That designation does more than add a label to the conditions. It unlocks extra cooling measures for the drivers, who already sit in cockpits where temperatures can soar far higher than the ambient air.

Under the ruling, drivers are permitted to wear a fireproof top threaded with a network of pipes carrying cooled liquid, such as glycol, beneath their overalls. It’s a system usually reserved for the very toughest races on the calendar, a hidden lifeline when the heat inside the car becomes brutal over a full Grand Prix distance.

There is a choice to make, though. The cooling kit is optional, but the rulebook closes off any temptation to chase a weight advantage. Any driver who decides to go without must carry 5kg of ballast in the car, a mandatory handicap to ensure no one gains performance by sacrificing protection from the heat.

At a circuit famed for its speed, the battle this year will not just be against rivals and braking zones. It will be against the thermometer.